Veteran singer Suman Kalyanpur passes away:Known for songs like 'Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche'; also sang in Marathi, Assamese, and Bengali

Indian cinema's famous singer Suman Kalyanpur passed away on Sunday evening at her residence in Mumbai at the age of 89. According to reports, the cause of her death was age-related complications. Her close friend Mangala Khadikar informed that Suman breathed her last around 8 PM. She had been listening to her own songs for the past few days and passed away very peacefully. Her last rites were performed on Monday morning at Pawan Hans crematorium. She is survived by her daughter, Charu. She was honoured with the Padma Bhushan award in 2023. Made a special identity in the 1960s and 1970s Suman Kalyanpur made a special identity in the music world with her melodious voice in the 1960s and 1970s. Even in the presence of a great singer like Lata Mangeshkar during that era, she carved out her own distinct place. She sang famous songs like 'Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche', ‘Na Na Karte Pyar Tumhi Se,’ and 'Tumne Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aaye', which are still popular today. She sang songs in many languages, including Marathi, Assamese, Kannada, Bengali, and Odia, besides Hindi. Although people often compared her voice to Lata Mangeshkar, Suman Kalyanpur always dismissed this comparison. In a 2022 interview, she had described Lata Mangeshkar as her very close friend and said that meeting her always felt like meeting a ‘girlfriend.’ Voice similar to Lata Mangeshkar Suman Kalyanpur's voice resembled Lata Mangeshkar's. The singing style of both, the purity of notes, and the texture of voice were considered similar. Many times, even Lata Mangeshkar's assistants and close acquaintances would get confused between her and Suman Kalyanpur's voice. Due to this similar quality, when a dispute arose between Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi in the 1960s, Suman Kalyanpur became the first choice of the film industry, and she sang one blockbuster song after another with Rafi Sahab. Made Ameen Sayani wait for 45 Years Famous radio announcer Ameen Sayani kept requesting time for an interview with Suman for 45 years. But Suman would postpone it every time. Finally, after 45 years, Ameen Sayani's wait ended in 2005, when Suman Kalyanpur agreed to a one-hour interview. However, she permitted the interview only on the condition that no one would take her photograph, and if any question made her uncomfortable, she would not answer it. Neighbour asked father to teach music Suman had an interest in painting and music since childhood. Due to this, after school, she also graduated with a degree in Arts. She wanted to become a painter, but Suman's voice was recognised by her neighbour and her father's friend Pandit Keshav Rao Bhole. He suggested to Suman's father to teach Suman music. Initially, Suman was learning music just as a hobby, but with time, her interest in it began to grow. She started learning music more seriously. In the coming years, Suman also learned the nuances of music from stalwarts like Ustad Khan, Abdul Rahman Khan, and Guruji Master Navrang.