Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar was an Indian playback singer and music composer who is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. She was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India to a Marathi-speaking family. She was the eldest of five children of Deenanath Mangeshkar, a classical singer and theatre actor, and Shevanti Mangeshkar, a homemaker. She started singing at the age of five and received formal training in classical music from her father and other eminent musicians. She recorded her first song at the age of 13 for the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal, but it was dropped from the final version. She moved to Mumbai in 1945 and struggled to establish herself as a playback singer in the Hindi film industry. She got her first major break with the song Aayega Aanewaala from the film Mahal (1949), which became a huge hit and made her a household name. She went on to sing for many leading actresses of that time, such as Nargis, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Nutan, and Vyjayanthimala. She worked with many renowned music directors, such as Naushad, S.D. Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan, R.D. Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and A.R. Rahman. She sang in over 36 Indian languages and dialects, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Assamese. She also sang in some foreign languages, such as English, Urdu, Persian, and Nepali. She was especially known for her versatility and mastery over various genres of music, such as classical, semi-classical, ghazal, bhajan, folk, qawwali, and pop. She recorded over 25,000 songs in her career, which spanned over eight decades. She also composed music for some films and albums, such as Lekin (1990), Udaan (1997), and Chala Vahi Des (1999). She received numerous accolades and honors for her contribution to Indian music, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 2001. She also received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema, in 1989, and three National Film Awards. She was also honored with several international awards, such as the Officer of the Legion of Honour, France's highest civilian award, in 2007, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2014. She was also conferred with honorary doctorates from several universities, such as the Banaras Hindu University, the University of Pune, and the Jawaharlal Nehru University. She was widely respected and admired by her peers and fans, and was often referred to as the "Nightingale of India", the "Queen of Melody", and the "Voice of the Nation". She died of COVID-19 complications in Mumbai at the age of 92.