Lata Mangeshkar 90th Birthday: Here Are Some Lesser-Known Facts About the Legendary Singer

The veteran playback singer Lata Mangeshkar who is fondly called as Didi will be turning a year older tomorrow. She has given Indian cinema some of the most memorable songs. This legendary singer has recorded songs not only in Hindi languages, but in other regional languages as well. She is one of the most-respected playback singers of the country. “Lag Ja Gale”, “Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma”, “Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai”, “Piya Tose”, and many others. As Lata Mangeshkar turns 90 on September 28, 2019, here are some lesser-known facts of the iconic singer.

Born To - Lata Mangeshkar was born to a Pandit Deenanath Mangeshka (Marathi musician and Shevanti (a Gujarati). Lata is the eldest child and she has three sisters and one brother – Meena Khadikar, Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar and Hridayanth Mangeshkar.

Trained In Singing - Lata Mangeshkar’s father was a classical singer and a theatre actor. She received her first music lesson from him. In an interview the legendary singer admitted how she learnt music from him and how she was initiated into formal singing.

Career - Lata Mangeshkar was only 13 when her father passed away. It was Master Vinayak, who is also a close friend of the Mangeshkar family, helped her to get a start in her career as a singer. It was in the early 1940s when she crooned to the song “Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari” for the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal. But the song was dropped from the final cut.

Early 1940s - After Lata Mangeshkar’s father passed away, she and her younger sister Meena stayed with Master Vinayak in Mumbai while the rest of her family members lived at her maternal grandparents’ home. It was in 1946 when Lata Mangeshkar told him that she wants to live with her family members, and in that’s how she moved back to her family.

Lata Mangeshkar’s Voice ‘Too Thin’ - After Master Vinayak passed away, it was music director Ghulam Haider who mentored Lata Mangeshkar. He introduced her to producer Sashadhar Mukherjee who had dismissed her voice as ‘too thin’. That left Haider annoyed and he challenged saying that soon every filmmaker and producers would “fall at Lata’s feet and beg her to sing in their movies.”

Major Break - It was Ghulam Haider who gave Lata Mangeshkar her first major break. She crooned the songs “Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahin Ka Na Chhora”. Back in 2013, in one of the interviews, she stated, “Ghulam Haider is truly my Godfather. He was the first music director who showed complete faith in my talent.”

Popular Songs Sung By Lata Mangeshkar

Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo – In 1962 Lata Mangeshkar sang the patriotic song “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo” in the presence of India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru. It is said that he was moved in tears.

Production - Besides having a successful singing career, Lata Mangeshkar has also produced one Marathi and three Hindi films. Vaadal (1953), Jhaanjhar (1953), Kanchan Ganga (1955) and Lekin... (1990).

Awards - Lata Mangeshkar has been honoured with some of the prestigious awards. It includes Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and many others.

Lata Mangeshkar is turning 90 tomorrow. As per reports, she would be releasing the Hindi translation of her sister Meena Mangeshkar-Khadikar’s memoir. It is a translation of the Marathi book “Mothi Tichi Saavli”. We thank Lataji for her contribution in the world of music and giving us all an infinite number of songs that we can cherish until eternity.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2019 05:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).