Ekushey Padak winner classical music maestro Amaresh Roy Chowdhury passed away at the age of 98 in Rajshahi on Tuesday.
His son, Amit Roy Chowdhury, said that the veteran singer breathed his last at 8:30am on Tuesday at his residence in the city due to old age complications.
Amit Roy said his father had been suffering from various age-related complications for the past few weeks. After being admitted to a local hospital for ten days, his condition improved and he was later released from the hospital. Suddenly Amaresh Roy’s condition deteriorated on Sunday.
He died at his residence on Tuesday. His cremation was carried out at Panchabati Crematorium of the city on Tuesday afternoon.
Born on September 18, 1928 in Chauddarashi village of Faridpur district, Amaresh Roy began his classical music training in his childhood under Sudhir Lal Chakraborty, a classical vocalist and composer from Faridpur who had renown in the Subcontinent.
He moved to Rajshahi after the liberation war, and had been living there with his wife Sonali Roy Chowdhury and family since then.
The classical music maestro also trained under Sirajganj’s classical music guru Harihar Shukla and maestro Tarapada Chakraborty of Kotali Para.
He taught Indian classical music at his school called Shangitasram. The school closed in 2020 with his health deteriorating.
For his outstanding contribution to classical music, he received Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award in 2014 and the Ekushey Padak in 2016.