Lata Mangeshkar: A towering personality who is also embodiment of humility

Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar is a towering personality from the Indian film industry. This is something that everyone knows and I feel it is practically impossible to write about the legend as the heights she has achieved in her life are very difficult for others to understand. We can only make a humble attempt in the limited understanding we have. Here I am trying to write about Lata Mangeshkar with the hope that I would do justice to it.

I have always known Lata Mangeshkar as a singer who could understand the emotions of the songs better than anyone. More than that, she was bestowed with a magical voice by the almighty. Her voice is a gift from God but any supreme talent is worth nothing sans years of practice. The way she sang the songs is a testimony of her devotion to art. I think it has come naturally to her. What she is today would not have been possible without her dedication to art.

As it is common to all the great personalities, she also worked with a lot of discipline. The longevity of her career is another hallmark of a great career. In her career spanning more than six decades, she sang more than 1,000 songs in Bollywood movies. We often have this notion that quality and quantity are inversely proportional, but here we have a living legend who has proved this wrong. She lend her voice to the best of songs over more than 50 years. It had been difficult to imagine a good song without Lata Mangeshkar.

Right from the Golden Era of Bollywood to the 2000s, she sang for numerous actresses. More so, she was able to do justice to all the songs that she sang and looked perfectly at ease while doing so. She sang for all the leading actresses all this while. She was the one behind those numerous songs for which all the leading actresses are known. In hindsight, it is tough to believe any hit movie without the presence of Lata Mangeshkar.

As it happens with all the good singers, Lata Mangeshkar was also comfortable singing in different languages. In fact, she sang in more than 30 languages. She was the epitome of it. She looked quite comfortable while singing in other languages. She understood emotions better and hence was able to do justice to songs of languages other than Hindi. In fact, she sang more than 100 Bengali songs. Her contribution to Bengali music is also considered to be very significant.

The 92-year-old singer also led her life in the best way possible and in a way she is an inspiration for the world. Despite such a remarkable career, she continues to be an embodiment of humility. The way she speaks is a testimony to this statement. She has never lost her will to be a soft-spoken person. She shows how to do it. No wonder, she is such a respected person. People from all walks of life just respect her for the person she is.

There are few instances that also proved that she was more than a singer. It is a famous story that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was in tears while she sang, “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon”. The song was composed by C Ramachandra and written by Kavi Pradeep to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who lost their lives during the 1962 war against China. Lata Mangeshkar had sung the song at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi in 1963 in presence of Nehru. She could make the words more expressive. There would have been no other reason for it than her ability to feel emotions better than others.

It would not be an exaggeration to state that Bollywood would not have been what it is today without the contributions of Lata Mangeshkar. Here, we have tried to compile a list of songs to celebrate the 92nd birthday of Lata Mangeshkar. Given the number of songs she has sung in her career, it is a difficult task but it is all worth it.

Listen to these melodies:

Meri Awaaj Hi Pehchaan Hai

Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon

Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi

Naina Barse Rimjhim Rimjhim

Lag Jaa Gale

Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai

Naino Me Badra Chhaye

Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye

Mausam Hai Aashiqana

Maye Ni Maye

Are Re Are

The songs already made my day. Excuse me if I have not listed one of your favourite songs. It is bound to happen when you try to shortlist the Lata songs.

Happy Birthday Lata Mangeshkar!!