The Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar died on February 6th, 2022. She left behind a colossal legacy that made her immortal in the eyes of her billions of fans.
Lata Mangeshkar, India’s one of the best known cultural icons and a legendary singer who defined music for generations died this Sunday on February 6th, 2022. Her death has left everyone in shock from the music industry, politicians, businesses leads, and celebrities to ordinary people. She was given a state funeral with politicians and the biggest personalities united to pay her last respect on Sunday morning. The renowned singer has sung more than a thousand songs in Hindi films and over thirty-six other Indian languages.
Early Life
Lata Mangeshkar was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on September 28, 1929. Her father also came from a cultural background. Her father Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar was a classical singer and theater artist. Lata was the eldest daughter named Hema at birth, but her parents later renamed her Lata. Her other siblings are Asha, Usha, Meena, and Hridaynath. They have also accomplished musicians in India as well. Lata started acting from the age of five in musical plays in a theater company that was run by her father.
She soon started singing in the plays as well. On her first day of school, she started giving singing lessons to her classmates. When a teacher told her to stop she became so offended that she refused to go to the school again. Her father died in 1942 when she was only 13. The family experienced a financial crisis as her father was the only earner in the family.
Musical career
Lata struggled from a very young age to make a career as a singer to support her family. She began her career by recording a song for the 1942 Marathi movie ‘Kiti Hasaal’. In 1948, she was rejected by producer Sashadhar Mukherjee as he described her voice as ‘too thin’. Her then mentor Gulam Haider replied by saying that in the coming years producers will be begging to work with her and his prediction came true very soon. In 1945 she moved to Mumbai but she recorded her first big hit song in 1949, ‘Aayega Aanewala’ from the movie ‘Mahal’. After that, she became one of the most popular singers in the Hindi film industry. Lata herself declared Haider as her godfather in 2013.
In her seven-decade-long career, Lata Mangeshkar has sung for countless films. She has recorded songs in more than 36 Indian languages with perfection. Because of her charming and unique voice, she has been named the ‘Nightingale of India’. She has an unbelievable impact on music lovers from all age groups who not only love but admire her for her incredible talent and contribution to the Indian music industry. She has been compared to Devi Saraswati herself by her fans. She has fans not just in India but all over the world.
Best known for her exceptional vocal skills and versatile style, she has lent her voice to actresses from Madhubala to Priyanka Chopra with ease. She has also shown dexterity in singing in different genres from pop to ghazal.
The born-talented artist has worked with some of the most iconic music directors like R D Burman, Madan Mohan, A R Rahman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and more in her long career. Her most popular songs with Madan Mohan are ‘Lag Jaa Gale’, ‘Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha’, and ‘Naina Barse Rim Jhim’ among others. He worked on more than 700 songs with Laxmikant-Pyarelal such as ‘Mere Naseeb Mein’, ‘Sheesha Ho Ya Dil Ho’, and more. R famous songs with R D Burman are ‘Piya Tose’, ‘Gata Rahe Mera Dil’, and more. Collaborating with A R Rahman she created major hits like ‘O Paalanhaare’ from the 2001 movie Lagaan, ‘Luka Chupi’ from ‘Rang de Basanti’, and more. Her last full-length album was for the 2004 movie ‘Veer Zaara’ by Yash Chopra.
Her last song
Despite her age, Lata Mangeshkar did not lose the sweetness of her voice. She recorded her last song in 2019 when she recorded a song that was based on Prime Minister Modi’s words ‘Saugandh Mujhe is Mitti Ki’. She said that she was touched by PM Modi’s speech which represented the feeling of every Indian, according to her. She recorded the song and offered it as a tribute to the Indian soldiers and all the Indian citizens.
Awards
Lata Mangeshkar dominated the Hindi music industry in her long years of singing. She has received many awards in the country and outside of India for her singing magnificence. She was awarded with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor in 2001. She received her Padma Bhushan in 1969, Maharashtra Bhushan in 1997, Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989, Padma Vibhushan in 1999, and Legion of Honour in 2007. She also received Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, National Film Awards, Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, BFJA Awards, and more for her singing over the years.
Philanthropy
Lata Mangeshkar was also known for her generosity to her countrymen whenever they were in need. He has contributed nearly 7 lakh rupees to the Covid relief fund of the Maharashtra CM’s fund in May 2021. She donated 25 lakh rupees for the same cause in 2020 as well to the Maharashtra government. She committed to donating 1 crore rupees for the martyrs in the devastating Pulwama attack. She has also founded a hospital named Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in memory of her father in Pune.
Illness and death
Lata Mangeshkar contracted the Covid-19 virus and tested positive on January 8th, 2022. She had mild symptoms and was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital. She was put on a ventilator in the ICU. When her health improved she was taken off the ventilator on January 28th. But recently in February, her health started getting worse and she was put back on a ventilator on February 5th once again. She died the next day on February 6th at the age of 92 from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.
Lata Mangeshkar has created a legacy in the Indian music industry that is going to be hard to surpass in the long coming years. She will always remain the most iconic female singer of all time in India.