When it comes to female playback singing, Lata Mangeshkar’s name is on the tip of the tongue of every Indian, irrespective of their age. Recently, India lost a true gem of music industry as Lata Didi breathed her last on 6th February 2022 in Mumbai. Let’s take a sneak-peak into her life and illustrious achievements.

Born in 1929 in Indore in a Brahmin family, Lata Mangeshkar’s father was a theater artist. At a very young age of 5, she used to act and sing in her father’s plays. Eldest among the siblings, she had to don the role of the breadwinner of the family after her father’s untimely demise in 1942. Today, all her siblings are distinguished singers and musicians.

Her career began when she moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) to receive training from Ustad Aman Ali Khan. A lesser known fact was that she started out as an actor, but wasn’t very comfortable with it. Furthermore, her soft and thin voice was not accepted as the trend at that time required heavy nasal voices. Even the first song she recorded for a Marathi movie was never publicized as it was edited. Her initial hit Aayega Aanewaala paved the pathway to her grand success. Despite these initial hiccups, she went on to deliver the greatest hits of all times. Her songs such as Lag Jaa Gale, Aap ki Najaro ne Samajha and Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh still remain evergreen in the hearts of all. She has sung for leading ladies of Bollywood across multiple generations, right from Madhubala to Priyanka Chopra.

When it comes to accomplishments, there is no doubt that she is a legendary playback singer with unparalleled competition. She was awarded the prestigious Bharat Ratna and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989. She even has an entry in the 1974 and 2011 Guinness Book of Records as an artist with the highest number of music records. Another feather in her cap is that she has sung in more 36 local and foreign languages. For a long time, she enjoyed monopoly in the music industry, with many composers lining up to work with her. She was often compared with her sibling Asha Bhosale, who had an offbeat singing style, suitable for peppy and lively songs.

With a contribution of over seventy years to the music industry, Lata Didi continues to rule the throne of the best female playback singer. It is estimated that her net worth is a whopping USD 50 million. Despite her old age, she had continued contributing to the society through her philanthropy activities. Recently, she had donated one crore rupees to the Indian army in the honour of the soldiers martyred in the Pulwama attack. Besides, she had even contributed to relief funds for the corona virus pandemic.

Lata didi was cremated with full state honors and the Tricolor was lowered in respect. Maharashtra and many other states observed mourning period. Her death has certainly brought a big void in the Indian music industry, marking an end to a career spanning across seven decades. Yet, she leaves behind a legacy of innumerable melodious songs for us to cherish.

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