Eldest Mangeshkar sister breathes her last in Mumbai hospital
Lata Mangeshkar — who earned the sobriquet of the ‘Nightingale of India’ and whose mellifluous voice will remain as immortal as her iconic song “Naam gum jaayegaa, Chehara ye badal jayegaa, Meri aavaaz hi pahachaan hai...” — is no more.
Considered blessed by Goddess Saraswati herself, 92-year-old Lata didi — as Lata Mangeshkar was known fondly by one and all — breathed her last after battling with pneumonia, Covid-19 and post-recovery complications for nearly a month, at the Breach Candy Hospital south Mumbai on Sunday morning, ironically a day after the nation invoked the blessings of the goddess of learning, thus bringing down curtains on her illustrious 79-year-long music career.
Lata, whose iconic song “Aye mere vatan ke logon, zara aankh mein bhar lo paani jo shaheed hue hain unki zara yaad karo qurbaani” continues to arouse patriotic fervour across the country, was cremated with full State honours at the Shivaji Park here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself flew down to Mumbai to pay his last respects to her and bid adieu to the “Queen of Melody” who ruled the hearts and minds of film-goers across the country after she sang her first song for a Marathi film 79 years ago. Earlier in the day, Modi captured the mood of the country when he said that Lata had left “a void in our nation that cannot be filled.”
A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Awards and three National Film Awards, Lata had sung more than 15,000 songs in 36 languages and was considered a rare unifying force in the country. Born in Indore in 1929 in a family steeped in classical music, Lata was the eldest daughter of Marathi and Konkani musician Deenanath Mangeshkar and wielded a microphone at the age of 12 after the death of her father. She got a break in her career when she rendered her first Hindi song “Mata ek sapoot ki duniya badal de tu” for the Marathi film Gajaabhaau (1943).
Lata, who was the eldest among five singing siblings (Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridaynath) all accomplished singers and musicians, moved to Mumbai in 1945 along with master Vinayak’s company. After landing in Mumbai, she took lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan of Bhendi Bazaar gharana.