Sitar maestro Pandit Debu Chaudhuri dies of Covid related complications
New Delhi, May 1: Sitar maestro Pandit Debu Chaudhuri died of Covid related complications at a Delhi hospital on Saturday, his son Prateek Chaudhuri said.
He was 85.
Prateek announced the death of his father, formally known as Devbrata Chaudhuri, on his official Facebook page.
"My Father, The Legend of Sitar, Pandit Debu Chaudhuri... is no more. He was admitted with Covid along with dementia complications and was put in ICU on ventilator around midnight today.( 1st May 2021)..after which he suffered a heart attack and could not be revived ..... In spite of all efforts and prayers he could not be saved," Prateek wrote.
The musician is survived by his son Prateek, daughter-in-law Runa and grandchildren Rayana and Adhiraj.
An SOS message about his critical condition was posted on Twitter. Following the message by his followers, Chaudhuri was admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. He was later shifted to an ICU but his condition worsened.
The sitarist, considered among the greatest sitar players alongside Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee, belonged to Jaipur's Senia Gharana of music started by the descendants of Tansen's family and known for working towards preserving the purity of ragas.
Chaudhuri had been awarded the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. He was a also a teacher and writer, penning six books and composing many new ragas. A disciple of of Mushtaq Ali Khan, he was born in 1935 in Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh). Like most of India's classical music greats, he started his training when he was young, just four.
The world of Indian classical music has lost two of its greats to COVID-19 in less than a week. On April 25, Hindustani vocalist Pandit Rajan Mishra died of COVID-related complications and in search of better health facilities at a Delhi hospital.
Mourning Chaudhuri's death, musician Niladri Kumar said, "Another sad news of the demise of sitar maestro pandit Debu Chaudhuri ji to Covid and its complications. May his legacy continue through his son and disciples and we pray for the peaceful onward journey of his soul. Om shanti."
On April 28, around 4 pm, Chadhuri's acquaintance Pavan Jha put out a call for help on Twitter saying, "Urgent, Call for help #Delhi. Padmabhushan sitarist Pandit Debu Chaudhuri (85) is critical. He immediately needs an oxygen cylinder with oxygen fittings and oxygen concentrator at Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi."
He later updated that Chaudhuri was on his way to GTBH following efforts by bureaucrat Nirupama Kotru and actor Bhumi Pednekar who arranged an ambulance for the sitarist.
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
