In the sad passing away of the Indian singer, Lata Mangeshkar, India has lost one of its most talented daughters. Lata Mangeshkar sang over 30,000 songs in around 1,000 films, in 36 languages. She became the voice of India. Her melodious voice made lyrics memorable. People of all ages have hummed her songs for the last 60 years. Her voice never aged, never faltered.

She sang for the films of heroes like Dilip Kumar, through Rajesh Khanna, through Amitabh Bachchan all the way to the films of Shah Rukh Khan. She sang songs for actresses like Nargis and Madhubala all the way to Madhuri Dixit. Indians, Pakistanis and South Asians, across the world, were fans of her songs. Her music cut across boundaries. She was rightly christened as India’s nightingale.

The former Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was moved to tears, when she sang the song, “Aye mere watan ke logon…” (Oh! People of my country.) The Indian Government has honoured her with all the Awards possible.

The highest award for a civilian, the Bharat Ratna, was awarded to her in 2001. She received the Dada Saheb Phalke award in 1989. She also received the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan awards from the Government in recognition of her art and contribution to music. She also won three National awards and seven Filmfare awards for her songs.

Through all the accolades and honours bestowed on her, she remained humble, unassuming and modest.

She started singing at the age of five and made her first public appearance at the age of nine with a song. She acted in Marathi plays and movies also. She also learnt the Urdu language.

Lata Mangeshkar has passed away. Yet, in a way she will always live, in the hearts and memories of people through her songs and music. She was India’s national treasure. However, she was also a gift to the music world and had become a global icon.

Rajendra Aneja,
Mumbai, India