Lata Mangeshkar, one of India’s most adored, singers who sang tens of thousands of songs in her lifetime, has passed away in 92. She was the darling of lyricists, music composers, film makers, actors, actress and billions who she charmed with her golden voice.
For decades, Lata di as she is fondly known, was the country’s most prolific singer, with every film wanting her playback voice.
The Nightingale Of India’, as she was popularly known, was taken to the intensive care unit on January 8 after testing positive for COVID-19. The icon, who presented generations with unbridled joy through her songs, has been India’s favourite voice ever since her debut in the 1940s.
Lata Mangeshkar – The nightingale whose voice will echo forever
It is an irreparable loss as millions stated, therefore, feels personal to scores of fans who have been paying tributes to the singer since the news of her death was made public. Renowned personalities from various fields have expressed their deepest condolences on social media.
She sang over 30,000 songs, and sold her records sold in the tens of thousands, s spanning numerous genres and a total of 36 languages.
When she sang Aye mere watan ke logon (Ye, the people of my land), a haunting and soulful tribute to slain Indian soldiers in the disastrous 1962 war with China, at a public meeting, reports said India’s then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru burst into tears.
She sang for every actress from the 1940s to the 1990s and worked with almost all the leading Bollywood directors, from Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt to Mani Ratnam and Karan Johar. A top lyricist once described her melodic voice and soulful singing as “pure and clear as the finest pearl of crystal”.
Besides her undying passion for singing, Mangeshkar was a passionate cricket fan and had a love for cars and the slot machines of Vegas. She also rubbed shoulders with some of Bollywood’s brightest stars – and at least one Beatle.
Lata Mangeshkar – The voice of the Nation
Lata Didi’s songs brought out a variety of emotions. She closely witnessed the transitions of the Indian film world for decades. Beyond films, she was always passionate about India’s growth. She always wanted to see a strong and developed India. – Narendra Modi wrote
Journalist Vir Sanghvi called Mangeshkar the “voice of a nation, who unified India by singing so well in so many languages”. He pointed out the emotional connection millions of Indians felt to her songs: “We fell in love to her songs; we celebrated with her music and when there was sadness she voiced if for us.”
Singer Chinmayi Sripaada, comedian Aditi Mittal and many others described Mangeshkar’s death as the “end of an era”.
“Even as as Lata ji passes on from this physical realm – she will always live on and her voice will always be with us,” tweeted Sripaada.
Memories of Lata Mangeshkar took over social media in India as hundreds of people tweeted photos and videos of her, and shared their favourite songs by her.
She had been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai city in January after testing positive for Covid-19.
The doctor who treated her said she died of multi-organ failure.
Lata Mangeshkar had an extraordinary career spanning over half a century, singing more than 30,000 songs across 36 languages.
But it was her work in Bollywood, India’s Hindi film industry, that made her a national icon.
The Indian government has announced two days of mourning from Sunday, during which the national flag would be flown at half-mast throughout the country.
She will be given a state funeral. Her cremation would take place in Mumbai on Sunday evening.
As news broke, tributes began pouring in for Mangeshkar, who was often called the “nightingale of Bollywood”.
President Ram Nath Kovind said the news was “heart-breaking for me, as it is for millions the world over” and added that in her songs “generations found expression of their inner-most emotions”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Mangeshkar’s death left a “void in our nation that cannot be filled”.
Born in Indore city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on 28 September 1929, she began learning music at the age of five from her father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, who was active in theatre.
After her father’s death, the family moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) where a teenaged Mangeshkar began singing for Marathi movies.
She also did bit roles in a few films to support her family, but would say later that her heart wasn’t in it. “I was happiest singing.” she told interviewers.
Her big break came in 1949 – a haunting song called Aayega Aanewala for the movie Mahal.
“Soon every female actor wanted her voice. But she was always busy and only a few fortunate music directors got the chance to make her sing,” music director Mohammed Zahur Khayyam later recalled.
Over the next few decades, Mangeshkar sang thousands of songs lip-synced by Bollywood’s biggest heroines across generations.
She was nominated to the upper house of India’s parliament in 1999, but said later that she had been “reluctant” to take it up and that her tenure there was “anything but happy”.
She received India’s highest honour for civilians, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001.
In 2004, when she turned 75, one of Bollywood’s biggest directors, Yash Chopra, wrote for the BBC that he saw “God’s blessings in her voice”.
Mangeshkar, who never married, had a rich life outside her work, with interests ranging from cricket to cars.
Her younger sister Asha Bhosle is also a celebrated Bollywood singer. The two always dismissed any hint of sibling rivalry, and even performed together occasionally.
“We’re very close – we have never competed with each other,” Bhosle told the BBC in 2015.