Eminent Bengali elocutionist Gouri Ghosh dies at 83

Kolkata, August 26

Eminent Bengali elocutionist Gouri Ghosh died on Thursday at a private hospital in the city due to severe neurological problem after suffering a brain stroke, family sources said.

She was 83.

Ghosh, wife of another critically acclaimed elocutionist Partha Ghosh, died at 9 am after being in ventilation for several days since her admission to the hospital on August 1, they said.

She is survived by her husband and son Ayan Ghosh.

Ayan told reporters that his mother suffered a brain stroke in March but recovered well after being treated at a hospital and returned home. However she had convulsions on August 1 and was admitted to hospital again.

Condoling Ghosh's demise, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her unique recitals would always be remembered by the countless listeners and poetry enthusiasts.

Banerjee recalled the long stints of Gouri Ghosh with All India Radio, Kolkata, as announcer-presenter of programmes, her recitals aired and the bestowing of Kaji Sabyasachi Samman on her by the West Bengal government in 2018.

Another popular elocutionist Bratati Bandyopadhyay said, "She was like my mother. I recall how she had repeatedly cautioned me about maintaining safety protocols when Covid first struck. We used to talk over the phone regularly."

She said Ghosh's pronunciation of words and the way she expressed the spirit of a poem was motivational for elocutionists of next generations.

Gouri Ghosh's recital of Tagore's timeless Karna Kunti Sangbad with husband Partha Ghosh had been one of the hugely popular albums of the couple for over a decade. PTI