CUTTACK: Noted Odia lyricist Gurukrushna Goswami died on Sunday at his residence Cuttack following cardiac arrest. He was 84.With many milestone Odia songs attributed to his pen, Goswami is perhaps the lone lyricist from the state to have written as many as 1,600 songs across genres. His lyrics spanned bhajans, film numbers and timesless melodies including Ei chuna chuna tara phoola, Muje janena kaha bata, Rahichi chahin, E banara chhai, Antare kande bahare hase mu, and Tumaku ta paruni bhuli. The last was notably sung by Mohammad Rafi.Born near the Jagannath temple at Baripada in 1934, Goswami made his debut in the Odia film industry with the movie Maa in 1958. His lyrics to Bedana sagara tire, sung by Pranab Patnaik and composed by Bhubaneswar Mishra, won him instant fame.The year 1962 would see a highlight of Goswami's career, with the legendary Lata Mangeshkar giving voice to Ei chuna chuna tara phoola for the film 'Suryamukhi'. The song, composed by Shantanu Mohapatra, was soon being sung by nearly everyone. "We both were from a same place in Baripada. I have many memories with him since childhood, but our professional journey began with ' Konarka Gatha ' and 'Kali Jai'. I will always know that my songs would never have been as popular without his words," said Mohapatra, a Padma Shri recepient.With a free-flowing poetry to his lyrics which mirrored the simple philosophy of its writer, Goswami moored his songs to the folk roots of their music."This is end of an era. I am deeply saddened," said Mohapatra.In 1968, Goswami wrote the story that would become the famous Odia film Arundhati. He would also contribute to the screenplays of more than 30 Odia films. In 2000, he received the best lyricist award from the Sangeet Natak Academy and the Bhakata Kabi Salbega award.

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