Legendary Gujarati singer Purushottam Upadhyay passes away at 90, PM Narendra Modi expresses condolences

Famous Gujarati singer and composer Purushottam Upadhyay passed away at the age of 90 today (December 11) at his home in Mumbai. His death marks the end of an important chapter in Gujarati music, and fans are mourning the loss of this legendary figure.

Upadhyay was honored with Gujarat Gaurav Puraskar and the Padma Shri, made a lasting impact on the world of music. He won the hearts of audiences with timeless songs such as 'He Ranglo Jamyo', 'Divaso Judaina Jay Che', 'Ae Jaashe Jarur Milan Sudhi', and 'Kahu Chu Jawanine'. With compositions for over 20 films and 30 plays, Upadhyay's work reached beyond Gujarat fraternity.

Mourning the loss, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sadness on his demise, "ગુજરાતી ભાષાને સુગમ સંગીત થકી વિશ્વભરમાં જીવંત રાખનારા સુપ્રસિદ્ધ સ્વરકાર પુરૂષોત્તમ ઉપાધ્યાયના નિધનના સમાચારથી ઊંડો આઘાત અનુભવું છું. કલા જગત માટે આ એક ન પુરી શકાય તેવી ખોટ છે. તેમના મધુર અવાજમાં સ્વરાંકન સંગીત રચનાઓ હંમેશાં આપણા હૃદયમાં જીવંત રહેશે.

સદ્ગતના આત્માની શાંતિ માટે પ્રાર્થના તથા શોકગ્રસ્ત પરિવારને સાંત્વના...

ૐ શાંતિ

("I am deeply shocked by the news of the passing of the renowned vocalist Purushottam Upadhyay, who kept the Gujarati language alive worldwide through his melodious music. This is an irreplaceable loss to the world of art. His sweet voice and musical compositions will forever remain alive in our hearts.

Prayers for the peace of his soul and heartfelt condolences to the grieving family...

Om Shanti

)"

Actor Malhar Thakar also took to his Instagram story and mourned the loss of the legendary singer.

Purushottam Upadhyay was born on August 15, 1934, in Kheda, Gujarat. His love for music was from a young age, and he won many awards in school. Later, he moved to Mumbai to pursue a music career, but faced difficulties and returned home. Undeterred, he started performing in theater companies. A key moment in his career was when he sang a song originally by Noor Jehan in front of actor Ashraf Khan, which led to collaborations with famous artists and a contract with All India Radio, Mumbai. The singer also managed music events at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.