Bangalore: Legendary singer Manna Dey, who passed away on Thursday morning in a Bangalore hospital, shared a great bond with the city. Even though it was West Bengal where he was born and brought up, and spent over 5 decades in Mumbai, the last days were pent in the Garden City.
Manna Dey's body was kept in Samsa open air theatre, near Ravindra Kalakshetra. Manna's funeral saw the attendance of popular singers of Kannada. The last rites of the singer were performed in Hebbal Crematorium.
Umashree, an actress and the Minister of Women and Child Welfare, and Kannada and Culture Department was present along with South singer Sangeetha Katti.
Manna Dey was being treated for respiratory illness and renal failure. Manna Dey's daughter and son-in-law were with him at the time of his death. His body will be kept for public viewing to pay tributes at Bangalore's Ravindra Kala Shetra from 10 am to 12 pm, following which his funeral will be held. The 94 year-old-legendary singer began his playback career with the film 'Tamanna'. He has sung over 3,500 songs in Hindi, Bengali and other regional languages, including Kannada.
He sang popular tracks such as 'Jayathe jayathe jayathe sathyameva jayathe' from Kalpavruksha, 'Kuhu kuhu yenutha haaduva kogile' from Kalavathi, 'Kannillaveno nijakanadeno' and 'Anu Anuvinallu' from Margadarshi and 'Neere neere baare bega' for the earlier version of Sangolli Raayanna, which also had Latha Mangeshkar crooning.
His greatest hits include 'Ae meri zohrajabeen', 'Puchho na kaise bitayi raina' , 'Pyar hua ikrar hua' and 'Ek chatur naar'. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the country's highest honour in cinema, was conferred on Manna Dey in 2007. Manna Dey started playback singing in 1943 and went on to sing in several Indian languages. He was among the people who are responsible for establishing classical music as an integral part of playback singing in Bollywood.
"Mannada breathed his last around 4 a.m. after his condition suddenly deteriorated in the wee hours though he was on a ventilator in the intensive care unit," Narayana Hospital spokesman K.S.Vasuki told IANS here. The multi-lingual singer, who has been ailing for four months, leaves behind two daughters, Rama and Sumita. "Dey's eldest daughter (Rama) rushed to the hospital and was at his bedside when the end came after we alerted her about her father's deteriorating condition," Vasuki said.
According to Dey's family sources, Sumita lives in the US. Dey's wife Sulochana Kumaran passed away here in January 2012 due to cancer. Dey was admitted to the super specialty hospital in early July after he complained of complained of lung infection and was undergoing treatment for respiratory disease.
"Dey's body will be kept at Ravindra Kalkshetra in the city centre from 10 am to 12 noon for the public to pay their last respects and homage," a family friend said. The family plans to perform Dey's last rites at Hebbal crematorium in northwest of the city by Thursday evening. News of Dey's passing away shocked thousands of his fans, especially the music industry and the million-strong Bengali community in this tech hub. Dey was in the same hospital for about 20 days in May a week after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee honoured him May 1 with Bengal's Vishesh Maha Sangeet Samman award in recognition of his yeomen service to the world of music and the film industry for over seven decades. Mannada, whose original name was Prabodh Chandra Dey, has to his credit over a record 3,500 songs in an illustrious career spanning seven decades since 1943. His oeuvre boasts of a range of songs, from romantic numbers to classical to fun songs. (With inputs from IANS)
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