The legendary Lata Mangeshkar has died at the age of 92. She was the most prolific playback singer in the Bollywood. She gave her voice to huge superstar in Indian film industry. According to reports, Mangeshkar tested positive for Covid-19 on 11 January 2022 and was admitted in a Mumbai hospital. Today, on February 6 she passed due to multi organ failure.
The deceased singer will receive a state funeral in Mumbai and India will have 2 days of national mourning. India’s flag will fly at half mast throughout the mourning period.
Lata Mangeshkar Receives Tributes from All Over the World
Late Mangeshkar ruled the hearts of many with her mesmerizing voice. Big names from all over the world are heart broken after hearing the news. Her fans considered her the greatest background singer to ever grace Bollywood.
Political Opposition
Despite being supported by the controversial Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), many other political parties respected Lata Mangeshkar greatly. The singer was a big supporter of Narendra Modi and said she prayed for Modi to win the 2014 elections. Both have interacted many times on social media. Modi said that whenever he met Mangeshkar, she made him a Gujrati dish. Mangeshkar has supported Modi on many occasions, praising that he changed the course of India’s history. With BJP’s support she was elected on 22 November 1999, and was part of the House of Elders till 21 November 2005. During her tenure as an MP, she never took any allowances or payments that all parliamentarians receive. She returned all the payments made to her from Pay Accounts Office.
The fierce competitor of BJP and the Member of Indian National Congress was all praises for the deceased legend.
Celebrities Visit Funeral
Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood King Shah Rukh Khan appeared at the funeral of Lata Mangeshkar and paid thier respects in person.
Some right wing extremists backed by BJP created a controversy that SRK was spitting on Mangeshkar’s dead body. While in fact, his was blowing air, which some Muslims do after making a prayer. Reportedly, actor Amir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor were also present at the last rites.
Condolences from Pakistani Fans
Besides all of India, Pakistan also has immense respect for Lata Mangeshkar. Her voice made both nations forget the political animosity and admire the undeniable talent beyond the border. Even those who do not listen to any songs, joyfully listen to Mangeshkar’s songs.
Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board shared an emotional message about the loss of such a huge legend. There is certainly a vast gap in music that only Lata is able to fill.
Pakistan’s state backed TV channel also paid the tribute to the legend. The gesture was highly appreciated by many Indians considering the political tension on both sides.
French Ambassador
France Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain was also in grief. He also remembered that his county granted Lata Mangeshkar with its highest civilian award, The Legion of Honor in 2007. Mangeshkar also had the greatest civilian honor in India, Bharat Ratna in 2001.
The Legacy of Bollywood’s Nightingale
The extraordinary career of Lata Mangeshkar spanned for over half a century. There was such longevity in her voice that her songs worked perfectly on actresses 5 decades younger than her. She reportedly sang more than 5000 songs in over 1000 Bollywood films. However, this is just limited to film industry. Her body of work was beyond films and according to archives she sang at least 25,000 songs in 36 languages including Hindi, English, Swahili, Dutch, and Russian.
In addition to singing, she also tried acting in few films to support her family. However, she soon stopped it. The nightingale said that only singing made her happy.
