Nightingale Lata Leaves..

Her silken voice, however, will continue to live till eternity.

- K.V. Venugopal

Lata Mangeshkar, considered as a nightingale by the millions of music lovers across the country, passed away on 6 February at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai after suffering from Covid-related complications for the last two weeks. The 92-year-old gifted singer had carved out a niche for herself with her distinctive voice that is still enthralling not only her fans, but the music lovers in general, especially the old-timers, who would recall her golden songs with bubbling enthusiasm.

There is no iota of doubt that many singers would come and go, but Lata, also remembered as “Melody Queen” by the Tinsel World, would continue to shine pole star in the musical firmament of India, as a large number of music composers, lyricsts and heroines became popular in the yesteryear only because of the fabulous voice rendered by Lata, affectionately called “Lataji” by her fans with utmost reverence.

Lata Mangeshkar’s demise is an irreparable loss, not only to the film industry, but also to the entire nation. Top political leaders of the country including the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid condolences on her death in a gesture of obeisance for her illustrious career that spanned over six-decades.

Lata became a nonagenarian in 2019. The fame-singer’s 90th birth anniversary went off as a simple ceremony with a large number of people from various walks of life wishing her a happy and prosperous life. The top-most caller was none other than the PM Narendra Modi, who himself spoke to her and hailed her stupendous achievements, before boarding the flight to the US to meet the former American President Donald Trump.

Lata reciprocated his gesture heartily and remarked that “she finds some spark and ability in Modi’s performance.”