KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said Bengali singer Sandhya Mukherjee, who died in Kolkata on Tuesday at 90, felt insulted when the Centre wanted to confer Padma Shri on her. She said Mukherjee deserved more than the fourth-highest civilian award.
“There are many ways to honour a luminary. The Padma Shri is definitely an honour but there are higher awards. This was insulting for her,” Banerjee said without naming anyone.
Mukherjee refused to accept the award on January 24 when a central government official called her up to inform her about it. Her family quoted her telling the officer that Padma Shri is not an award that should be conferred on a veteran like her. It would be demeaning to accept the award, the singer reportedly told the officer.
In Delhi, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dilip Ghosh accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of not letting Mukherjee accept the award. “...Mukherjee’s death is a big loss for us….She was ailing for a long time. The Centre wanted to honour her but she became a victim of politics in the last days of her life.” He said the TMC politicised the issue. “We were told that she refused it but we did not see any video which can prove that.”
Banerjee, who cut short her North Bengal tour to attend Mukherjee’s funeral in Kolkata, announced the singer will be honoured with a gun salute. She also paid tribute to musician Bappi Lahiri, who was also from Bengal and died in Mumbai.
{{/usCountry}}Banerjee, who cut short her North Bengal tour to attend Mukherjee’s funeral in Kolkata, announced the singer will be honoured with a gun salute. She also paid tribute to musician Bappi Lahiri, who was also from Bengal and died in Mumbai.
{{/usCountry}}Mukherjee tested positive for Covid-19 last month when she was rushed to a hospital with signs of lung infection and breathlessness. Doctors said Mukherjee’s heart problem complicated her condition. Mukherjee was shifted to a private hospital on Banerjee’s orders. Her condition deteriorated on Tuesday when she suffered cardiac arrest.
Mukherjee sang thousands of songs for Bengali films as well as for albums. She also recorded songs for Hindi cinema and was known as Gitashree.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who condoled her death. “The passing away of Gitashree Sandhya Mukhopadhyay Ji leaves us all extremely saddened. Our cultural world is a lot poorer. Her melodious renditions will continue to enthral the coming generations. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti,” Modi said in a tweet.