Mumbai: One of the
gems of the Hindi film industry, Lata Mangeshkar turns 82
Wednesday and even after spreading the magic of her voice for
seven decades she is still singing songs with aplomb.
Thanks to her successful long journey and her body of work, she
has become an institution in herself and a guiding force not just
for budding singers, but also for established artists.
"It's our good fortune that we have taken birth in the times of
Lataji. She is our goddess of music and she is always going to be
an inspiration for our generation and the generations to come,"
singer Sonu Nigam told IANS.
Starting her career in 1943 at the age of 13 with the song "Mata
ek sapoot ki duniya badal de tu" for Marathi film "Gajaabhaau",
Lata, who is called the Nightingale of India, went on to record
songs for more than 1,000 films in 36 languages.
From classical to romantic numbers to ghazals to bhajans, she made
her mark in a variety of genres.
Even at this age her zeal to sing is the same which was evident
when she sang "Tere hasne se" for "Satrangee Parachute" that
released this year.
"Lataji is my teacher, my inspiration and it is because of her
that I've loved music so much. I want to wish her all the
happiness in the world," said Shreya Ghoshal.
Shaan says that "Whatever you say about Lataji is less. All I want
to say is that the divinity that she has in her voice is unique
and very different. Whatever the song might be, she adds dignity
to it. Very subtly she brings out the expressions in a song. She
is an institute in herself and the only one among so many."
Lata, who is the voice behind evergreen lilting melodies like "Aaja
re pardesi", "Kahi deep jale kahi dil", "Beeti na bitaai raina", "Tere
bina zindagi se", "Tere bina jiya jaaye na", "Naino mein badra", "Chalte
chalte" and "Yaara sili sili", made it to then Guinness Book of
World Records from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most
recordings in the world.
Not just for singers, for actors and filmmakers too, the Bharat
Ratna recipient is the voice that gave Hindi songs the quality
that will be remembered for years.
"I think for any actress Lataji singing for her is a blessing
because we all know what incredible talent she has. We can only
hope that she lives for many many years to come and sings
forever," said Dia Mirza.
Filmmaker Yash Chopra feels proud that an artist like Lata was
born on Indian soil.
"For an artiste to be at the pinnacle of her career for 69
uninterrupted years is an unprecedented feat in any field anywhere
in the world and we are proud that an Indian, our very own Lata
Mangeshkar, has achieved this," Chopra had told IANS.
"I have been fortunate to have worked with her for over five
decades from my very first film, 'Dhool Ka Phool' till my most
recent film 'Veer Zaara'.
"As a director, I can vouch that Lataji makes each song her own.
She adds so many characteristic nuances, making it easier for an
actress to enact and for the song to stand the test of time. They
say that people follow music, but in Lataji's case, music follows
her."
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