The Nightingale of India: Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar was a world-famous Indian singer who worked for more than seven decades in the Indian music industry. As a “playback singer” (the voice behind actresses singing on-screen) she sang over 5,000 songs in over a thousand films.

Her voice seemed like a gift of nature but was honed by years of practice and discipline. She looked innocent, and her appearance was simple. She wore a saree with plates or a bun and had a cute smile. Later, she was called Lata Didi (elder sister) by everyone out of respect.

Over the years, Lata Didi sang for actresses from Madhubala to Aishwarya Rai Bachan to Priyanka Chopra. She lent her distinctive, three-octave voice to all leading ladies of Bollywood. Actor Dilip Kumar described her voice as "a miracle from God".

Lata Mangeshkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor in 2001. The government of France conferred her the Legion of Honour in 2007. In 1974, Guinness record her as the most recorded artist in the history of Indian music.

Family of artists: She was born to classical singer and theatre artist Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar on September 28, 1929. Her siblings - Meena, Asha, Usha, and Hridaynath - all became accomplished singers and musicians. All five siblings learned classical music from their father.

Various roles: At the age of five, Lata participated as an actress in plays written by her father. She had an illustrious career in various roles. With her playback singing, she was a music director and a producer.

When India lost a border war to China in 1962, Lata Mangeshkar sang “Ae mere watan ke logo,” as a tribute to the nation’s soldiers. On listening to her sing, India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was moved to tears.

Her famous songs:

Ajib Dastan Hai Yeh Pardesiya yeh sach hai piya 

Salame Ishq Meri Jaan 

Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye 

Aaja Piya

Lata Mangeshkar

Live At BBC Studio-Lag Jaa Gale

With her versatile voice quality, she recorded albums of all kinds (ghazals, pop, etc) and in 2012, Lata Mangeshkar launched her own music label LM Music. Her last recorded song was "Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti ki" released on 30 March 2019 as a tribute to the Indian army and the nat

Lata Mangeshkar passed away on February 6, 2022. She was and will be remembered as the Queen of Hindi music.