New Delhi:
The government said a two-day national mourning will be held in memory of Lata Mangeshkar who died today at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. The funeral will take place tonight at 6:30 pm with full state honours.
As a sign of respect for the legendary singer par excellence, the national flag is flown at half-mast for two days.
Lata Mangeshkar, dubbed the nightingale of India, was hospitalized in January with Covid-19 and pneumonia. On January 8, the 92-year-old singer was taken to intensive care. Even after she recovered from Covid, she was on a ventilator after her condition worsened on Saturday.
Daughter of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar and Shevanti Mangeshkar, Lata Mangeshkar was born on September 28, 1929 in Indore in Madhya Pradesh. She started her career at the age of 13 after the death of her father, as she had to take care of her mother and four siblings.
Her father played a monumental role as an early influence on the budding singer who was himself a noted Marathi musician and theater performer.
Lata Mangeshkar recorded her first Hindi song called “Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu” for the Marathi feature Gajaabhaau and went on to collaborate with Bollywood titans Anil Biswas, Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali and SD Burman among others.
In her unparalleled career, singing in over 1,000 films, Lata Mangeshkar became one of Bollywood’s most acclaimed playback singers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the loss of Bharat Ratna’s award-winner, saying, “Generations to come will remember her as a faithful man of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to enchant people.”
“Lata Didi’s songs brought out a variety of emotions. She witnessed the transitions of the Indian film world for decades. Besides films, she was always passionate about the growth of India. She always wanted to see a strong and developed India”, wrote Prime Minister Modi. in a series of tweets.
“The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our country that cannot be filled.”
“I’m terrified of words,” he added.