Usha Uthup remembers her sister Dr Uma Pocha who passed away

Uma was the life of every party. I speak to you on behalf of Indira, our eldest sister, our brother Shyam, my younger sister Maya, and our entire family. We are devastated. I come from a family of six siblings. We were born and brought up in Mumbai. Indira and Uma, 79, were the eldest, and I was the fifth child. They were the first original singing duo and were called Sami Sisters. They used to sing in the '50s and were the best. They performed western music and collaborated with several international bands. I worshipped both my sisters.

Uma would mostly sing harmony, but she performed solo too. She was the life of every party. When she performed live, she would set the stage on fire. I was 10 years younger to her. Uma sang the first Bombay anthem, Bombay Meri Hai. I ended my performance in Goa today with that song. Uma was my inspiration. She inspired my music.

Every time we met, we discussed music. While working on a song, her inputs were quintessential for me. Since she was a doctor, we would always go to her with our health problems and her diagnosis was bang on. Besides being a great musician, she was an amazing mother, wife, daughter and sister.

Since she was a doctor, she was aware of her condition. She was suffering from throat cancer. She has two kids - Adi and Tina Pocha. Last week, I met her at Adi's place. It was a fun-filled get together. I sang three songs with her. Despite her condition, her pitching was bang on. I am so proud to be her sister. I will miss her. With great respect and gratitude, I say, thank you for the music.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates