Folk ace Amar Pal passes away at 96, CM expresses condolences

Kolkata: Noted folk singer Amar Pal breathed his last at 96 on Saturday. He will forever be remembered for the timeless song Kotoi rongo dekhi duniyae, composed by Satyajit Ray for Hirak Rajar Deshe.

Apart from Ray, he had worked with other renowned directors of yesteryears like Debaki Kumar Basu and Rituparno Ghosh. Pal was the first folk artiste on All India Radio, Kolkata, whose song was aired in 1951. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences to his family and admirers. "Saddened at the passing away of well-known folk singer Amar Pal. I recall his contribution to films like Hirak Rajar Deshe and Nimantran," Banerjee tweeted. The Bengal government had awarded him with the "Sangeet Mahasamman" award in 2012.

Pal lost his father at the age of 10 and learnt the basics of folk music from his mother Durgasundari.