Lata Mangeshkar, a popular Indian singer who sang tens of thousands of songs during her lifetime, passed away yesterday. She was 92 years old at the time of her death. Her doctor said she had died of a coronavirus-induced organ failure.
Lata Mangeshkar was born on September 28, 1929 in Indore, in the central part of India. She started learning music at the age of five from her father, Dinanath Mangeshkar, who was involved in drama.
After the death of her father, the family migrated to Mumbai, where Mangeshkar, who was a teenager, started singing for Marathi films. She also starred in small roles in several films to support her family, but her heart was drawn only to singing.
In 1949, she had the opportunity to sing the song ‘Ayega Anewala’ for the film ‘Mahal’. At the same time, every Bollywood actress wanted her voice. Because of this she was always busy and music directors were eager to get her voice for their creations.
She sang for every female star in Bollywood from 1940 to 1990 and worked with all the leading Bollywood directors from Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt to Mani Ratnam and Karan Johar. She was nominated to the upper house of the Indian Parliament in 1999 and said she was reluctant to accept it, but later said she enjoyed her term.
In 2001, she was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor. Lata Mangeshkar, who was not interested in getting married, had a keen interest in the sport of cricket and cars. Her younger sister Asha Bhosle is also a popular Bollywood singer. The two of them discarded hints of rivalry and even occasionally sang together.
Lata Mangeshkar has a career spanning over half a century, singing over 30,000 songs in 36 languages. But it was the Hindi film industry in India that made her a national symbol.
The Government of India has declared a two-day period of mourning from Sunday in honor of the late Lata Mangeshkar. There will also be a state funeral for her.
The people of India were shocked by the news of her demise and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Mangeshkar’s demise had created an “irreplaceable void in the nation”. Many Bollywood stars also expressed their condolences over her death.
This glorious voice also gave her voice to Sri Lankan cinema. To the song “Heladiva Purathanaya” from the movie ‘Sada Sulan’. The music director and lyricist of the film is Ananda Samarakoon. It is said that Latha Mangeshkar has donated all the money she received to Ananda Samarakoon after singing the song for the film ‘Sada Sulan’.
