Lata Mangeshkar: A True Hero

Hello Everyone,

Happy International Women’s History Month!

 This month celebrates women’s contributions to history. Today I’m going to share with you the life story of Lata Mangeshkar, the Indian playback singer, who recently passed away on February 6th. 

Growing up in a spiritual Hindu household, I heard a playlist of different Sanskrit mantras and religious songs played in the house. I was aware of the spiritual aspects of my family at a very young age, I used to sing along to her religious songs, and my mom has recordings of me singing them at times. When I was a toddler, my parents would play an aarti song by Lata Mangeskar. I would get my dinner plate and pretend to do the aarti by moving it in circles. The songs my parents played at home or during road trips were mostly by Lata Mangeskar. And when I grew up a little older, I enjoyed her songs from Bollywood movies, especially from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.

Lata Mangeshkar (Born Hema Mangeshkar on September 28, 1929) was an Indian playback singer and composer. She was also known as the Nightingale of India. Her father, Deenanath Mangeskar, was a musician who also taught music. When her father died, she was thirteen years old. She was the oldest child, so she had to take care of her mother and four younger siblings. She had the responsibility of earning for the family. Along the way, Master Vinayak came. Master Vinayak was the owner of a movie company and a close family friend who helped the family after the loss and got Lata a career in singing and acting.  After recording a few songs and covers, she became a hit. 

However, many people in her earlier singing days used to make fun of her Marathi accent while singing, but that didn’t stop her. She worked hard and proved to be one of the best singers in the history of Indian music. People always asked her if she wanted to act in films, but she always felt uncomfortable. So she just stuck to singing instead. Her songs became a hit in movies for years and years. All over the world, people have heard her name and songs.  With all those years of hard work, she sang in over 36 Indian languages and a few other languages such as English, Swahili, Russian and Dutch. She sang more than 20,000 songs, even making it to the Guinness Book of World Records! Additionally, she even won about 12 huge awards for her contributions to music, her highest honorary award being the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award given by the president. My mother and grandmother had even grown up with her songs. Her favorite is the ones played on the radio, which she can’t even recall. 

On February 6th, 2022 the day of Saraswati puja (when we worship the goddess of knowledge and music), she took her last breath. People would often refer to Lata Mangeskar as the avatar of goddess Saraswati.  She died in Mumbai, India, due to COVID-19 complications. 

Today, she has several fans all over the world. She’s a true hero who has impacted and inspired many lives with her songs. For Women’s History Month, in my blog, I want to honor Lata Mangeskar.

Fun Facts about Lata Mangeskar:

• She loved cricket and watched any cricket game.
• She enjoyed photography.
• She always wore a white saree.
• She was unmarried.
• Unconfirmed Fact: After her death, researchers wanted to check on her throat to find out how she got her amazing voice. They couldn’t do the check as her family wasn’t comfortable with the procedures.

Reference/ sources:

Used several articles from Times of India, CNN and DNA india.