PM Modi remembers Lata Mangeshkar on her birth anniversary

Monday marked the birth anniversary of Lata Mangeshkar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to the legendary playback singer. She would have turned 97 this year. The singer passed away in Mumbai in 2022 at the age of 92, but her songs still reach new listeners with every generation.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister paid his respects to "the revered Lata Didi" and said her divine voice had carried the country's name across the world. He wrote that her melodious notes enriched Bharatvarsha and that she firmly backed every effort linked to the nation's prosperity. He reportedly added that her unmatched contribution to Indian music would be remembered for ages.

According to reports, the singer often called the Nightingale of India defined the sound of Hindi cinema from the 1940s onwards and also shaped music in Marathi and many other languages. She reportedly recorded songs in more than 36 Indian languages and worked with great composers such as Naushad, SD Burman, RD Burman, Madan Mohan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and AR Rahman. Songs like 'Lag Jaa Gale', 'Aayega Aanewala', 'Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya' and 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon' remain emotional landmarks for music lovers.

The honours matched the music. Reports list the Padma Bhushan in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989, the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 and the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2001. Together they recognised both her artistry and her place in the country's cultural identity.

As fans marked the day, an old interview with the singer reportedly began doing the rounds online. When Javed Akhtar asked her about being born again, she said she would rather not be reborn at all. If she did get another life, she said, she would not want to be Lata Mangeshkar, because only Lata Mangeshkar knew the struggles she had been through. She reportedly also said that in a next life she would like to be born into a small home, and as a boy rather than a girl.