The mortal remains of eminent Odia devotional singer Santilata Barik were consigned to flames at Puri Swargadwar on Tuesday. She was accorded full state honours with a gun salute.
Before proceeding to Puri, her mortal remains were taken from her residence in the Kedargouri area to Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya where students as well as teachers paid their last tributes to the departed soul. From there, the hearse went straight to Swargadwar.
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At Swargadwar, a sea of crowd comprising dignitaries, political leaders, administrative officers and fans was waiting to pay tributes to the devotional singer. While the last rites were performed as per the Hindu rituals, the singer’s elder son Abinash Chhotray lit the funeral pyre.
“She had dedicated her life to music. However, her wish to do something for the Odia culture and Odissi music remains unfulfilled,” said Basant Kumar Chhotray, husband of Santilata Barik.
After a prolonged battle against cancer, she breathed her last at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday.