The Nightingale Of India, Lata Mangeshkar Turns 91 And Completes Over 7 Decades In The Industry

When Lata Mangeshkar recorded her first song, she was barely 13 years old. Unfortunately for Lata, the song was dropped from the Marathi film it was supposed to be a part of. Little did those filmmakers know that Lata would go on to become one of the most renowned, respected, and talented singers and that she would become popular even outside India. The talented singer has sung ballads for numerous movies and has stolen our hearts with her melodious yet intense voice. If there are two female voices in the country that are extremely recognizable, it’s the voices of Lata Mangeshkar and her younger sister Asha Bhosle. But did you know that all of Lata’s siblings have an ear for music? Yes! She has three sisters who are also singers and a younger brother who became a music director. So let’s take a look at Lata Mangeshkar’s intense career, impressive talents, and slight rivalry with her sister:

When It All Began

Lata came from a family that originated from Goa and spoke Marathi and Konkani. She was named Hema at birth but her parents decided to change her name. Lata’s father was actually her first music teacher and began training her at the ripe young age of five. She started acting in her father’s musical plays around the same time. On Lata’s first day of school, she brought her younger sister Asha along with her to school. Well, Lata wasn’t having fun in any of it and refused to attend school after that. Sadly, Lata’s father passed away from heart failure when she was only 13 years old.

After the death of her father, his friend, an actor named Master Vinayak stepped in and helped the family sort out their finances and even helped Lata get her start in singing and acting. The first Hindi song that Lata sang was, “Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu” for a Marathi film. In 1945, at the age of 16, Lata moved to Mumbai to be closer to the production house that Master Vinayak led. After Master Vinayak’s death, she was taken under the tutelage of music director Ghulam Haider at the age of 19. When Haider introduced Lata to the producer, Sashadhar Mukherjee referred to her voice as “too thin”. This angered Haider and he told the producer that one-day people would be falling at Lata’s feet to get her to record a song for their film. It was Haider who gave Lata her first big break with the song, “Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahin Ka Na Chhora”.

Establishing Success

A lot of Hindi song lyrics in those days were written by Urdu poets and thus had a very large proportion of Urdu words. After Dilip Kumar made a disapproving remark about Lata’s accent, she decided to take Urdu lessons so she got better at it. She sang one of her hits called Aayega Aanewaala for the legendary actress, Madhubala. Soon, Lata had become a regular in the Bollywood circuit and like Ghulam Haider had predicted, many people fell to their feet to get her to sing for her films. Lata was a huge fan of the Pakistani singer, Noor Jehan. She even initially sang in a similar style as the Punjabi-Urdu singer. In fact, many argued that Noor Jehan was Lata’s biggest competition for the top spot.

However, Noor Jehan chose to settle down in the Pakistani city of Lahore after partition rather than Bombay. This caused her to lose a certain amount of her fanbase and get typecast into the role of an Urdu singer. Lata, on the other hand, ended up becoming the people’s favorite. Throughout the 50s and 60s, she enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and sang in every genre possible. From bhajans to sappy romantic tunes and patriotic songs, Lata has tried her hand at it all. In her later years, she developed a close friendship with the famed director, Yash Chopra. The two collaborated on multiple projects together and yielded hits like Kabhi Kabhie, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, and Silsila.

Adored By All

There is a reason why Lata Mangeshkar is so well-respected and still relevant in this day and age. She may have not entered her “temple” (recording studio) since 2015, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t still grooving to her hits around you. The singer is close friends with the famous yesteryears actor, Dilip Kumar. He once said, “None have been able to equal Lata’s refinement. It is very difficult for anyone to compete with her because she has invested so heavily in every person who cares for music – there’s such a lot of Lata Mangeshkar in everyone.”

There’s no denying that Lata Mangeshkar has struck a chord in the hearts of millions of people in India and abroad as well. She is one of the few singers whose voice is recognizable and probably enjoyed by all three generations of your immediate family. Yes, we’re pretty sure your grandmother and grandfather grew up listening to Lata Mangeshkar themselves. The fact that she is given massive respect even today, proves that she may no longer sing, but her legacy of 43 plus years will always be remembered, respected, and revered. Which Lata Mangeshkar song do you like the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Niharika NayakBA (Media & Communication)

 

Niharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing video games, and hanging out with stray animals.

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