Lata & her legacy

 

Lata & her legacy

As humans, we all are mortal. It’s a natural law from the Almighty. But death is not the end of everything for everyone. Some people do live even after their bodily death. They live through their works and contributions. They live through their impact. Lata Mangeshkar is one of them. 

Lata is the similar name of melody. Her career spanned eight decades. During this time she has sung more than 36000 songs. She has sung in 36 different languages, though Hindi was the main language of her songs. After Hindi she sang in Bengali the most. That was a time when singers wouldn't get royalties for their works. Lata was the first who fought for this right. She said to the music directors that— "I will not work if royalty is not given." That time the industry was running on Lata's song. So, the music director had to accept her demand. She was the first singer to receive the Filmfare awards. After getting this award for several years she stopped receiving the awards saying that—"I don’t want to receive awards more. Newcomers should get this opportunity." In 1974, Lata Mangeshkar performed at the famous Royal Albert Hall at London. She was the first Indian and also first Asian artist to perform at Royal Albert Academy.  

Moreover, age was just a number for Lata. At her 70s, she worked with the same passion and dedication and gave us unforgettable hit songs one after one. At her peak, she recorded up to four songs a day! That speaks a lot for her efficiency at work. Lata Mangeshkar sang for Bangladesh & raised funds for upkeep of refugees during the liberation war .

In 2001, she was awarded  ‘ Bharat Ratna ’ the highest civilian award of India for her contributions to the music. 

This journey was not easy &  her life was not a bed of rose. At the age of 13 her father passed away. Lata was the oldest of her siblings. So, she had to struggle a lot to financially support the family. She acted in Marathi films. She was not satisfied. She realized that music is her life. So, she wanted to do something in this field. After doing some roles in films, she started searching for the opportunity to work as a singer. But she was rejected many times for her thin voice because thin voice would not fit well with a heroine. After some years, her career took a new turn. In the year 1949, she sang the song ‘Aayega Aanewala’ for the film ‘Mahal’ . From  this song, she gained a lot of popularity. After that she never looked back. She was the first choice for many heroines. It is said that legendary actress Madhubala stipulated in her contracts that she wanted only Lata to do her playback singing. This legend was so passionate to her work that she never married. Music was her only love. 

Our life is too short. Even a star has to die one day .This story also had to end .From January, 2022 she was ill and was admitted to the hospital. She was dealing with pneumonia and Covid19 but was recovering. On the 6th of February, 2022, she died from multiple organ failure—the brightest star of Indian music fell from the sky. But was it the end of this story ?

No, not at all. Whenever we listen to her song —“ Whether or not I am here, this fragrance will remain. As if a flower, as if a breeze in our devoted garden.” we realize that she is here and she will be with us always.

Lata Mangeshkar (1929-2022)

Once at a concert, the anchor said about her that— “In that era a twenty year's old lady (Lata Mangeshkar) was giving her voice for the 30s. After 50 years, a seventy year's old lady is giving her voice for the 20s.” Maybe she is not with us today, but with her songs and voices she will live among us for long long years .