One of my earliest memories is driving around the city with my parents and sister, listening to Hindi music. The radio always played one channel—featuring songs exclusively from the 1960s to the 1990s. And more often than not, it was one voice behind all those songs: Lata Mangeshkar.
The Queen of Melody and the Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, passed away on Feb. 6, 2022. She was 92. Her death came after a month-long battle with COVID-19 and pneumonia. Mangeshkar was given a state funeral and for two days, flags at government buildings flew at half-mast in her honor. She is survived by her four siblings.
Growing up, there wasn’t a single morning in my household that I did not hear her beautiful voice. My mother always kept a radio in the kitchen, playing Mangeshkar’s music while she cooked lunch. When my grandfather fell sick, he listened to her music as he laid in bed. Mangeshkar’s song—”Aaj Kal Paav Zameen Par” was the first song I heard my mother perform on stage when she signed us up for classical music training. When my father decided to learn piano, the only song he ever learned was Mangeshkar’s fan-favorite—”Lag ja Gale se.” Even my sister and I, who were born in completely different musical eras, always agreed on Mangeshkar.
One cannot talk about Indian music without talking about Lata Mangeshkar. She is Bollywood’s most renowned and beloved voice. She never appeared on screen, but hundreds of films in Bollywood would have been incomplete without her voice as a playback singer. Her legacy consists of more than 30,000 songs in over 36 languages. She was also the recipient of numerous National awards, Filmfare Awards, and the highest civilian honor in India, the Bharat Ratna; conferred to those recognized for their “exceptional service/performance of the highest order.”
She was also the first Indian singer to have performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1974. The following year, she performed at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles as part of a U.S. and Canada tour. The show was a sellout with over 6,000 people in attendance. She performed with a live orchestra and as she stood on stage, the audience responded with deafening applause.
Following her death, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi tweeted, “I am anguished beyond words. The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. 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.”
Mangeshkar hailed from Indore and came from a family of musicians. Born on September 28, 1929, she was the oldest of her siblings: Meena Khadikar, Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar, and Hridaynath Mangeshkar, all of whom were singers. However, it was Mangeshkar who was the most revered and went on to sing some of the most well-known songs in Hindi films. Mangeshkar rose to fame after her song “Aayega Aanewala” topped the charts. She became a household name in the 1950s after she sang in films like Andaz and Barsaat.
Mangeshkar began her career by acting in small roles in the 1940s, but ultimately gave it up when her singing career took off. “I never liked it—the makeup, the lights, people ordering you about, ‘say this dialogue, say that dialogue.’ I felt so uncomfortable,” she said in her biography written by Nasreen Munni Kabir.
Mangeshkar was known for her versatility and her impressive vocal range. She lent her voice to Bollywood soundtracks for over five decades, often adapting her voice to the actress on screen. She could adopt different sounds and emotions depending on the actress she was singing for. She sang with such depth and emotion that impacted people across generations. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister was famously moved to tears when he heard her moving rendition of “Ae Mere Watan ke Logon.”
In the 1950s and 1960s, she provided voice over for characters played by Meena Kumari, Madhubala, and Hema Malini. Her songs include “Baahon Mein Chale Aao“, “Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya,” and “Piya Tose Naina Lage re“—all of which went on to become chart-topping hits in Bollywood, along with songs she recorded in the Tamil and Bengali industry. Apart from being a playback singer, Mangeshkar has also composed music for Marathi films.
In the 1990s and 2000s, she lent her voice to younger actresses including Madhuri Dixit, Preity Zinta, and Kajol. At 68 years old, Mangeshkar sang the part of 23-year-old Zinta in the song “Jiya Jale” from the movie Dil se…, showing her range in commanding voice and emotions.
Mangeshkar also collaborated with some of the greatest composers in Bollywood including Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, Madan Mohan, R.D. Burman, S.D. Burman, and A.R. Rahman, frequently performing duets with her sister Asha Bhosle.
“It’s a very, very sad day for all of us. When people live, we all take it for granted, and somebody like Lata Ji is not just a singer and not just an icon, I think part of her soul’s consciousness is India,” said Rahman in a tribute for Rolling Stone.
Mangeshkar’s legacy is irreplaceable. Her voice has defined generations of music in the Indian film industry. Even when the music industry underwent extensive changes, her voice remained constant throughout the decades. Her loss will be felt for years to come. For me, she represents the love for music that my parents have and that they passed on to me — I will forever be grateful to her for that.
“Naam Gum Jaayegaa, Cheharaa Ye Badal Jayegaa
Meri Aawaaz Hi, Pahachaan Hai.”
“The name will vanish, the face will change.
My voice is my only identity.”
– Lata Mangeshkar