The fact that somebody somewhere in the world is listening at any given point of time to Lata Ji’s(or her younger sister Asha Ji’s) songs itself is a feat that no singer in the world has ever achieved & perhaps can never surpass this in the coming 100 years.
Some interesting & rare facts about the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who passed away on Sunday, February 6.
Born on 28th September 1929, Lata was not her original name. She was born as Hema but rechristened later as Lata after a famous character Latika from her father’s play Bhaaw Bandhan.
She has four siblings namely Meena, Asha Bhosle, Usha, and Hridaynath & she was the eldest.
Lata Mangeshkar, as most know, is the daughter of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, (a theatre actor and classical singer) and Shevanti (Shudhamati). Lata Mangeshkar’s mother Shevanti was the second wife of her father Dinanath Mangeshkar. His first wife Narmada was Lata’s maternal aunt who passed away early into their marriage. After her death, Dinanath married Shevanthi in 1927.
Lataji started singing at the age of five and studied the fine art of music with Aman Ali Khan Sahib and Amanat Khan, established and famous singers of that time. When Lata Mangeshkar entered the film industry as a playback singer, she was rejected because, in that era, singers like Noor Jehan and Shamshad Begum ruled the roost with their heavy nasal voices. Lata didi’s voice was considered too thin for that time.
Although Lata spent most of her adult life in Mumbai, she was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and spent 16 years of her life in the city.
In the year 1938, she sang publicly for the first time at the age of nine at the Nutan Theatre, Sholapur.
She acted in over eight films from the year 1942 to1948 due to the sad demise of her father who passed away in 1942, leaving Lataji to fend for her family.Lata recorded her first song in the year 1942 for the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal but it never got released.The song ‘Aayega Aanewala’ from the movie ‘Mahal’ (1949) gave her sky-high popularity and she never looked back.
Lata Mangeshkar composed music for the first time in 1955 for a Marathi movie called Ram Ram Pavhane. However, in 1960s she composed music for many Marathi films under the pseudonym of Anand Ghan.
Lata’s patriotic song Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon moved Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears on January 27, 1963, at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi. The song was dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1962 war. Pandit Ji apparently said to her that she had moved him to tears.
She became the first Indian in 1974 to have performed in the Royal Albert Hall, London.
It is said that Lata didi believes that her voice suits actress Saira Banu’s the best!
The singer considers music director Ghulam Haider as her Godfather because as per Lata, Ghulam showed complete faith in Lata’s talent.
The category of best playback singer at the Filmfare Awards was introduced in 1959 after Lata Mangeshkar’s protest.Raj Kapoor’s masterpiece Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) is said to be inspired by Lata Mangeshkar’s life. He also wanted to cast her in the movie.
She was also nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha in 1999. Her term ended in 2006, though she was criticised for not attending the sessions. She had then cited her ill-health for her absence from the Parliament. Lata didi did not take a single penny or a salary or a house in Delhi for her services an MP.
Lata Mangeshkar is considered the greatest female singer India has ever heard. Singing in more than 35 Indian languages over half a century.
Lata Mangeshkar’s name had first figured in the Guinness World Records in 1974 for having sung the maximum number of songs in the world. She was credited with singing about 25,000 songs.
Mangeshkar was also a recipient of honorary doctorates from the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1989, Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh, and Shivaji University in Kolhapur.
The perfume Lata Eau de Parfum was named after Lata Mangeshkar in 1999.
Lata Ji ( and her Sister Asha Ji also) has sung for three generations of the same family: Shobhana Samarth, her daughters, Nutan and Tanuja, and Tanuja’s daughter, Kajol.
On 8 January, Mangeshkar tested positive for COVID-19 & was admitted in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital & after close to a month of ICU & best of hospital treatment passed away today.
But legends like Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar will always be alive in our lives.Meri Awaz Hi Pehchaan Hai….(1977 Hindi Movie Kinara) best describes the Nightingale of India & as a mark of respect The Government of India announced a two-day national mourning and that the National Flag will fly at half-mast from February 6 to 7.
“Meri Awaz Hi Pehchaan Hai”—Hindi Movie Kinara,1977
Great Tribute to Latha ji with your writing….very interesting…all the best