Early life She was born on 12 October 1924 at
Sonamukhi in
Bankura district,
West Bengal. Kanika studied at
Visva-Bharati University. In 1986, she received
Padma Shri award from the Government of India. Her alma mater (also home turf) Vishva-Bharati University, bestowed upon her Desikottama, its highest award in 1997.
Death Kanika died at the age of 76, on Wednesday 5 April 2000, at
SSKM Hospital in Calcutta after a prolonged illness involving lung and cardiac problems. She left behind her a school of music, with numerous students, who bore the legacy of her very own stylization of Rabindrasangeet. Of her students,
Rezwana Chowdhury Banya, the singer from Bangladesh, is perhaps the most well-known, for her striking similarity to Kanika's singing style. Indian Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave a condolence speech saying that Kanika "was among the best exponents of Rabindra Sangeet. Generations of music lovers were charmed by her golden voice."
Excerpt from obituary In his obituary: "Nightingale of Rabindrasangeet is no more" published on 5 April 2000, Sankar Ray beautifully summarises his experience of Kanika Bandyopadhyay as a singer:
My memory takes me back to a rainy evening in 1960. All India Radio was broadcasting a programme directly from Santiniketan Ashramik Sangha. Amidst heavy rain, a melodious voice reverberated around. It was Kanika Bandyopadhyay rendering Saghana Gahana Ratri Jharichhey Shrabanadhara (heavy downpour amidst the darkness of night). I still remember the melodious voice of Mohardi as she used to be known....For those for us whose youth had been conditioned by the aesthetic and cultural traditions set out by singers like Kanika Bandyopadhyay, Debabrata Biswas, Subinoy Ray, and Rajeshwari Dutta, it is difficult to write on Mohardi. Next time when I shall go to Shantiniketan, no more shall I have the opportunity to be amidst the melodious breeze that carried her voice as often she used to sing from her house there. Farewell, Mohardi, you remain as ever-lit star in the horizon of our aesthetic sense. ==Musical style==