Calcutta, Dec 1 :     Renowned Rabindrasangeet exponent and Tagore?s last living disciple, Santidev Ghosh, died at SSKM Hospital on Wednesday morning. He was 89 and is survived by his wife. Ghosh was brought to Calcutta from Santiniketan on November 26 following respiratory problems. He developed multi-organ failure, and the end came at 10.10 am. His body was taken back to his home in a special bogey attached to the Darjeeling Mail in the evening. Earlier, it lay in state at Rabindra Sadan to allow the public to pay their last respects. A pall of gloom descended on Tagore?s abode of peace as news of his death reached Bolpur. Born on May 7, 1910, at Chandpur in Bangladesh, Ghosh came to Santiniketan when he was six months old. He became Tagore?s disciple at the age of four when he joined Gurudev?s Ashram Vidyalaya. He became proficient in music, dance and acting at an early age under the direct guidance of Rabindranath and Dinendranath Tagore. He helped produce and direct plays, dance dramas and musical performances. Santidev travelled to various parts of India and Sri Lanka with Rabindranath. He joined Visva-Bharati in 1930, and was entrusted with the task of guiding Sangeet Bhaban in 1939. In 1951, he became a lecturer and later reader and head of the department of Rabindra Sangeet and dance. He had sung and given lectures on Rabindrasngeet abroad on several occasions, and occupied several positions of honour. He was Akashvani?s advisory board member (1948), member of the publication committee, Sangeet Natak Akademi (1956-60), and president of the Bongio Sahitya Sammelan at Jabbalpur (1988). Ghosh has a number of records and books to his credit, including Java O Balir Nrityageet, Rupokar Nandalal, Bharatiya Gramin Sanskriti, Music and Dance in Rabindranath?s Education Philosophy, Gurudev Rabindranath O Adhunik Bharatiya Nritya, Rabindra Sangeet Bichitra and Jibaner Dhrubatara, the last being a biography. Most of his books are used as texts in the departments of dance and music of different universities. For several years, he was appointed by Visva-Bharati, Rabindra Bharati and Jadavpur Universities as a research guide for Ph.D students. He was recipient of the special Medal Russian in 1961, Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1976, Ananda Puraskar from Ananda Bazar Patrika and Rathindra Puraskar from Rabindra Bharati Society at Calcutta. He was awarded the Padma Bhusan in 1988.