Legendary classical singer Arun Bhaduri dead

Legendary classical singer Pandit Arun Bhaduri, known for his deep and sonorous voice, passed away at a city hospital on Monday following age-related ailments and respiratory distress, family sources said.

Bhaduri, 75, is survived by wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandson.

Born in West Bengal's Murshidabad on October 7, 1943, Bhaduri received his initial lessons in Indian music from Mohammed Abu Daud, before fine-tuning his knowledge on the nuances and embellishments of the Hindustani Classical Music from Mohammed Sagiruddin Khan.

Later, he was also taught by the late Ustad Ishtiaq Hussain Khan of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana, and Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh.

Greatly influenced by Ustad Ameer Khan, Bhaduri imbibed his aesthetic qualities, and successfully created a style of his own by fusing the various styles he learnt from the stalwarts.

He joined the ITC Sangeet Research Academy as a musician scholar and rose to become one of its most venerated Gurus.

A top grade radio and television artiste, Bhaduri received invitations from music festivals in the UK, the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

Bhaduri is also known for his excellent rendering of Bengali songs and bhajans.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief at Bhaduri's demise.

Recalling that the state government had conferred on him the state's highest civilian award, Banga Bibhusan, in 2014 for his outstanding contribution to music, Banerjee said his passing away would "create a big void in the world of music and culture".

--IANS

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