Eminent Nazrul singer Kalyani Kazi dies

Eminent singer and the youngest daughter-in-law of Bangladesh National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Kalyani Kazi, passed away in India’s Kolkata on Friday morning after a prolonged illness, family sources said.

Kalyani at the age of 87 breathed her last at SSKM hospital where she was shifted from a nursing home in south Kolkata a few days back.

She had been suffering from leukemia for quite some time and also had renal problems and died after multi-organ failure, her family said.

Kalyani, the widow of Kazi Nazrul Islam’s younger son Kazi Aniruddha, is survived by two sons and a daughter who lives in the US.

“We have requested the West Bengal government to keep mother’s body at Peace Haven mortuary for a day to enable our sister Anindita Kazi to arrive from the US today morning and mother’s last rites will be performed afterwards,” one of Kazi’s sons Kazi Anirban told reporters at the hospital.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of eminent singer Kalyani Kazi.

In a condolence message, Sheikh Hasina said the death of the famous Nazrul Geeti singer has caused an irreparable loss to the music world. The prime minister expressed her deepest sympathy to the bereaved family members.

Condoling her death, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a statement that Kalyani Kazi’s singing style used to enthrall listeners making them spellbound, reports PTI.

“West Bengal government had conferred on her the Sangeet Mahasamman award in 2015. She was a member of the advisory council of Poschimbongo Kazi Nazrul Islam Akademi,” Mamata recalled.