 By the mid-1950s, Hemanta had consolidated his position as a prominent singer and composer.In Bengal, he was one of the foremost exponents of Rabindra Sangeet and perhaps the most sought-after male singer.In a ceremony organised by Hemanta Mukherjee to honour Debabrata Biswas (1911–1980), the legendary Rabindra Sangeet exponent, in Calcutta in March 1980, Debabrata Biswas unhesitatingly mentioned Hemanta as "the second hero" to popularise Rabindra Sangeet, the first being the legendary Pankaj Kumar Mallick.