Lata Mangeshkar mesmerised the entire nation with her melodious voice for seven decades. She was an impending part of the Indian music industry. Born and brought up in Indore, Lata Mangeshkar was known as 'Didi' and the ‘Nightingale of Bollywood.’
Today, the entire nation mourns her death. Besides being the most versatile singer in the country, let's take a look at some of the interesting facts about the Goddess of music Lata Mangeshkar.
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Although Lata spent most of her life in Mumbai, she spent 16 years of her early life in Madhya Pradesh's Indore where she was born.
The singer was first named Hema and later renamed Lata which was inspired by a popular character Latika from one of his father's plays Bhaaw Bandhan. She got her surname Mangeshkar after a village in Goa named Mangeshi.
Lata attended school only for one day and on the very first day she came with her sister Asha and began teaching music to the school students and when her teacher scolded her, she left the school permanently.
The singer recorded her first song for a Marathi movie Kiti Hasaal in 1942; however, it never got released as the song was dropped from the final cut.
Lata began acting at the age of 5 in her father's Marathi musical play named Sangeet Natak. She even played a minor role in the first Hindi movie Bari Ma in 1945.
It is said that she moved India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears when she sang the song 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon.' She performed the song on January 27, 1963, at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi. The song was dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1962 war.
Lata Mangeshkar released a song in 2019 called 'Saugandh Mujhe Iss Mitti Ki' as a tribute to the country’s jawans. Her command over her musical voice, breath and melody is remarkable. It’s no surprise that the nightingale of India continued to enchant us all with her gift even at the age of 90.
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