Mangalakanta Roy, a renowned sarinda player and a Padma Shri awardee, passed away at the age of 104 at his residence in Mainaguri block’s Dhoulaguri village in Jalpaiguri district on Friday.

The death of the veteran folk artiste has cast a deep shadow of grief across the cultural fraternity of north Bengal.

Roy was widely admired for his extraordinary ability to recreate the sounds of birds and wild animals through the sarinda, a traditional stringed folk instrument.

For decades, his magical performances enriched the region’s folk music culture.

Roy’s family said he had been suffering from various age-related ailments for nearly a month. Umakanta, his elder son, said that Mangalakanta had fallen ill on April 27 and was initially admitted to the block hospital in Mainaguri. He was later shifted to Jalpaiguri Medical College & Hospital after his condition deteriorated.

The doctors detected a tumour-like complication in his throat. He was brought back home following a slight improvement in his health, where treatment continued.However, over the past week, he had almost stopped eating. He breathed his last at around 3am on Friday.

“His demise is an irreparable loss to the folk music world of north Bengal. His contribution to preserving the folk music and traditional cultural heritage of the region remains invaluable. He had played a significant role in introducing and popularising the art of sarinda music among the younger generation,” said Soumen Nag, a social researcher based in Siliguri.

The artiste is survived by his wife, three sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.