NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee 's wife Suvra Mukherjee passed away on Tuesday morning at 10.51am.

The President's wife, Suvra Mukherjee, had been ill for some time. She was admitted to the hospital on Friday evening and had been brought to the hospital with a respiratory problem.

A heart patient, she had been kept in the intensive care unit.

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In a statement, the Rashtrapati Bhawan said, "It is informed with deep sorrow that First Lady Smt. Suvra Mukherjee passed away this morning (August 18, 2015). She left for her heavenly abode at 1051 am."

Suvra Mukherjee was born on September 17, 1940 in Jessore (now in Bangladesh) and married Pranab Mukherjee on July 13, 1957.

A graduate, she was an ardent fan of India’s national poet, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. She was a vocalist of Rabindra Sangeet and performed in the poet’s dance-dramas for many years not only in different parts of India, but also in Europe, Asia and Africa.

The President's wife founded the ‘Geetanjali Troupe’, whose mission is to propagate Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy as expressed through his songs and dance-dramas. She was the guiding force behind all productions of the Troupe.

The first lady was also a highly talented painter who had many group and solo exhibitions to her credit. She considered her mother who was herself a painter as the source of her creative inspiration and her works won critical acclaim.

She has written two books: Chokher Aloey which is a personal account of her close interaction with Indira Gandhi and Chena Achenai Chin - a travelogue recounting her visit to China.

Suvra Mukherjee and President Pranab Mukherjee have three children - Abhijit Mukherjee, Indrajit Mukherjee and Sharmistha Mukherjee.

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