WITH THE DEMISE OF LATAJI, MUSIC HAS SUFFERED

Lata Mangeshkar, the Nightingale of India who gave her voice to Indian movies for over 70 years, was honoured at a state funeral on Sunday, after she passed away at the age of 92 - Jyothi Venatesh

"Latadidi died at 8:12 a.m. due to multi-organ failure after over 28 days of Covid-19 diagnosis and a serious bout of pneumonia." Dr. Pratit Samdani, Mangeshkar's doctor, stated outside Breach Candy Hospital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his respects to Mangeshkar at the funeral, according to a post published from his verified Twitter account.

Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan were seen at the funeral at Shivaji Park, alongside cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. In her seven-decade-long career, Lata Mangshkar gave us musical gems such as Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo, Lag Jaa Gale, Yeh Kahan Aage Hain Hum and Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, among others.

For her exceptional talent, she was honoured with countless awards, including the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

The Indian government has ordered two days of national mourning for the late singer. The national flag will be flown at half-staff from Sunday through Monday, India's Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement Sunday. "There will be no official entertainment," the ministry added.

From the age of 5, Mangeshkar began training with her father in classical Indian music. Her father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, was an accomplished classical singer and stage actor. His daughter began her career by singing at his musical plays.

Mangeshkar performed in public for the first time when she was just 9 years old and recorded her first song at the age of 13. Sadky, just about a month after she recorded her first song, her father died.

Left to support four younger siblings and her mother, Mangeshkar began to work in the Indian film industry. At first, though the music directors dismissed her, saying her voice was too thin and sharp, by 1948, she was lending her voice to half a dozen movies.

Mangeshkar lent her voice to more than 1,300 movies and sang over 25,000 songs. Her music has been used in Hollywood films like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Life of Pi," "Lion" and "The Hundred-Foot Journey.

"Over the past two decades, Mangeshkar had slowly reduced her workload to just a couple of movies a year.

Preferring to stay out of the limelight, in solitude at her apartment at Prabhu Kunj , she rarely spoke about her personal life.

The best thing about Latadidi, was that she transcended several generations of actresses, from Madhubala and Nargis and Meena Kumari to Vyjayanthimala, Nutan and even Bhagyashree and Kajol.

It was at the age of 60 that she sang for Bhagyashree in Maine Pyar Kiya for music director Raam Lakshman.

Lata has gone on record that except for films of the director Guru Dutt where his wife Geeta Dutt did the playback, with the exception of his film she had sung only one song for Waheeda Rehman, and that was 'Badle Badle Mere Sarkar Nazar Aate Hain' in Chaudhvin Ka Chandâ.

Lata had sung super-duper hit songs for Waheeda in Bees Saal Baad, Guide, Mujhe Jeene Do, Reshma Aur Sheraâ.”