Lata Mangeshkar, (born September 28, 1929, Indore, British India—died February 6, 2022, Mumbai, India), legendary Indian playback singer noted for her distinctive voice . She was popularly known as Swara Kokila and honored with Bharat Ratna, gave her voice to thousands of songs in her career. She sung for over 50 years for actresses from Nargis to Preity Zinta .
In fact, Lata Mangeshkar gave her voice to more than 5 thousand songs in about 36 Indian languages ( Bengali, Hindi and Marathi) and few foreign languages. In such a situation, if we talk about his last release song, then it was ‘Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti Ki’ which was composed by Mayuresh Pai. This song was released on 30 March 2019. This song was performed to honor the nation and the Indian Army.
Her contribution to the Indian music industry in a career spanning seven decades gained her honorific titles such as the Nightingale of India, Voice of the Millennium and Queen of Melody. She was one of the first Indian Playback Singers to ever perform at Royal Albert Hall, London.
| Born | Hema Mangeshkar 28 September 1929 Indore , British India |
| Died | 6 February 2022 (aged 92) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| honorific titles | Nightingale of India Voice of the Millennium Queen of Melody. |
| Working period | 1942 – 2021 |
| Parents | Deenanath Mangeshkar (father) Shevanti Mangeshkar (mother) |
| Relatives | Asha Bhosle (sibling) Usha Mangeshkar (Sibling) Meena Mangeshkar (Sibling) Hridaynath Mangeshkar (sibling) |
| Awards | 3 National Film Awards 15 Bengal Film Journalist Association Awards 4 Filmfare Awards for Best Female Playback Singer 2 Filmfare Special Awards Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Honours | Padma Bhushan (1969) Dadasaheb Phalke Award ( 1989) Maharashtra Bhushan (1997) Padma Vibhushan (1999) Bharat Ratna (2001) Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (2006) |
| Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) | Nominate (Arts) 22 November 1999 – 21 November 2005 |
| Music Teacher | Dinanath Mangeshkar (father) Ustaad Amaanat Ali Khan Amaanat Khan Devaswale Gulam Haider Pandit Tulsidas Sharma |
| Debut | Hindi song – “Maata ek Saput ki duniya badal de tu” Film – Gajaabhaau (Marathi 1943) |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
Music Direction
Lata Mangeshkar composed music for the first time in 1955 for the Marathi movie Ram Ram Pavhne . Later in the 1960s, she composed music for few Marathi movies.
- 1960 – Ram Ram Pavhana
- 1963 – Maratha Tituka Melvava
- 1963 – Motiyanchi Manjula
- 1965 – Sadhi Manase
- 1969 – Tambadi Mati
- She also Won Maharashtra state Government’s Best Music Director Award for the film Adhi Manase.
- She also received honorary doctorates from the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1989, Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh and Shivaji University in Kolhapur
Mrs Renu Gupta
School Principal at Rahul Education, Divine Providence High School
FAQs
Lata Mangeshkar was born in 1920 in Indore. Her father’s name was Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar and her mother’s name was Sevanti.
Lata’s potential was recognized by Ghulam Haider, who predicted that Music directors would beg to work with her in years to come. A short time later, he gave her a break by making her sing for a fictional television show, and she was offered more work.
In the beginning, Lata’s voice was dismissed as too thin and feeble to be used in movies. It happened because the Indian film industry back then was dominated by nasal singers. In addition, she was criticized for her Marathi accent because her mother tongue is Marathi, and the songs were written in Hindi.
He left the classroom one day while teaching a student. A young girl, Lata, came in and sat down with the student and told him that he wasn’t singing correctly. When she had finished singing her father’s song, her student began to sing. This was for him to learn correct singing technique. He heard her sing as soon as he walked in. The next day, he woke her at 6a.m. for ‘riraaz’, after recognizing her tremendous talent.
Achieving success is never an easy road. In her career, Lata Ji also faced many difficulties. Initially, she was turned down by many Musicians due to her thin voice. Her talent and passion were compared with those of the famous singer Nur Jahan of that day, but gradually she started finding her own voice. In the world of Indian playback singers, Lata Ji has become the strongest woman.
It is said that the road to success is never easy. Lata Ji also faced many difficulties in her career. Many musicians initially refused Lata Ji because of her thin voice. Lata Ji was compared with the famous singer Nur Jahan of that time, but gradually she started working on the strength of her passion and talent. Lata Ji’s amazing success made her the strongest woman in the world of Indian playback singers.
The two singers Lata Mangeshkar has sung duets were Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar.