Over the years, India, the land of culture, tradition and Bollywood has seen many musical maestros who have helped its songs reach every corner of the world. One of these singing legends was Lata Mangeshkar, who we lost on 6th February, 2022 at the age of 93. Lataji, born as Hema Mangeshkar, is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of India. Throughout her magnificent career over seven decades, she earned several titles like ‘Queen of Melody’, ‘Nightingale of India’, ‘Voice of the Millenium’, ‘Swara Kokila’ and so on.
Lata Mangeshkar was only 5 years when her father, Pandit Deenanath, discovered her talent. She would practice and sing for his musical plays.
However, her life and victories did not come without their trials. Lata Mangeshkar lost her father early on in life and had to shoulder the responsibility of the rest of the family at the tender age of mere 13 years. With the burden of feeding her family, she turned to music to make a living. Vinayak Damodar Karnataki, Master Vinayak, the owner of Navyug Chitrapat Film Company and her father's friend, took Lataji under his wing and helped her break into the world of professional singing. However, despite his help, the journey ahead was not a bed of roses. She first started with the Marathi song “Nachu Ya Gade”, which unfortunately did not make it to the film and even had to act a role before she got any music deals.
When she moved to Mumbai along with Master Vinayak's company, she got trained under the leadership of maestros such as Aman Ali Khan Sahib and Amanat Khan and after the death of Master Vinayak, Ghulam Haider mentored her as a singer.
Once, when Ghulam Haider took her to producer Sashadhar Mukherjee for the movie Shaheed, the latter dismissed Lataji by saying that her voice was too thin. An angry Haider retaliated by prophesying that one day the world world would ‘fall at Lata’s feet’ and would ‘beg her’ to sing for them. Infact, it was Ghulam Haider only who gave her her first major break with the song ‘Dil Mera Toda’ in the movie Majboor (1948). Another of her first major hits was ‘Ayega Aanewala’ from the movie “Mahal” which became a defining moment for her. During those times, playback singers did not get any recognition. However, the song became such a hit that Radio Goa revealed her name and she got a taste of fame for the first time. Infact, she even opened doors for other playback singers to get a spotlight and earn their recognition.
It is often believed that fame and name has a corrupting tendency on people. However, Lata Mangeshkar was not one to get swayed. Even on her 83rd birthday, she recognised Ghulam Haider as her godfather and paid tribute to her.
Swara Kokila, Lata Mangeshkar, was also known for her hard - work and perseverance. Initially, it was thought that she used to imitate Noor Jehan in her music, but Lataji worked hard and found her own style - a mix of modern - and traditional female voice - that became the defining voice for female protagonists for many decades. Infact, once, actor Dilip Kumar had made a slightly disapproving mark about her singing. Not one to back down, Lata Mangeshkar immediately began taking lessons in Urdu from an Urdu teacher named Shafi.
Even in her personal life, Lata Mangeshkar followed the values of respect and humility. As told by Asha Bhosle, her younger sister in a news interview. Lataji believed that those who drank that water that rinsed their elders’ feet, were the most blessed people on Earth. Similarly, even she, along with Asha Bhosle, her younger sister, during their childhood years, washed the feet of their parents and drank that water to get their blessings.
Lata Mangeshkar loved her 3 younger sisters and brother dearly. Her brother Hridyanath Mangeshkar even claims that when she got the Bharat Ratna, Lataji hardly celebrated. But when her younger brother won the Padma Shri award, she celebrated it like a festival.
The recipient of numerous awards, the Bharat Ratna, highest civilian award, being one of them and the legendary voice which made Pt. Nehru cry will forever remain in the hearts of each and every Indian. Lata Mangeshkar exhibited excellence like none and continues to inspire millions even after her death.
By
Nandini Parashar
Shreoshi Tarapdar
1st year , Political Science
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