Noted journalist Tapas Gangopadhyay no more

Kolkata: Noted journalist Tapas Gangopadhyay passed away on Saturday at an age of 81. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed profound grief at the death of the veteran journalist and extended condolences to his family members.

In her condolence message, Banerjee wrote that Gangopadhyay was associated with Anandabazar Patrika, Aajkaal, and The Week. “His analytical writings were widely appreciated by the readers,” she said. The Press Club Kolkata also issued a condolence message.

The Chief Minister also condoled the passing away of eminent classical singer Pt Vijay Kumar Kichlu, founder of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata, who passed away at the age of 93 on Friday.

The Padma Shri award-winning vocalist is survived by his son and daughter-in-law.

“Passing away of the stalwart is an irreparable loss,” the Chief Minister said in a statement. A statement issued by Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital, Kolkata said the classical vocalist was “brought to the Emergency on February 17, 2023 evening in a gasping condition.” He suffered a cardiac arrest before treatment could begin.

For percussionist and tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh, Kichlu was “one of the great doyens of Indian classical music who was responsible for a tremendous resurgence of this great art form in the 1970s through ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Born in 1930 in Almora, Kichlu studied Dhrupad with the Dagar Brothers and Khayal with Latafat Hussain Khan. He formed a popular classical vocalist pair with his brother Ravi Kichlu. “Being the father of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, he was the most desired canopy over the entire classical music fraternity and rendered unwavering support for the upcoming musicians,” said Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty.