Cuttack, August 22: Pranab Kishore Patnaik’s journey in music began in the cultural heart of Cuttack and ended with his funeral at the Khannagar crematorium. Born on January 20, 1938, in Buxi Bazaar, he grew up in an atmosphere steeped in literature, theatre and music.

His father, Lalmohan Patnaik, later Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, encouraged cultural and educational pursuits. The vibrant surroundings of Buxi Bazaar and the musical environment at home nurtured Pranab’s talent from an early age.

His remarkable voice reportedly caught public attention when he was barely five or six. Playwright Surendra Mohanty once woke the sleepy child, took him to Hallmukh Theatre, now Annapurna Theatre, and asked him to sing. With sleepy eyes and a drowsy voice, young Pranab sang ‘Bhagaban Tume Bhakta Bandhab...’ The applause that followed left the audience convinced that the child was destined for greatness.

A voice that reached every Odia home

At just 10, Pranab began his association with All India Radio after succeeding in a music competition organised by All India Radio Delhi in 1948. His clear voice, emotional rendition and flawless pronunciation soon made him a familiar voice across Odisha.

His musical grounding was strengthened by the influence of several eminent musicians. He considered K.N. Saigal his first musical inspiration and later received classical training under Pandit Guru Kundal Adinarayana Rao.

His career brought him opportunities to work with some of Odisha’s greatest lyricists and composers, including Balakrishna Das, Akshaya Mohanty, Shantanu Mahapatra, Prafulla Kar, Bhubaneswar Mishra and Swarup Nayak. He also shared the stage and studio with legendary singers such as Vani Jairam, S. Janaki, P. Susheela, Usha Mangeshkar and Bhupinder Singh.

Six decades, thousands of songs

For more than six decades, Pranab Patnaik remained one of the defining voices of Odia music. Known as Odisha’s ‘Golden Voice’, he is credited with singing nearly 4,000 songs for films, All India Radio, records and albums.

Songs such as ‘Ehi Jibanata Eka Nataka, Ta’ra Kalankita Nayaka’ remain etched in the memories of generations. Written by Shibabrata Das and composed by Shantanu Mahapatra, the song became one of his most memorable renditions.

Pranab later distanced himself from Odia cinema over the growing trend of double-meaning songs and vulgar language, but continued to perform at concerts, stage programmes and television shows.

From ‘Maa’ to ‘Asha’

His playback singing journey began with the 1958 film ‘Maa’, under the music direction of Bhubaneswar Mishra. In 1992, he ventured into ghazals with ‘Sab-e-Ghazal’, featuring music by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and vocals by Devaki Pandit alongside Pranab.

His final film was ‘Asha’ in 1993, for which he won the State Award for Best Playback Singer.

From the lanes of Buxi Bazaar to the studios of Ollywood and the airwaves of All India Radio, Pranab Patnaik’s voice travelled across generations. On his final journey, the same Cuttack that gave birth to his musical story bid him farewell with a guard of honour at Khannagar.

The voice may have fallen silent, but the songs remain.