Legendary singer, Sandhya Mukherjee refused the Padma Shri award when she was contacted by the central government officials seeking her consent in the Republic Day awards list.
"At the age of 90, with a singing career spanning over about eight decades, being chosen for Padma Shri is demeaning for a singer of her stature," said her daughter Soumi Sengupta.
"Padma Shri is more deserving for a junior artiste, not 'Gitasree' Sandhya Mukhopadhyay. Her family and all the lovers of her songs feel," said Sengupta.
Film writer Salim Khan had said he had refused to accept a Padma Shri in 2015. Before him, historian Romila Thapar had refused a Padma Bhushan in 2005, having returned her 1974 award in 1984 over the siege of the Golden Temple by the Indian Army.
Who is Sandhya Mukherjee?
Born on October 4, 1931, Sandhya Mukherjee is also known as Sandhya Mukhopadhyay. She is an Indian playback singer and musician, who specialises in Bengali music.
She is the recipient of the Banga Bibhushan, which is the highest civilian honour of West Bengal. She has also received the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her songs "Amader Chuti Chuti" Jay Jayanti and "Ore Sakol Sona Molin Holo" Nishi Padma in 1971.
Sandhya Mukherjee's guru was Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan followed by his son Ustad Munavvar Ali Khan, under whom she mastered Indian classical music.
Mukherjee married Shyamal Gupta in 1966, a Bengali poet. He also wrote the lyrics of many of her songs.
She even joined the mass movement during the Bangladesh Liberation War and helped to raise money for the refugees.
She was the first foreign artist to visit Dhaka to perform at an open-air concert.
Mukherjee’s long time collaborator and acclaimed singer and composer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay had also rejected the Padma awards. The singer had refused both Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
Besides Mukherjee, Pandit Andniya Chatterjee Chatterjee, an eminent tabla player and CPI(M) leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also turned down an offer to award him Padma Bhushan.
“However I politely declined. I said thank you but I am not ready to receive Padma Shri at this phase of my career. I have passed that phase,” Chatterjee who received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2002
said.
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Dreams don’t have an age, I won the Padma Shri at 107: R Pappammal
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