Bhubaneswar: Music composer of popular Sambalpuri song ‘Rangabati’ Prabhudatta Pradhan passed away at his residence in Sambalpur in the wee hours today. He was 75.
Born in 1943, Pradhan started learning music at the age of three. After completing his matriculation, he went to Banaras in Uttar Pradesh to learn playing Tabla. Pradhan later joined the All India Radio (AIR), Sambalpur station as an instrumentalist in the year 1969.
The 'Rangabati' song which earned him fame in the year 1975, was written by Mitrabhanu Gountia and sung by Jitendra Haripal and Krishna Patel.
In 2015, a remix of the cult song had triggered controversy. Gountia and Pradhan had moved court alleging copy right violation of the song that was recorded at MTV Coke Studio and aired later.
Later, legal notices were sent to sponsors like Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited, Hindustan Coca Cola Holdings Private Limited, Viacom 18 Media Private Limited and singers like Sona Mohapatra, Ram Sampath and Rituraj Mohanty. The petitioners had also prayed to the court to stop telecast of the remake version on television and other social media.