Playback singer Suman Kalyanpur passes away at 89; Fadnavis, Nitin Gadkari, Eknath Shinde pay tribute

MUMBAI: Padma Bhushan Suman Kalyanpur, who is known for her songs in the Hindi and Marathi film industry, passed away at the age of 89. Suman Kalyanpur enriched the Indian music scene with Bhava, devotional songs and playback singing.

Not only in Marathi, but in various languages like Hindi, Bengali, and Odia, she left an indelible mark. Suman Kalyanpur, who was born in Dhaka in the then-undivided India and later settled in Mumbai, was honoured with the civilian award Padma Bhushan.

Suman Kalyanpur lent her vocals to timeless classics such as ‘Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche’ and ‘Naa Naa Karte Pyar Tumhin Se Kar Baithe’. Her voice was often mistaken for that of Lata Mangeshkar’s.

She also sang two duets with Latha Mangeshkar before charting a successful career as a playback singer. Suman was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2023.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid emotional tributes to veteran playback singer Suman Kalyanpur, expressing grief that the divine and melodious voice of ‘Suman’ in Indian music has fallen silent.

In his condolence message, the Chief Minister said that Sumanji also studied painting initially. She went on to dominate the hearts of fans for more than six decades with her melodious and classical melodies. Her songs filled the 50s and 60s with melodious melodies, as per the CMO office press release. Stating that this is a great loss to the art sector, Fadnavis paid emotional tribute to veteran playback singer Suman Kalyanpur.

He wrote on X, “With the passing of veteran playback singer Suman Kalyanpur, a sweet, melodious, and soul-stirring voice in the Indian music world has fallen forever silent today. For over six decades, she reigned supreme in the hearts of music lovers with her unparalleled singing. Her immortal melodies in languages such as Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Odia, and others remain an invaluable treasure of the music world. Honoured with the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award, Sumanji enriched Indian music with her magical voice. The sweetness and emotive expression in her songs will forever linger in memory. Her demise marks a profound loss to the music world. I offer my heartfelt tribute to her. We share in the grief of her family. Om Shanti”

ज्येष्ठ पार्श्वगायिका सुमन कल्याणपूर यांच्या निधनाने भारतीय संगीतविश्वातील एक मधुर, सुरेल आणि भावस्पर्शी स्वर आज कायमचा शांत झाला. सहा दशकांहून अधिक काळ आपल्या अद्वितीय गायनाने त्यांनी रसिकांच्या मनावर अधिराज्य गाजवले. मराठी, हिंदी, बंगाली, ओडिया अशा विविध भाषांतील त्यांच्या… pic.twitter.com/Yb83fRmKvx

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) May 31, 2026

Earlier, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other ministers paid tribute to the veteran singer and remembered her contribution to Indian music. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari called the demise of Suman Kalyanpur “heartbreaking”, describing it as a “great loss to the Indian music world.”

भारतीय संगीत सृष्टीतील लोकप्रिय, दिग्गज व ज्येष्ठ पार्श्वगायिका पद्मभूषण सुमन कल्याणपूर यांच्या निधनाचे वृत्त अतिशय दुःखद आहे. त्यांना माझी भावपूर्ण श्रद्धांजली. सुमन कल्याणपूर यांचे जाणे ही भारतीय संगीत सृष्टीची मोठी हानी आहे. मराठी, हिंदीसह अनेक भाषांमध्ये त्यांनी हजारों गाणी…

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) May 31, 2026

“The news of the passing of Padma Bhushan Suman Kalyanpur, the popular, legendary, and senior playback singer in the Indian music world, is extremely heartbreaking. My heartfelt tribute to her. Suman Kalyanpur’s departure is a great loss to the Indian music world. In Marathi, Hindi, and many other languages, she immortalised thousands of songs with her voice. Popular Marathi songs like ‘Ketakichya Bani Tithe’, ‘Sang Kadhi Kalnar Tula’, ‘Nimbonyachya Jhadamaghe’ in Sumanji’s sweet voice are still on the lips of music lovers today. Her unparalleled contribution to the Indian music field is immense. May God grant peace to the departed soul and give strength to Sumanji’s near and dear ones to recover from this sorrow. Om Shanti,” wrote Nitin Gadkari on his X handle.

Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid tribute to the singer by calling her songs evergreen, which will “resonate in the firmament of Indian music.”

“With her candid, pure, and sattvic notes that restored sanctity to music, the sad demise of the senior and supreme singer Suman Kalyanpur has snapped a melodious thread that connected two generations of music lovers. Through her voice, she expressed the emotions of many generations, gave words to love, melody to devotion, and the companionship of music to life’s tender moments. With the strength of her gentle, pure, and emotionally resonant voice, she carved out a unique place for herself in the world of music,” wrote Eknath Shinde on his X handle.

“Over the past seven decades, she satiated connoisseurs with countless immortal songs. In the Hindi film industry, her many duets sung alongside Mohammed Rafi remain fresh in the memory of listeners even today. Songs like “Na Tum Humen Jano” and “Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche” further solidified the enchantment of her voice,” he continued.

He also remembered the singer’s contribution to devotional and film songs. While paying heartfelt tribute to Suman, Eknath Shinde wrote, “In Marathi sentimental songs, devotional songs, and film songs as well, she left an indelible mark with her singing. Not just in Marathi, but in Hindi, Gujarati, and Bengali languages too, she sang numerous compositions. In recognition of her boundless service to music, the Government of India honoured her in 2023 with the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. Though she is no longer with us today, her voice remains eternal. Time will march on, generations will change, but Suman Kalyanpur’s sweet, sattvic, and soul-touching voice will forever resonate in the firmament of Indian music. A heartfelt tribute.”

Suman Kalyanpur lent her vocals to timeless classics such as ‘Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche’ and ‘Naa Naa Karte Pyar Tumhin Se Kar Baithe’. Her voice was often mistaken for that of Lata Mangeshkar’s. She also sang two duets with Mangeshkar before charting a successful career as a playback singer. Suman was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2023. (ANI)

आपल्या प्रांजळ, सोज्वळ आणि सात्विक सुरांनी संगीताला पावित्र्य बहाल करणाऱ्या ज्येष्ठ आणि श्रेष्ठ गायिका सुमन कल्याणपूर यांच्या दुःखद निधनाने संगीत रसिकांच्या दोन पिढ्यांना जोडणारा एक सुरेल धागा तुटला आहे. त्यांच्या स्वरांनी अनेक पिढ्यांच्या भावना व्यक्त केल्या, प्रेमाला शब्द दिले,… pic.twitter.com/yuQQqcAETR

— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) May 31, 2026

NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar called Suman Kalyanpur’s demise “heartbreaking”. He described her death as the end of the “era of gold in the realm of Indian classical and light music.”

ज्येष्ठ पार्श्वगायिका सुमन कल्याणपूर यांच्या निधनाचे वृत्त अत्यंत दुःखद आहे. आपल्या मधुर, सुरेल आणि भावस्पर्शी आवाजाने त्यांनी भारतीय संगीतविश्व समृद्ध केलं. हिंदी, मराठीसह अनेक प्रादेशिक भाषांतील त्यांच्या अजरामर गीतांनी अनेक पिढ्यांच्या भावविश्वावर अधिराज्य गाजवलं.

त्यांच्या… pic.twitter.com/RZike9Xk1G

— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) May 31, 2026

Sharad Pawar wrote on his X handle, “The news of the passing of veteran playback singer Suman Kalyanpur is extremely heartbreaking. With her sweet, melodious, and soul-stirring voice, she enriched the world of Indian music. Her immortal songs in Hindi, Marathi, and numerous other regional languages have reigned supreme over the emotional realms of generations. With her demise, an era of gold in the realm of Indian classical and light music has drawn the curtain. I offer my heartfelt tribute to her and extend my condolences to her family”.(ANI)