Singer Suman Kalyanpur dies at 89

(Express archive photo)Veteran singer Suman Kalyanpur, who gave her voice to hits such as “Na Na Karte” and “Tumne Pukara”, passed away on Sunday evening at her residence due to age-related issues, a close friend said. She was 89. “Suman ji passed away at around 8 pm at her residence in Lokhandwala due to old age. She passed away peacefully. For the last few days she was listening to her own songs,” Mangala Khadilkar, who authored the acclaimed Marathi biography Suman Sugandh on the singer, told PTI.Suman Kalyanpur gained popularity with her melodious voice between the 1960s and 1970s. She managed to create a niche for herself alongside the top singer of the time, Lata Mangeshkar. Some of Kalyanpur’s popular songs are “Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche”, “Na Na Karte Pyar Tumhin Se”, “Tumne Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aaye” and many others. She sang songs in several languages including Hindi, Marathi, Assamese, Kannada, Bengali, Oriya, and others. She also sang devotional songs, ghazals, and thumris. Although many compared her voice to that of the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, Suman Kalyanpur always dismissed the comparison. In a 2022 interview with PTI, she referred to Mangeshkar as a close friend. “Everyone loved her songs, and she will be immortal. We recorded a duet together for the film ‘Chaand’. Every time I met her, it felt like I met a close friend. I believe she felt the same,” she said at the time.Story continues below this ad The last rites of Suman Kalyanpur will be held at the Pawan Hans crematorium on Monday around 12 pm. The singer is survived by her daughter Charu.