Papia Sarwar, one of Bangladesh's most renowned and prolific Rabindra Sangeet artistes, was admitted to the ICU and placed on life support at a private hospital in the capital following a deterioration in her health condition on Wednesday. The Ekushey Padak-winning revered singer has been battling cancer for the past three years, said her husband Sarwar Alam. He said the artist is nearing the end of her life, with doctors losing hope and her family preparing for the inevitable. Alam mentioned that their two daughters, Zaara Sarwar and Jisha Sarwar, live in the USA and Canada, respectively. The final decision will be made after their return. Papia Sarwar has been battling a complex health condition for a long time, and she was taken to Delhi, India, for advanced treatment last year. Born on November 21 into a musically inclined family in Barisal, Papia Sarwar pursued Rabindra Sangeet at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan in 1973 through a scholarship offered by the government of India. She was the first recipient of this scholarship after the country's independence. Earlier, she had received her initial music training from renowned mentors Atiqul Islam, Waheedul Haq, Sanjida Khatun, and Zahidur Rahim at Chhayanaut in 1966, later continuing at the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA). Throughout her illustrious musical career, Papia Sarwar earned widespread admiration and numerous accolades for her expertise in Rabindra Sangeet. In 1996, she established a music group named Geetosudha to share her knowledge with aspiring learners. Her modern song, ‘Nai Telephone Nai Re Peon Nai Re Telegram’, gained immense popularity among Bengali music enthusiasts. Besides, she became a well-known and beloved figure in the television industry through her regular musical performances. For her outstanding contributions to the country’s music scene, Papia Sarwar was honoured with the Rabindra Award from Bangla Academy in 2013, a Bangla Academy Fellowship in 2015 and the Ekushey Padak in 2021.

Ekushey Padak winning Rabindra Sangeet singer Mita Haque passed away at a hospital in Dhaka on Sunday (April 11, 2021), after losing her battle with Covid-19. She was 59. The singer breathed her last at 6:20 am. According to her family sources, Haque tested positive for Covid-19 on March 25 and was admitted to Bangladesh Specialized Hospital on March 31. Also read: Noted singer Jane Alam passes away However, she tested negative a few days later and returned home from the hospital. On Saturday night, her blood pressure fell down and she was rushed to the hospital again where doctors informed that she had suffered a heart attack. She was then kept on ventilation before eventually losing her battle with illness. Haque was also suffering from kidney disease and used to undergo dialysis on a regular basis. Her body will be taken to Chhayanaut at 11 am where her colleagues, students and admirers will pay last respect to the Rabindra Sangeet legend. Also Read: Singer Andrew Kishore passes away She will be buried at the family graveyard at her ancestral home in Manohariya of Keraniganj, according to her family sources. Born into a musical family on September 6, 1962, the noted artiste received her musical training from maestros including her paternal uncle and late musicologist Waheedul Haq, current Chhayanaut president Sanjida Khatun and musician Ustad Mohammad Hossain Khan, to name a few. She had been a regular performer in the Bangladesh Television  and radio since 1977. Read Sylhet-3 MP Mahmud Samad laid to rest Besides her esteemed singing career, Mita Haque was the founder director and teacher of her music school Shurotirtha. She  served as the head of the Department of Rabindra Sangeet at Chhayanaut, Dhaka and also as the former general secretary and incumbent vice-president of the Rabindra Sangeet Shommelon Parishad. For her remarkable contribution in the music industry, she was conferred with Ekushey Padak in 2020 and the Rabindra Puraskar from Bangla Academy in 2017. Mita Haque was married to renowned actor Khaled Khan who died in 2013. Read Journalist Afzal Mohammad dies of COVID-19

Bangladeshi progressive rock artist Avishek Bhattacharjee’s Tagore-tribute  solo track ‘Aha, Tomar Songe Praner Khela,’ will be released on Wednesday.