Lata Mangeshkar, India's nightingale whose countless melodies are fused with the country’s postindependence narrative, died following prolonged illness on Sunday morning. She was 92. Lata was admitted to Breach Candy hospital on January 8 and spent nearly a month in the ICU, battling Covid-19, pneumonia and age-related problems. She is survived by sisters, playback singers Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Khadikar; brother, music director Pandit Hridayanath; nephews and nieces; ardent admirers - and a treasure trove of songs that have become part of the collective visual and aural memory.
The Union government declared two days of national mourning. In Maharashtra, a state funeral was announced within an hour after the news broke. The final rites were conducted at Shivaji Park in the presence of family members, admirers and dignitaries.
Her death marks the end of a momentous age in which cinema emerged as an instrument of socio-cultural assimilation. With the finest musicians and lyric poets flocking to the industry after 1947, filmdom's golden era peaked at the same time as Lata's career. Singing stars of an earlier era were replaced by professional playback artists, and the chanteuse became the standard against which female voices were measured. “The industry realised artistic and commercial merit of a song thanks to her,” said cinema chronicler Veerchand Dharamsey. In a career of seven decades, Lata is believed to have recorded over 7,000 songs in 30 languages. Private albums of bhajans and ghazals added to her vast repertoire.
Generations of actors - from Kamini Kaushal to Kajol and Bina Rai to Aishwarya Rai - lip-synched to her work. Her ability to capture an emotion was perfect for celluloid. Female leads would ask for songs to be picturised on them to be rendered by her. Record companies and radio channels enhanced her popularity, not to speak of countless verse booklets printed out of nondescript printing presses. It was a voice that symbolised “youth, freshness and passion,” said classical exponent Shruti Sadolikar.
Lata was cremated with full state honours on Sunday evening in a funeral attended by the country’s top leaders and personalities. Her funeral saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, and actors like Shah Rukh Khan lay a wreath on her mortal remains. Also present were Javed Akhtar, Vidya Balan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Siddharth Roy Kapur among others.
The Home Ministry said the national flag will be flown at half-mast from February 6 to 7 throughout India. They said there will be no official entertainment. “I am anguished beyond words,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. “She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerize people.”
Tributes poured in from all over the world. Actor Amitabh Bachchan penned a note for her on his blog and paid his respects to her mortal remains at her house. He was accompanied by his daughter Shweta Bachchan. Others to pay tribute to the late singer on social media include Akshay Kumar and his wife Twinkle Khanna, Dharmendra, and his wife Hema Malini, Oscar winning music composer AR Rahman, Anuradha Paudwal, and several others from the arts, politics and industry.
Lata didi, as she was fondly called by everyone, has an inspiring career spanning seven decades. She has recorded over 25,000 songs in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, and other regional languages. Over her life, she has been honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, National Award, and Filmfare Awards.
Thousands line up to bid farewell
While PM Narendra Modi flew down to Mumbai for the state funeral which was held at Shivaji Park, thousands of Mumbaikars lined the route from Lata’s Prabhu Kunj, Pedder Road, residence to Shivaji Park when the body, draped in a tricolour, was carried in an open, flower-bedecked army truck to bid farewell to their favourite singer.
CM Uddhav Thackeray awarded the singer a state funeral at the maidan, where such a singular honour was last given to his father, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. Earlier, Lata’s body was escorted by the Thackerays, including MNS leader Raj Thackeray, from hospital to her nearby residence at 1 pm. Lata’s siblings Asha Bhosle and Meena, Usha and Hridaynath Mangeshkar boarded the bedecked truck bearing the body, and nephews and nieces walked beside the cortege. Luminaries led by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, actor Amitabh Bachchan, lyricist Javed Akhtar and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali visited the house to commiserate, while scores of music celebrities, apart from actor Shah Rukh Khan and former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, arrived for the cremation.
