Lata Mangeshkar was synonymous not only with Indian film music but also with the world of Indian music. At the age of 92, when the great singer succumbed to post-Covida illness, we lost the melodious voice that had enlivened generations in India for two centuries. The universality of that voice is revealed by the fact that the computer at Albert Hall in London recorded Lata Mangeshkar's voice as the most perfect voice.

Early life and film debut

Lata learned the basics of music from her father at an early age and later learned classical music from Ustad Amanat Khan. Latha, who lost her father at the age of 13, came to the film industry to support her family. She later became a singer and started her career by singing in a Marathi film called Kidi Hasal.

Later in Hindi cinema, she sung songs for heroines from Madhubala in the forties to Preity Zinta in the late twentieth century. In her 80 years career, she sung songs in most Indian languages. Lata Mangeshkar, a singer with a classical music background, has been at the forefront of film playback singers for decades. Although the male singers at the forefront changed from Muhammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Kumar Sanu to Sonu Nigam, Lataji still topped the list of female singers.

Latha who made Nehru cry

The weeping of Nehru, the then Prime Minister, when he heard Lata sing 'A Mere Vadan Ke Logo' for the country's heroes after facing a setback in the Indo - China War in 1962 is an example of the majesty of that melodious voice. The song was later added to several Indian films. The fact that the then Prime Minister of Pakistan said that Lata Mangeshkar was enough to replace Kashmir was also a great compliment to her.

Forty thousand movie songs

Lata Mangeshkar has sung over 40,000 songs in over 15 languages. In Malayalam, she sang the song 'Kadali Chenkadali' in' Nellu' movie by Ramu Kariyat. The song was composed by Salil Chowdhury and lyrics written by Vayalar. She was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989 and the Bharat Ratna in 2001. Undoubtedly, Lataji's demise marked the end of an era.