Legendary playback singer, Suman Kalyanpur was laid to rest on June 1, 2026. Her daughter, Charu Agny, performed her last rites.
Suman Kalyanpur, the legendary playback singer, passed away on May 31, 2026, leaving her family and fans heartbroken. While India was navigating through the loss of iconic singer, Asha Bhosle, the country lost another stalwart of Indian music. Suman left for the heavenly abode when she was 89. According to multiple reports, Suman died to age-related issues. She is survived by her daughter, Charu Agny. Her last rites were performed today on June 1, 2026.
Suman Kalyanpur was widely known for her versatile voice and sang for movies in several languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada and more. Her voice was often mistaken for that of Lata Mangeshkar due to their similar tone and texture. In a 2015 interview with The Indian Express, Suman got candid about the following. She explained that Radio Ceylon never announced any names during the song relay, and thus confusion was created. She was quoted as saying:
"I was quite influenced by her. In my college days, I used to sing her songs. Meri aawaaz nazuk aur patli thi. Also, when Radio Ceylon relayed the songs, the names were never announced. Even the records sometimes gave the wrong name. Maybe that caused more confusion."
Suman’s famous tracks include Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche, Na Na Karte Pyar Tumhin Se, Tumse O Haseena, Na Tum Hamen Jano, and more. Today, on June 1, 2026, the 89-year-old singer was laid to rest with full state honours in appreciation of her remarkable contribution to Indian music. Her last rites were performed by her daughter, Charu Agny, in the Santacruz Pawan Hans crematorium in Mumbai.
However, the music and film industry largely skipped Suman’s funeral as her mortal remains were wrapped in the Indian tricolour. Before Charu carried out her mom, Suman’s last rites, Mumbai Police officers gave a ceremonial salute to the legendary singer. Suman’s funeral turned emotional as her loved ones sang Rahen Na Rahen Hum and Meheka Karenge from the 1966 film, Mamta, while the funeral pyre was lit.
Suman Kalyanpur was born as Suman Hemmady on January 28, 1937, in Dhaka to a Brahmin family originally from coastal Karnataka. She, who was the eldest of five sisters, grew up in a conservative family. As Suman and her sisters grew up in a pre-Partition Mumbai, it was not considered safe for girls to go outside, and thus their parents didn’t allow them to sing outside. Speaking about the following in a 2015 interview with The Indian Express, Suman said:
"It wasn’t considered safe for girls to venture out. Ma and Pitaji used to love bhajans. But we were not allowed to sing outside the house. I didn’t have the permission. Singing could be done at home."
Coming to her personal life, Suman got married to Mumbai-based businessman, Ramanand Kalyanpur, in 1958. The couple stayed together until 2008, when Ramanand died. During their marriage, Ramanand was Suman’s biggest support system. He accompanied her to every recording session and looked after the business side of her music career. Suman was married to a joint family consisting of 15 members. Once in an interview, Suman said:
"I was married into a joint family that had 15 members. I was just glad that they were allowing me to continue. Also, unlike other singers, I wasn’t good at negotiating contracts and talking to people, so that was completely handled by my husband."
Rest in peace, Suman Kalyanpur.
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