KOLKATA, Jan. 14 -- For Rabindra Sangeet exponent Arghya Sen, music was his lifelong companion. On Wednesday, the veteran singer passed away at the age of 90 after battling age-related ailments for a long time.
His death has left Bengal's music fraternity in mourning. Taking to social media, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of eminent Rabindra Sangeet exponent Arghya Sen. His demise is an irreparable loss to the world of Bengali culture. I pray for peace for his departed soul and extend my heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family and countless admirers." Born on November 11, 1935, at his maternal uncle's home in Faridpur in undivided British India (now Bangladesh), Sen grew up in a family with limited means. His father, Hemendrakumar Sen, was an agricultural science teacher, while his mother, Bindudevi, was fond of music. Sen studied in Faridpur till Class V before moving to Kolkata.
He began his career at the Indian Statistical Institute, but music remained central to his life. He briefly stopped his music training while appearing for his matriculation examination in 1951. Later, he trained under Debabrata Biswas, who guided him without charging any fees due to Sen's financial condition. In 1997, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Rabindra Sangeet from the Government of India and was later honoured as a Tagore Fellow.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.