1- Lata Mangeshkar comes from a family of performers.
Lata Mangeshkar was the first child of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar and Shevanti (Shudhamati). With her sisters Asha, Usha and Meena also being celebrated vocalists, Lata Mangeshkar belonged to a family of performers.
Born as Hema, she was rechristened later as Lata which was inspired by a character’s name in her father’s play Bhaaw Bandhan.
3- She started singing at the age of five.
4- Her first song never went live.
At the age of nine in 1938, Lata gave her first public performance at the Nutan Theatre, Sholapur. She recorded her first song in 1942 for the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal. However, the song “Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari” was removed from the film’s final cut.
5- She became popular with Aayega Aanewala song.
Lata Mangeshkar’s ‘Aayega Aanewala’ song from the movie Mahal in 1949 gave her much-needed stardom.
However, Lata Mangeshkar was rejected as a playback singer when she entered the film industry as her voice was considered too thin at the time when Noor Jehan and Shamshad Begum ruled with their heavy nasal voices.
6- Lata Mangeshkar never listened to her own songs.
While speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Lata Mangeshkar once said that she never listens to her own songs as she would find several faults in her singing.
Music Director Ghulam Haider was her Godfather as he showed complete faith in her talent. Lata Mangeshkar shared a special bond with music director Madan Mohan and listed ‘Woh chup rahe’ from Jahan Ara as their favorite collaboration.
She once said, “I shared a special relationship with Madan Mohan, which was much more than what a singer and a music composer share. This was a relationship of a brother and a sister.”
While she worked with many music directors and composers, she never worked with OP Nayyar.
8- Composed music for Marathi films.
In 1955, she composed the first music of her life for the Marathi film Ram Ram Pavhane and went on composing music for numerous Marathi films under the pen name Anand Ghan.
9- Her patriotic song moved PM Nehru to tears.
Lata Mangeshkar dedicated ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ to the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1962 war. Her patriotic song moved PM Nehru to tears on 27 January 1963 at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi.
10- 1974: The year that was!
Lata Mangeshkar became the first-ever Indian to perform live at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. This was her debut on the international stage.
In the 1974 edition of the Guinness Book of Records, she was listed as the most recorded artist, having sung around 25,000 songs.
However, the claim was contested by Mohammad Rafi and until 1991, the book listed her name along with Mohammad Rafi’s claim. Currently, Pulapaka Susheela holds the honour.
11- Lata Mangeshkar was an ardent fan of Cricket.
Lata Mangeshkar was an ardent Cricket fan. She witnessed the historic 1983 World Cup win and even organized a free concert to raise money for the Indian team.
12- She also served as a Rajya Sabha MP.
She was nominated in 1999 as a Rajya Sabha MP and her term ended in 2006. Being criticized for not attending the sessions, Lata Mangeshkar cited her illness and claimed that she was reluctant to be inducted into the Rajya Sabha.
During her term as an MP, she did not take a single penny or a salary or a house in Delhi.
13- Bharat Ratna recipient
Lata Mangeshkar was the second Indian vocalist to be conferred with Bharat Ratna after Carnatic singer MS Subbalakshmi.
14- ‘Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti Ki’ was her last recorded song.
She recorded her last song ‘Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti Ki’ as a tribute to the Indian Army. The song composed by Mayuresh Pai was released on 30 March 2019.
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