Swarlata, Lata Mangeshkar - - Suvarna Gawkar

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Rayat Samachar

28.9.2023

Swarlata, Lata Mangeshkar

      Lata Didi was one of India's greatest singers, Gyankokila, Gansamradni, Queen of Melody, and was also called the 'Indian Nightingale' due to her melodious singing style. Bharat Ratna awardee Lata Mangeshkar is a renowned singer and composer from India.

     Lata Mangeshkar's original name was Hema. She was born on September 28, 1929, in the city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh but her hometown was Mangeshi in Goa. Mother's name was Suddhamati alias Mai and father's name was Dinanath Mangeshkar. Her father, Master Dinanath, was also her music teacher. At the age of five, she began her acting career in her father Dinanath's musical play. Later in life, She took classical music lessons from maestros such as Amanat Khan, Pandit Tulsidas Sharma, and Aman Ali Khan Saheb. Latadidi has four siblings namely Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar, Meena Khadikar, and Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

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    Pandit Dinanath died when Lata Didi was just 13 years old and as the eldest daughter of the family, the full financial responsibility of the family fell on Latadidi's shoulders. In 1945, She met filmmaker S. Mukherjee through music director Ghulam Haider, but S. Mukherjee did not like her voice and refused to sing her in his film Shaheed (1948). Ghulam Haider recognized the significance of Latadidi's voice. As a result, all the producers and directors began to demand her singing in his films. Latadidi got her big break when she was asked to sing the song "Ayega Aane Wala" for the movie 'Mahal'. The song was a huge hit.

     In the 1950s, there was an unprecedented growth in her career. She became the queen of Bollywood playback singing in the 1960s. She started working with the children of composers and directors she collaborated with during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1990, She established her own film production company. She performed more than 30,000 songs throughout her life. She received many National and Filmfare awards. The government of India recognized her with 'Padma Bhushan' and 'Bharat Ratna'. She was also awarded the 'Dadasaheb Phalke Award' in recognition of her services to Indian cinema. he has performed the most number of songs globally in the Guinness Book of Records.

     Latadidi lived in very simple clothes throughout her life. In the year 2001, Lata Mangeshkar Medical Foundation established Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune.

      On February 6, 2022, Lata Mangeshkar, the legendary singer passed away between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. after enriching countless music lovers for over seven decades. At this time she was 92 years old. Breaking all barriers like caste, religion, language, region, and country, the vocal concert which brought joy to everyone's life had its last Bhairavi. This giving of Nakshatras was gone on the journey of Diganta. Latadidi has made incredible achievements in the music industry for almost seven decades. Therefore, she has become an inspiration and role model for generations of singers to come.

- Suvarna Gawkar.

Karmali, Goa

   

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