Odia playback singer Tapu Mishra dies due to COVID-19 complications
Popular Odia singer Tapu Mishra, who worked prolifically in the playback industry, passed away on Saturday due to post-COVID-19 complications, said reports. She breathed her last at a hospital in Bhubaneshwar last night. While she was under home quarantine after testing positive for the deadly virus, the 36-year-old singer was later admitted to a private hospital in the Odisha capital when her condition worsened.
According to reports, Mishra was taken to the hospital on May 19 after her oxygen saturation level dropped to 45. Even though she recovered from COVID-19, she had to be shifted to another hospital due to post-COVID-19 complications and severe lung damage. She was on ventilator support for the past two days and had also stopped responding to treatments.
Mishra had lost her father to COVID-19 just days before getting admitted. To tend to her worsening condition, her family members had planned to shift her to any hospital in Kolkata for ECMO treatment, but that couldn't be done. Her last rites were conducted at Bhubaneswar's Satya Nagar crematorium Sunday. Earlier in the day, her body was taken to her residence in the city.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or ECMO is a life support technique where prolonged cardiac and respiratory support is provided to patients whose heart and lungs cannot provide an adequate amount of gas exchange or perfusion. This is being increasingly used on COVID-19 positive patients.
Born and brought up in Sambalpur, Mishra began her career at a very young age and had a diverse portfolio. Starting her journey with Himanshu Parija's Kula Nandan in 1995, she gained immense popularity for the song Na Re Na Bajana Bansi. The playback singer had over 500 tracks credited to her name, which included songs in Odia, Bengali, Hindi, and other regional languages.
The talented singer's untimely death affected people in the music industry and beyond, and many took to social media to remember Mishra. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote: "I am saddened to hear the news of her death." Kendrapara MP/actor Anubhav Mohanty said he was feeling "helpless & terribly disheartened" after losing "a dear little sister, a fantastic talent, a very nice human being."
While the second COVID-19 wave proved to be disastrous in India, AIIMS-Delhi chief Dr. Randeep Guleria warned on Saturday that a third wave was definitely coming and it could hit us within the next 6-8 weeks. He advised everyone to strictly abide by COVID-19 protocols.
