Veteran Gujarati singer Mahesh Kanodia passes away

Famous Gujarati film musician, singer and former parliamentarian Mahesh Kanodia died at his residence in Gandhinagar on Sunday following a prolonged illness, his family said. He was 83.

“The ace singer, who enthralled the audience through his performances together with his younger brother and Gujarati film superstar Naresh Kanodia, died due to a prolonged illness,” his nephew and BJP MLA Hitu Kanodia said.

“He had been suffering from paralysis since the last six years. He breathed his last at his residence in state capital Gandhinagar today morning,” said Hitu, the son of Naresh Kanodia – who is on ventilator support at a hospital in Ahmedabad after testing coronavirus positive.

Mahesh Kanodia was a three-time BJP MP from Patan in north Gujarat.

“He was sad to know about the health condition of his brother Naresh Kanodia, with whom he had paired for numerous performances,” the legislator said.

Mahesh Kanodia’s only daughter Pooja Kanodia, who was also a singer, had passed away in 2015, he said.

India prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over Kanodia’s death.

“Extremely saddened by the demise of Mahesh Kanodia Ji. He was a versatile, talented singer who was well-received by the masses. Even as a politician, he remained dedicated to the empowerment of the poor and the backward. I spoke to Hitu Kanodia and expressed condolences to his family,” Modi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Kanodia was born at Kanoda village of Mehsana district on January 27, 1937. As a singer, he took part in thousands of stage performances across the world from a very young age.

He represented Patan Lok Sabha constituency as a Member of Parliament of the BJP three times between 1991 and 1999.

He was known to sing in the voices of famous singers, including women. Kanodia had received several accolades and awards for his performance as a music composer and singer for Gujarati films including Jigar and Ami, Tanariri, Jog Sanjog and Laju Lakhan.