Bhubaneswar: Amid chanting of vedic hymns , legendary Odia bhajan singer Shantilata Barik Chhotray’s mortal remains were consigned to flames in a public funeral with full state honours, held at Swargadwar in Puri on Tuesday.
Santilata , a cancer patient, passed away while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday. She was 63.
According to sources, her body was taken to her residence after being discharged from the hospital. The body of the legendary singer was kept at her house near Bindu Sagar in Bhubaneswar so that her fans could pay their last tributes to her.
It was seen that her family members and students sang bhajans to bid adieu to the bhajan queen when her body was being taken to Swargadwar in Puri.
According to sources, she was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and battling for life for quite some time.
Born on October 1, 1960, in Khurda, the legendary singer was a student of Odisha Sangeeta Mahavidyalaya. She honed her singing skills under the tutelage of Guru Balakrushna Das, Markendeya Mohapatra, Singhari Shyamsundar Kar and Gopal Panda.
