Ode To A Nightingale

Devesh Sharma Pens A Short Profile On India’s Numero Uno Playback Singer, Lata Mangeshkar, Who Passed Away Recently

- Devesh Sharma

The Nightingale of India, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last due to multiple organ failure on January 6, leaving the entire nation bereaved. She was 92 years of age. The singer had contracted COVID-19 in January following which she was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. She was also diagnosed with pneumonia and was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A few days ago, her doctors had informed that she had been cured of COVID-19 and pneumonia. However on February 5, her health condition grew critical again and she was put on a ventilator. Sadly, she couldn’t be revived.

Lata Mangeshkar was born in 1929, the eldest daughter of Deenanath Mangeshkar, a Marathi and Konkani musician and his wife Shevanti. Lata was named Hema at her birth but her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father’s plays, Bhaaw Bandhan. She was the eldest child of the family. Meena, Asha, Usha, and Hridaynath -- all her siblings too are accomplished musicians and singers.

Lata Mangeshkar was just 13 when she lost her father but didn’t let the tragedy get to her, learning the intricacies of music, of playback singing and slowly rising to become the numero uno singer in the Indian film industry. There hasn’t been a genius like hers. She has served as an inspiration for almost all the singers as well as musicians in the Indian subcontinent during the past 80 years.

LATA MANGESHKAR WAS JUST 13 WHEN SHE LOST HER FATHER BUT DIDN’T LET THE TRAGEDY GET TO HER, LEARNING THE INTRICACIES OF MUSIC, OF PLAYBACK SINGING AND SLOWLY RISING TO BECOME THE NUMERO UNO SINGER IN THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY