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Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last today and an era of music came to an end. Lataji originally born Hema Mangeshkar was not just a Bollywood playback singer who entertained the audience with her film songs or ghazals. She was a torchbearer of the Indian musical culture that believed in offering solace to the hearts with mellifluous singing without compromising on the quality just to please the audience.
She was an institution in herself who brought tears to the eyes, inspired millions with her patriotic and devotional singing, and created a treasure trove of unmatched songs for the aspirants desirous of making a name in the world of music.
When Lata’s Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon Made PM Nehru Cry on Stage
Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon is one of the iconic songs and the most powerful Indian patriotic song which even today brings goosebumps. No wonder when Lataji first sang it in 1963 with the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the stage at the Ram Leela Maidan in New Delhi on January 27, it brought tears to the eyes of Panditji.
While recalling the incident, Mangeshkar had said that she was not ready to sing the song as she had rehearsed it only one time. But on the insistence of Kavi Pradeep who had written it, she decided to perform, and thus an immortal song was born. Coincidentally, Lataji breathed her last on the birth anniversary of Kavi Pradeep which can be considered a divine indication. From 1963 till today, this song is a part of every patriotic function held on Independence Day and Republic Day in India.
Although she was called a melody queen, Lataji’s voice also had a soulful quality that hit the core of the heart which is why all her renditions touched the chord with the audience and made them feel the deep emotions that the song conveyed. While in patriotic songs like Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon or “Vande Mataram” from Anand Math her voice sizzled like lightning it adapted a divine, mesmerizing tone when it came to songs like Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan “Vaishnava Jana Toh Tene Kahiyeje“, “Allah Tero Naam,” or “Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum" or even “Ek Tuhi Bharosa” from Anil Kapoor’s Pukar.
And that is the reason, even in the era when remixes and mashups are doing pretty well; Lata Mangeshkar’s songs maintained their distinct identity and could not be turned into some popular mixes. After all who can match the Goddess that was Lata Mangeshkar!
