“Voice is the fingerprint of the soul”, said Oscar awardee Daniel Day Lewis in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. If India as a phenomenon has a soul of its own, ‘India’s nightingale’ Lata Mangeshkar was a voice to it.
The veteran singer was 92 years old when she breathed her last in the wee hours at Mumbai based Breach Candy Hospital. The Sur kokila was admitted to the hospital with Covid 19 and Pneumonia in January 2022. After her demise a deeply saddened universe of music lovers dwelling upon melodious nostalgia, gazes a void which infuses numbness. Rare are the voices which are blessed with every little nuance that characterise the intensity of life in all shades. Mangeshkars’s was one such voice which hit the evolutionary chord of nation for almost every other generation.
The faith of millions experienced a surreal sensation, as on the day of Visarjana of Saraswati Puja, the goddess took her blessed one back with her. Journalist Narendranath Mishra tweeted “It is always said that Lata Mangeshkar had the sheer blessing of goddess Saraswati. And its a coincidence that her body departed on the the visarjana day of Saraswati Puja. Lata Mangeshkar isn’t a name. She has transformed into an adjective, with countless melodies and legacy behind her.”
Mangeshkar was born to Marathi Konkani Musician Deenanth Mangeshkar and his wife Shevanti. Initially she began as actress in Mangeshkar Sr’s Marathi musical plays at the age of 5. Her first hindi song came at the age of 12 in a Marathi movie ‘Gajaabhaau’. In 1945 she moved to Mumbai and began her training in hindustani classical under Aman Ali Khan of Bhindibazaaar Gharana. In 1949, she registered her first hit through “Aayega aane wala”, a song featured on Madhubala. The rest remains a history which today is being cherished by millions.
Top Bollywood personalities and politicians paid tribute to the legendary singer who embodied music and melody for generations of Indian. Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan addressed her as a ‘Voice of a million Centuries’ in his emotional note reported by Reuters. “She has left us .. The voice of a million centuries has left us .. her voice resounds now in the Heavens! Prayers for calm and peace.”
In his tribute to the ageless phenomenon, Prime minister Narendra Modi reportedly said “Lata Didi’s songs brought out a variety of emotions. She closely witnessed the transitions of the Indian film world for decades. Beyond films, she was always passionate about India’s growth. She always wanted to see a strong and developed India.”
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was present at her last rites and his twitter post appeared to be the manifestation of the affectionate touch which defined the humane in Lata Mangeshkar. He tweeted,“I consider myself fortunate to have been a part of Lata Didi’s life. She always showered me with her love and blessings.With her passing away, a part of me feels lost too.She’ll always continue to live in our hearts through her music.”
It is often said thsat music knows no boundaries. A voice which which lived in more than 40000 songs in more than 36 languages, was cherished from noted personalities around the globe. Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai tweeted, “With her voice #LataMangeshkar filled millions of hearts with joy. Her melodies are universal and forever. My profound condolence to her family and the people of #India. May the nightingale of #India Rest In Peace.”
The universality of appeal in Mangeshkar’s voice derived it’s soul from the Indian-ness she was deeply committed too. Her emotion to mother India and martyrs was commendable. She also moved former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears by singing “aye mere watan ke logon” in a tribute ceremony organised for the martyrs of 1962 China war. Her last recorded playback, titled ‘saugandh is mitti ki’ was also a tribute to the nation and its soldiers which was inspired from a speech of PM Narendra Modi.
The magic of her voice fitted her to playback for the heroines of any age group and almost every other generation. Veteran actor Hema Malini, in an interview to a private channel said“She had this craft of adapting her voice with a different texture for every other personality she sang for.” No wonder why she was the first Indian to perform at Royal Albert Hall in London in 1974.
The Bharat Ratna awardee and the recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke award, Lata Mangeshkar will continue to thrive with her soulful melodious touch in consciousness of being of generations to come. The people of the nation, which as said by writer Priyadarshan, learned to live love in her voice, revolt in her voice, experience the gloom through her voice, and recover from despair in her voice, will continue to discover their own Lata Mangeshkar to compliment their existence. The charisma of her voice lives in the sense of seamless discovery which allows a soul to breathe in it, laugh in it, cry in it, love in it and live in it for eternity…
Edited by NK Jha