“It was not really the external influences that made me a singer. Music was within me. I was full of it.” - Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar, also known as The Nightingale of Bollywood or the Queen of Melody, is an Indian sensation. She was a playback singer and recorded over 5000 songs in 20 Indian languages. She is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers in India. She also received the Bharat Ratna award in 2001 in recognition of her contributions to the nation. My music teacher said, “If you listen to any old Bollywood song, there’s a high chance that Lataji sang it.”
Lata Mangeshkar’s father started teaching her music at an early age. By the time she was 5, she was seen participating as an actress in plays written by her father. She began her musical journey at the age of 12 when she sang two songs in the studio for the first time on the radio. Lataji lost her father at a young age, but Vinayak Damodar Karnataki, who was a close friend of the Mangeshkar family, helped bring her singing and acting career on track.
Her music grew rapidly. She began to get offers from music directors and sang numerous songs that the majority of India has listened to. In 1969, she was honoured with the third-highest civilian award - Padma Bhushan - for years of commitment to entertaining the people of the country. She also happened to be the first person from India to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
I’ve observed that people get nostalgic when they listen to her music. She truly had an impact on the people of her country. From building a career at the age of 5 to 93, the sensational playback singer went against the odds and proved she was a fighter. On 6th February 2022, India lost a gem. She left a huge gap in the world of music, art and culture. However, every time a beautiful song sung by her plays on the radio or a phone, Lataji and her talent remains alive to us.
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