Suman Kalyanpur, born Suman Hemmady on 28 January 1937, died on 31 May 2026 at her home in Mumbai, aged 89. Reports attributed her death to old age and age-related ailments. She was cremated on 1 June at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Mumbai with full state honours. Accounts differ on her birthplace, naming either Dhaka or Kolkata; her family moved to Mumbai in 1943.
She was a playback singer who was active from 1953 to 1988 and recorded about 740 songs in 11 languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Assamese, Odia and Kannada. Her voice was often mistaken for that of Lata Mangeshkar because of its similar tone and texture, which she said sometimes worked against her.
At a time when Lata dominated Hindi film music, Suman built a career through her duets and through songs for composers who wanted another female voice. She sang about 140 duets with Mohammed Rafi, among them “Parbaton Ke Pedon Par” from Shagoon (1964), composed by Khayyam with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi. Obituaries also named “Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche” as one of her best-known songs.
She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2023, and it was presented to her on 22 March 2023. The honour was widely seen as recognition for a career that had received less attention than it deserved in its time.
Her songs have found new listeners through streaming platforms and tribute concerts.
Featured image: Suman Kalyanpur receiving the Padma Bhushan at Rashtrapati Bhavan, 22 March 2023 (cropped). Photo by President's Secretariat, Government of India, licensed under GODL-India, via Wikimedia Commons.
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