Suvra Mukherjee Age, Death, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Suvra Mukherjee

• Suvra Mukherjee was the first lady of India and wife of the former president of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

• Suvra was an immigrant in India. She migrated from Bangladesh to Kolkata at the age of 10, in 1950; three years after the partition of India.

• She was 17 years old when she got married to Pranab Mukherjee.

• Suvra was passionate about Art, Culture, and Music. She was a passionate fan of Bengali polymath, Rabindranath Tagore.

  An old picture of Suvra Mukherjee

• She founded ‘Geetanjali Troup’ in the late 70s’, a dance group that propagated works of the great Bengali polymath, Rabindranath Tagore. She headed the group for a long period. Pranab Mukherjee would often come to her shows.

• She was a vocalist and dancer in Rabindra Sangeet group and globally performed in dance-dramas of Rabindranath Tagore’s for many years.

• She shared a healthy relationship with a number of old musicians in India.

  First Lady Suvra Mukherjee with late melodious singer Hemanta Kumar

• She helped singer Kumar Sanu in launching several albums related to Rabindra Sangeet and religious music.

• Apart from her love for music, Suvra was also a highly talented painter. She looked at her mother, who was herself a painter as the source of her creative inspiration.

• She also taught at the Birsinghpur Vidyasagar Balika Vidyalaya in West Midnapore’s Ghatal for six months from February 1971 to August 1971. After she died, the school remained shut for a day as a mark of tribute to the former First Lady. ^[2]The Times of India

• She also tried her hand at writing and penned two books — ‘Chena Achenai Chin’, a travelogue recounting her visit to China, ‘Chokher Aloey’, a book written about her close interaction with former Indian PM Indira Gandhi.

  Suvra along with the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi

• While speaking about her relationship with her husband during a media interaction, she said,
  

  We are not like today’s couples. It’s not a lovey-dovey relationship and we don’t express our emotions overtly. It’s all in the mind and heart. We don’t really indulge in small love talk. At our age, it’s more about depending on each other wholeheartedly. His love for me is different. Every day, after his bath, he comes to me, touches my forehead and recites some mantras. He does this every day of the year and yesterday was no exception. This is how he expresses his love. We’ve been married for 55 years and we haven’t fought for a single day!” ^[3]The Times of India

  Pranab Mukherji offering cake to his wife, Suvra Mukherjee

  Suvra Mukherjee with husband Pranab Mukherjee in 1979

• Suvra also revealed that she and Pranab had lost a son just after giving birth to him.

• In March 2013, Suvra, along with Pranab Mukherjee, made a nostalgic trip to her ancestral home in Narail, Bangladesh. They were welcomed with a traditional Bengali reception, with people blowing Shankha and singing Mangal aarti. This proved to be the last foreign trip for Suvra Mukherjee.

  Suvra Mukherjee’s trip to her ancestral home

• The First Lady, Suvra Mukherjee, died of prolonged respiratory illness on 18 August 2024 at Delhi’s Army Research and Referral Hospital. After her demise, her dead body was taken to Lodhi Road electric crematorium at 13 Talkatora Road in New Delhi where her last rites were performed.

  President Pranab Mukherjee paying homage at the mortal remains of her wife Smt Suvra Mukherjee

• Several prominent political personalities including Narendra Modi, Sheikh Hasina, and Manmohan Singh attended her funeral.

  Narendra Modi paying his last respects at the mortal remains of Suvra Mukherjee