Folk singer Utpalendu dead

Kolkata, Feb 8 (PTI) Eminent folk singer UtpalenduChaudhury, who followed the inimitable music style of hiscelebrated father late Nirmalendu Chaudhury in spreading theand popularising the spirit of Bengal''s traditional folksongs abroad, died at a hospital here of pneumonia.

His family said that the artiste, who was 62, had beenrecuperating from cancer, but was recently attacked withpneumonia and succumbed at a hospital this morning.

Utpalendu took upon himself the cudgel of preservingand spreading Bengal''s rich treasure of traditional folk songin the country as well as abroad where he travelled with histroupe.

After the death of Nirmalendu, considered the pioneerof Bengal''s ''Lok sangeet'' (folk song), Utpalendu took pains topreserve his father''s rich contribution to popularise thetype of Bengali music.