Lata Mangeshkar

 

Lata Mangeshkar 

Lata Mangeshkar, also known as Hema Mangeshkar, was a famous singer from India. She sang songs in many languages and was very popular. People from different places liked her voice. She sang for a long time, around 80 years, and got special names like "Queen of Melody," "Nightingale of India," and "Voice of the Millennium."

She got awards and honors for her singing. In 1989, she received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and in 2001, she got the Bharat Ratna, the highest award in India. France also gave her an award in 2007. She sang in movies and won many awards for her songs.

She sang in over 36 Indian languages and a few foreign languages, but mostly in Hindi and Marathi. She was the first Indian singer to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1974. She was in the Guinness World Records for recording the most songs, but later her sister Asha Bhosle took that record.

 

Childhood

Lata Mangeshkar was born on September 28, 1929, in a Marathi family in Indore, which was part of British India. Her father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, was a famous singer and actor. Her mother, Shevanti, was from Thalner.

Lata's dad was originally from Goa and had the surname Hardikar. He chose the name Mangeshkar from his ancestral village's name. Lata's mom was from Gujarat. Lata learned Gujarati songs from her grandma.

Lata was first named "Hema" but was later called Lata after a character in her dad's play. She was the oldest of her siblings: Meena, Asha, Usha, and Hridaynath. They all became talented musicians too.

Lata's dad taught her music, and at age five, she acted in his plays. On her first day of school, she left because she couldn't bring her sister Asha along.

 

Career

Lata Mangeshkar's singing career began when she was young. Her dad passed away when she was 13, and a friend named Master Vinayak helped her family. He got her into singing and acting. She sang a song for a movie, but it was cut. She got a small part in another movie and sang a song for it. She moved to Mumbai in 1945 and learned classical music. She sang more songs for movies and got better at it.

After Master Vinayak died in 1948, a music director named Ghulam Haider helped her a lot. He got her a big chance in a movie, and that song became a hit. Lata Mangeshkar developed her own singing style and made Indian movie songs more modern. She also worked on her singing skills and learned from others.

One of her first big hits was a song called "Aayega Aanewaala" in the movie Mahal. This made her famous, and she became a star. This also made people notice other playback singers, who sing songs for movies but aren't seen on screen. This was a big change in the Indian music industry.

 

1950s

In the 1950s, Lata Mangeshkar sang songs in movies. Different music directors made music for these movies. Some of them were Anil Biswas, Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali, S. D. Burman, and many others. She sang in various languages like Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. She even sang a song in Sinhala for a Sri Lankan film in 1955.

Lata Mangeshkar sang a lot of songs for Naushad in movies like Deedar, Baiju Bawra, Amar, Uran Khatola, and Mother India. She also sang songs for Shankar–Jaikishan in movies like Barsaat, Aah, Shree 420, and Chori Chori. She won an award for a song called "Aaja Re Pardesi" in a movie called Madhumati.

She sang songs for other music directors like C. Ramchandra and Madan Mohan. Her song "Aye Maalik Tere Bande Hum" became important and was used by a school in Pakistan as their anthem.

 

1960s

Mangeshkar's song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" from Mughal-e-Azam (1960), made by Naushad and sung by Madhubala, is still very famous. The Hawaiian-style song "Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh" from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960), created by Shankar-Jaikishan and sung by Meena Kumari, is also well-known.

In 1961, she sang two popular devotional songs, "Allah Tero Naam" and "Prabhu Tero Naam," for Jaidev, who was Burman's assistant. In 1962, she won her second Filmfare Award for the song "Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil" from Bees Saal Baad, composed by Hemant Kumar.

On January 27, 1963, during the Sino-Indian War, she sang the patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" in front of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India. The song was composed by C. Ramchandra and moved the Prime Minister to tears.

In 1963, she collaborated again with S. D. Burman. She sang in R. D. Burman's first film, Chhote Nawab (1961), and later in his films like Bhoot Bungla (1965), Pati Patni (1966), Baharon ke Sapne (1967), and Abhilasha (1969). She also sang many famous songs for S. D. Burman, including "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai," "Gata Rahe Mera Dil" (a duet with Kishore Kumar), "Piya Tose" from Guide (1965), "Hothon Pe Aisi Baat" from Jewel Thief (1967), and "Kitni Akeli Kitni Tanhaa" from Talash.

During the 1960s, she continued working with Madan Mohan, singing songs like "Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha" from Anpadh (1962), "Lag Jaa Gale" and "Naina Barse Rim Jhim" from Woh Kaun Thi? (1964), "Woh Chup Rahen To" from Jahan Ara (1964), "Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega" from Mera Saaya (1966), and "Teri Aankho Ke Siva" from Chirag (1969). She also collaborated with Shankar Jaikishan and sang in different styles.

In the 1960s, she began working with Laxmikant–Pyarelal, who became her most frequent music directors. She sang over 700 songs for them in 35 years, many of which became huge hits. She sang for various movies including Parasmani (1963), Mr. X in Bombay (1964), Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966), Milan (1967), Anita (1967), Shagird (1968), Mere Hamdam Mere Dost (1968), Intaquam (1969), Do Raaste (1969), and Jeene Ki Raah, which earned her a third Filmfare Award.

She also sang for Marathi films, composed by Marathi music directors like Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Vasant Prabhu, Srinivas Khale, Sudhir Phadke, and herself under the name Anandghan. During the 1960s and 1970s, she sang Bengali songs composed by music directors Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar.

In 1967, she sang for the Kannada film Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna, recording two songs for Lakshman Berlekar, which were well-received.

During the 1960s, she sang duets with Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor, and Mohammed Rafi. She had a disagreement with Mohammed Rafi over royalty payments to singers, but they later reconciled with the help of music director Shankar Jaikishan.

 

1970s

During the 1970s, something important happened in the world of music. A famous singer named Meena Kumari appeared in her last movie called "Pakeezah" in 1972. The movie had well-liked songs like "Chalte Chalte" and "Inhi Logon Ne," sung by Mangeshkar and composed by Ghulam Mohammed. She also recorded many hit songs for other films. She worked with composers like S. D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and Rahul Dev Burman. She sang songs written by lyricists like Anand Bakshi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, and Gulzar.

She won awards for her songs too. In 1973, she got a prize for the song "Beeti Na Bitai" from the movie "Parichay." She sang her only song in Malayalam in 1974. She won another award in 1975 for the song "Roothe Roothe Piya." She also did concerts, changing the way people saw music shows in India and other countries. She had a big concert in London in 1974.

She released albums too. She sang bhajans and folk songs. She was even in a movie called "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" where she sang the main theme song. She also worked with the children of composers she had worked with before. She even sang songs in the Assamese language and had a good relationship with a musician named Bhupen Hazarika. One of the songs she sang became very popular that year. 

1980s

During the 1980s, Lata Mangeshkar worked with many music composers. She sang in movies like Silsila, Faasle, Vijay, Chandni, Ustadi Ustad Se, Bezubaan, Woh Jo Hasina, Maine Pyar Kiya, Karz, Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Prem Rog, Hero, Pyar Jhukta Nahin, Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Nagina, and Ram Lakhan. One of her popular songs during this time was "Zu Zu Zu Yashoda" from the movie Sanjog.

She also sang for composers like Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Rahul Dev Burman, Rajesh Roshan, Bappi Lahiri, and Mohammed Zahur Khayyam. Some of her hit songs were "Mere Naseeb Mein," "Zindagi Ki Na Toote," "Jab Hum Jawan Honge," and "Tujhse Naraaz Nahin."

Lata had duets with other singers like Kishore Kumar and Rafi. She sang songs like "Dushman Na Kare" and "Wada Na Tod." Bappi Lahiri composed songs like "Naino Mein Sapna" and Mohammed Zahur Khayyam created tracks like "Simti Huyi" and "Na Jane Kya Hua."

During the 1980s, she also sang hits such as "Sun Sahiba Sun" in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, "Shayad Meri Shaadi" in Souten, and "Mujhe Tum Yaad Karna" in Mashaal. She performed in a charity concert in 1985, raising money for a good cause.

 

1990s

In the 1990s, Lata Mangeshkar sang songs for different music directors like Anand–Milind, Nadeem-Shravan, and others. She also sang non-movie songs with Jagjit Singh. She sang with various other singers like Kumar Sanu, Amit Kumar, and others. She even sang a song in a different language called Bahasa with Rhoma Irama.

In 1990, she started her own company to make movies. She won an award for singing in the movie "Lekin..." which was directed by Gulzar.

In 1991, a singer named Rhoma Irama from Indonesia asked Lata Mangeshkar to sing with him. They worked together on several songs.

She sang for many movies by Yash Chopra and his production house, like "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" and "Dil To Pagal Hai."

She also sang for many other movies like "Patthar Ke Phool" and "Lagaan." She even sang with A. R. Rahman from 1998 to 2014.

In 1994, she released an album called "Shraddanjali – My Tribute to the Immortals" where she sang songs of other legendary singers.

She sang the first and last songs composed by Rahul Dev Burman. In 1999, a perfume brand named after her was launched. She got an award for her work in movies and was nominated to be part of Rajya Sabha (a type of government position). However, she didn't go to Rajya Sabha meetings regularly, and some people criticized her for that. She said she was not feeling well and hadn't taken any money or house for being a Member of Parliament.

 

2000s

In 2001, Mangeshkar received a big award from India called the Bharat Ratna, which is the highest honor for regular citizens. In that same year, she started a hospital in Pune, called the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. It's run by a group her family made, called the Lata Mangeshkar Medical Foundation. This group was started back in October 1989. In 2005, she made a special set of jewelry and it was sold in an auction. Some of the money from that was given to help after an earthquake in 2005. She also sang a song for a movie in 2001 with a composer named Ilaiyaraaja. Before that, she had sung songs in different languages like Tamil and Telugu that were also composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

One of her songs called "Wada Na Tod" was used in a movie called "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in 2004. She also had songs in two other movies, "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" in 2001 and "Veer-Zaara" in 2004, that people really liked.

After 14 years, she sang another song for a composer duo named Nadeem-Shravan. This song was for a movie called "Bewafaa" in 2005. She also sang songs for other movies like "Page 3" in 2005 and "Jail" in 2009.

On June 21, 2007, she released an album named "Saadgi." It had eight songs that were a bit like ghazals. These songs were written by a person named Javed Akhtar and the music was made by Mayuresh Pai.

 

2010s

During the 2010s, Lata Mangeshkar did many musical things. She made an album called "Sarhadein: Music Beyond Boundaries" in 2011. In that album, she sang a song called "Tera Milna Bahut Acha Lage" with Mehdi Hassan. The album had songs by other singers like Usha Mangeshkar, Suresh Wadkar, Hariharan, Sonu Nigam, Rekha Bhardwaj, and Ghulam Ali. The music was made by Mayuresh Pai and others.

She also sang a song for the movie "Satrangee Parachute" in 2011, and later recorded a song for "Dunno Y2... Life Is a Moment" in 2015. She even started her own music label called LM Music in 2012 and released an album of bhajans with her sister Usha.

In 2014, she sang for a Bengali album called "Shurodhwani," and she also recorded a song called "Laadli" with A.R. Rahman for his album "Raunaq." In 2019, she released a song called "Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti Ki" to honor the Indian army and nation.

 

Bengali Career

Mangeshkar sang 185 songs in Bengali. She started in 1956 with a popular song called "Aakash Prodeep Jwole," made by Satinath Mukhopadhyay. That same year, she sang "Rongila Banshite," created by Bhupen Hazarika, which was also a hit. In the late 1950s, she sang many successful songs like "Jaare Ude Jare Pakhi," "Na Jeona," and "Ogo Aar Kichu To Noy." These were made by Salil Chowdhury and were turned into Hindi songs too. In 1960, she sang "Akash Pradip Jole." In the later 1960s, she sang hits like "Ekbar Biday De Ma Ghure Ashi," "Saat Bhai Champa," "Ke Pratham Kache Esechi," and more. These were made by composers like Sudhin Dasgupta, Hemant Kumar, and Salil Chowdhury.

 

Singing With Other Singers

From the 1940s to the 1970s, Mangeshkar sang songs with other singers like Asha Bhosle, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, and many more. They sang together and made music. In 1964, she sang a song called "Chanda Se Hoga" with P. B. Sreenivas from a movie called Main Bhi Ladki Hoon.

Some of the singers she used to sing with passed away. In the 1980s, singers like Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar died. But she kept on singing with new singers like Shailendra Singh, Shabbir Kumar, and others.

In the 1990s, she sang with Roop Kumar Rathod, Hariharan, Pankaj Udhas, and more. One of her famous songs from the 90s was from a movie called Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The songs were "Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye", "Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko To Pyaar Sajna", "Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jana Sanam", and "Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna".

In the 2000s, she sang mostly with Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam. Her last popular songs were around 2005-06. She sang songs like "Kaise Piya Se" from Bewafa (2005), "Shayad Yehi To Pyaar Hai" from Lucky: No Time for Love (2005) with Adnan Sami, and "Lukka Chhupi" from Rang De Basanti (2006 film) with A. R. Rahman. She also sang "Ek Tu Hi Bharosa" from Pukar (2000). Some other famous songs of this time were from Veer-Zaara (2004), where she sang with singers like Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Jagjit Singh, Roop Kumar Rathod, and Gurdas Mann. One of her newer songs was "Jeena Hai Kya" from Dunno Y2 (2015).

 

Sickness and Death

On January 8, 2022, Lata Mangeshkar tested positive for COVID-19, a sickness caused by a virus. She had mild symptoms and was taken to a special hospital unit in Mumbai called the intensive care unit. She stayed there because her health was not very good. The doctors took her off a machine that helps with breathing on January 28 when she got a bit better. But on February 5, her health got worse again, and she needed the breathing machine again. She was getting very strong treatment.

Mangeshkar's funeral in 2022

Lata Mangeshkar passed away on February 6, 2022. She was 92 years old. She had been treated in the hospital for 28 days because she had pneumonia and COVID-19.

Many important people in India and other countries were sad about her passing. The Prime Minister and other leaders said kind things about her. Cricketers wore black bands on their arms to show they were sad. In France, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and other places, important people also expressed their sadness.

They did a special ceremony to say goodbye to her. They put her body to rest with a lot of respect and honors. Many famous people and family members came to this ceremony. There were also tributes to her in different places, like a big screen in New York and a newspaper in the US.

Lata Mangeshkar passed away the day after a special festival about music and arts. People thought of her as someone who was like the goddess of music.

On February 10, 2022, they put her ashes in a river as a way to say a final goodbye.

 

Awards and Recognition

Lata Mangeshkar got many awards and honors. She won the Bharat Ratna in 2001, which is the highest award in India. She also won the Padma Bhushan in 1969, the Padma Vibhushan in 1999, and other awards like the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and National Film Awards. She received awards for her singing in movies too.

She was given awards from different places, like the State Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In 2009, she got an important award from France.

She was known for her amazing singing. Famous people praised her voice a lot. She was remembered at the British Academy Film and Television Awards in 2022. She was also ranked as a great singer by Rolling Stone magazine.

She got special titles from universities for her contribution to music.

 

Controversy

There was a big argument about who sang the most songs and got a record. In 1974, a group that keeps track of records said Lata Mangeshkar sang the most songs ever. They said she sang over 25,000 songs by herself or with others in 20 different Indian languages from 1948 to 1974. But another singer named Mohammed Rafi said he sang even more, around 28,000 songs.

When Rafi passed away, in 1984, the record group said Lata Mangeshkar had the "Most Recordings" title, but they also mentioned Rafi's claim. Later on, they said Mangeshkar sang at least 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

But in 1991, the record group stopped talking about this without saying why. Many people still said Mangeshkar sang thousands of songs, some even said around 50,000. But even the earliest claim by the record group, that she sang 25,000 songs between 1948 and 1974, was argued against. Some people said she actually sang only 5,025 songs in Hindi movies up to 1991.

Mangeshkar said she didn't keep track of how many songs she sang and didn't know where the record group got their information. Then, in 2011, the record group started talking about this again and said her sister Asha Bhosle had the record for singing up to 11,000 songs by herself or with others in over 20 Indian languages since 1947.

But after 2016, the current record holder for singing the most songs is P. Susheela. She recorded at least 17,695 songs in 6 languages, but this doesn't include some of her early songs that were lost.