Menaka-bai Shirodkar passes away

[naniwadekar]

Menakabai Shirodkar passed away on Dec 23, 2003, in
Ponda, Goa. She was 93. She is survived by two daughters,
Shobha Gurtu among them.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/378313.cms

Menakabai was a skilled classical singer; her merit was duly
recognised by Indian Cinema as well. Minerva Movietone's
film 'Prithvi Vallabh' featured beautiful songs by 'Menaka'.
Her duet with Rafiq Ghaznavi, 'panchhi ud chal apne desh',
or 'khule swarga ke dwaar', a solo from the same film, are
perhaps better known. But the piece de resistance from
the film is the familiar bhajan : 'raam naam dhan paayaa mai.nne'.
A beautiful composition by Saraswati Devi, it has been
thrillingly rendered in a dynamic style by Menaka-bai
in a startling departure from the more sober style generally
used for such songs, a sublime amalgam of bhakti-ras
and brio.

May her soul rest in peace.

- dn

[फातिमा साना शेख खान]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFXYdiiZyN8

[naniwadekar]

On Sunday, June 19, 2022 at 9:00:05 AM UTC-7, फातिमा साना शेख खान wrote:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFXYdiiZyN8
> - - - -

A great find. Thanks for posting the interview. Menaka Shirodkar has talked at length, and good to hear her singing at that age. She mentions that Mogubai had died (February 2001) when the interview was conducted. And Menaka-bai Shirodkar herself died in December 2003. So this program was recorded about 20 years ago.

Film songs sung by Menaka Shirodkar can be heard on youtube.

- dn