Two things happened with Suman Kalyanpur. She came into the tough competitive world of playback singing when Lata Mangeshkar had a dominant presence. And secondly - and more importantly - her voice was remarkably similar to Lata Mangeshkar.
Her vocal tone was soothing and beautiful, it became her curse literally. She was often compared to Lata. Critics say many producers and music directors viewed her as a substitute or "second choice", and she was often uncredited or easily replaced.
The veteran playback singer died on Sunday (May 31) evening at her Mumbai residence, aged 89.
Tributes said her songs across languages will continue to resonate for generations.
Kalyanpur leaves behind a rich musical legacy spanning more than six decades.
Renowned for her melodious voice and classical finesse, she carved a unique place for herself in Indian playback music with timeless hits such as
"Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche",
"Na Na Karte Pyar Tumhin Se",
"Tumne Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aaye", and several other memorable songs.
Her Marathi classics, including "Ketakichya Bani Tithe", "Sang Kadhi Kalnar Tula" and "Nimbonyachya Jhadamaghe", continue to be cherished by generations of music lovers.
The Padma Bhushan awardee sang timeless melodies in Marathi, Hindi and several regional languages, earning admiration for the purity and emotional depth of her voice. Born in Dhaka in undivided India and later settling in Mumbai, she became one of the most respected playback singers of her era.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described her death as the loss of a divine voice that enriched India's musical heritage.
He said Kalyanpur's contribution to Marathi, Hindi, Bengali and Odia music was immense and that her timeless songs would continue to live in the hearts of listeners. While her immortal melodies would remain forever, the absence of the gentle and graceful singer would always be felt, he said.
Speaking to 'Times of India', she had said, “My voice is similar to Lata tai's. But, if keenly listened to, a connoisseur can tell them apart.
I sang every song to the best of my capacity. I never bothered about any comparisons people made. I never imitated anyone since I firmly believed in sticking to my own style of singing.”
She also had recalled her first meeting with Lata and said,
“Lata didi and I first met at the recording of the song for the film, Mangu. I believed she had heard me sing.
And while passing by the recording room, she said that I sang well. I met didi a few times mostly towards the beginning of my career.
Whenever we met, I felt a strange closeness like I knew her from another life."
The close similarity of their voices meant Kalyanpur's contributions were often misattributed to Mangeshkar.
Even broadcasters like Radio Ceylon frequently miscredited Kalyanpur's songs.
Despite recording numerous acclaimed duets (famously with Mohammed Rafi during his royalty dispute with Lata Mangeshkar) and solo hits, she was rarely recognized with major awards at the time.
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