In many ways, Lata Mangeshkar was the voice of India. Generations have grown up listening to her melodious voice through the years and many of her songs have become memories etched in our minds forever. As a journalist, I have often wondered how overwhelming it will be for the Indian media to report on the day she passes, how will the high and mighty of the country and perhaps even the world pay their tributes, besides ofcourse being an extremely sad day for her family. Today, is that day.
Lata Mangeshkar has died in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. She was 92. She was taken to the intensive care unit on Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19. She had been put on a ventilator, but ultimately lost the battle to death.
Lata Mangeshkar, a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, was an icon of Indian cinema, having sung playback for an extensive list of Hindi films; she also sang in several regional languages including Marathi and Bengali. She has sung over 25,000 songs (in 20 languages) in her career spanning over seven decades.
Lata Mangeshkar, who belonged to a prominent musical family, also composed music as well as produced a handful of films. She was popularly known as the ‘Nightingale of India.’Lata Mangeshkar, born in 1929, was the eldest of five siblings, among them singer Asha Bhonsle who visited Mangeshkar in hospital after she was taken to ICU. Their father was classical musician Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, who gave the young Lata Mangeshkar her first music lesson. In 1942, when her father died, 13-year-old Lata Mangeshkar began her career in music, juggling singing with acting parts in Marathi films. In 1945, Ms Mangeshkar had an early hit in the song Aayega Aanewala from the film Mahal, starring Madhubala.
From there, Lata Mangeshkar’s voice and career soared to the greatest of heights. She sang raga-based compositions by Naushad in films like Baiju Bawra, Mother India and Mughal-E-Azam, Shankar-Jaikishan’s melodic hits in Barsaat and Shree 420; Salil Chowdhury’s lilting tracks in Madhumati won her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer; three more Filmfare Awards came by way of Bees Saal Baad, Khandan and Jeene Ki Raah. Lata Mangeshkar won three National Awards for Best Female Playback Singer for the films Parichay, Kora Kagaz and Lekin. Other memorable films in her credits include Pakeezah, Abhimaan, Amar Prem, Aandhi, SIlsila, Chandni, Sagar, Rudali and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
Among Lata Mangeshkar’s most iconic songs is the patriotic composition Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo; the song, commemorating Indian soldiers who died in the 1962 war with China, was performed on Republic Day in 1963 at the National Stadium in New Delhi. Lata Mangeshkar sang it live in the presence of President S Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
She recorded her last song ‘Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti Ki’ composed by Mayuresh Pai, as a tribute to the Indian Army and nation. It was released on 30 March 2019. But her last full album was from Veer-Zaara in 2004.
Here are some of her rare images. Leave your thoughts and prayers in the comments. Rest in peace LATA MANGESHKAR 🙏
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