Cuttack, Feb 13: Veteran singer Geeta Pattnaik passed away at the age of 81 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack. She was admitted following a sudden illness and was found to have suffered a brain stroke. Just a day prior, she had attended a literary event as a guest.

Geeta Pattnaik was one of Odisha’s most beloved singers, known for her melodious voice and extensive repertoire of bhajans, jananas, and folk songs. Her contributions spanned traditional Odia devotional songs, Sambalpuri folk, and other regional music, earning her widespread acclaim across the state and beyond.

Born on December 10 in Cuttack, she was the daughter of the late Surendra Chandra Pattnaik, an agricultural engineer, and Hemalata Pattnaik. Coming from a family with a strong musical background, Geeta developed an early interest in music, inspired by listening to Lata Mangeshkar on the radio. She later trained under gurus including Raghunath, Rakhal Chandra Mohanty, and Balakrushna Das, completing six years of formal training at Kala Vikash Kendra in Cuttack.

She became an approved artist of All India Radio in 1971, and made her playback singing debut at age 15 in the Odia film Adina Megha. Over her career, she sang in multiple languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Rajasthani, and Marathi, and contributed to bhajans, folk music, modern songs, and films, earning national and international recognition.

Geeta Pattnaik often credited her elder sister, Indira Pattnaik, as a major source of inspiration. Her sudden demise has left the entire music fraternity and fans across Odisha in deep shock.