A voice pure and clear as the finest pearl of crystal
February 6, 2022 4:58 PM Subscribe
The Nightingale of India, the Queen of Melody, the Voice of the Millennium: Lata Mangeshkar has died at 92.
Lata Mangeshkar, incomparable playback singer of Indian cinema, died Sunday 6 February in Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital of multiple organ failure after admission for Covid-19.
A hugely successful artist in her time, she is said to have recorded over 25,000 songs in more than 36 languages, most notably in Hindi for Bollywood movies. Everyone will have their favorites, but here are a few of mine: Lag Jaa Gale, Aayega Aanewala, Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon, Inhin Logon Ne, Tere Liye (with Roop Kumar Rathod), and most of all, Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua (with Manna Dey).
Despite her success, and honors including the Indian Bharat Ratna and the French Legion of Honour, in her last interview, she doubted her legacy amounted to much: "Nowadays, the young people’s attention span is very limited. They do not live in the past at all. It is the era of instant gratification. Everyone wants to live for the moment. I doubt my legacy will mean as much to future generations as they do to people like you."
With respect, Didi, you're so wrong. Om shanti.
Lata Mangeshkar, incomparable playback singer of Indian cinema, died Sunday 6 February in Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital of multiple organ failure after admission for Covid-19.
A hugely successful artist in her time, she is said to have recorded over 25,000 songs in more than 36 languages, most notably in Hindi for Bollywood movies. Everyone will have their favorites, but here are a few of mine: Lag Jaa Gale, Aayega Aanewala, Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon, Inhin Logon Ne, Tere Liye (with Roop Kumar Rathod), and most of all, Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua (with Manna Dey).
Despite her success, and honors including the Indian Bharat Ratna and the French Legion of Honour, in her last interview, she doubted her legacy amounted to much: "Nowadays, the young people’s attention span is very limited. They do not live in the past at all. It is the era of instant gratification. Everyone wants to live for the moment. I doubt my legacy will mean as much to future generations as they do to people like you."
With respect, Didi, you're so wrong. Om shanti.
Such a beautiful voice, she will be much missed.
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posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 7:18 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 7:18 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
I happen to be in Delhi right now. Mere watan ke log aankh mein bhar rahe pani. The PM has gone to Mumbai and the front pages of the papers are splashed with this news.
posted by infini at 8:19 PM on February 6, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by infini at 8:19 PM on February 6, 2022 [3 favorites]
Maharashtra declares state holiday for mourning.
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 9:10 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 9:10 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 9:44 PM on February 6, 2022
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 9:44 PM on February 6, 2022
Bahon Mein Chale Aao
So, so lovely, and so beautifully acted with voice alone.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 10:20 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
So, so lovely, and so beautifully acted with voice alone.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 10:20 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Like a lot of 90s indiekids from Bollywood-deprived regions of the globe, I learned of Lata Mangeshkar from the lyrics of Cornershop’s Brimful of Asha. I kept an eye out for her music, but had no luck until sometime in the early 00s when I stumbled across a Bollywood music blog which had, of course, heaps of mp3s with her songs.
There’s always a danger, when you find something you’ve been seeking for years on reputation alone, that it won’t live up to your expectations. But oh goodness, did Lata Mangeshkar live up to her reputation and then some. What an absolutely sublime artist! I’m glad that she had a long life to enjoy her gift and share it with the rest of us.
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posted by Kattullus at 5:17 AM on February 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
There’s always a danger, when you find something you’ve been seeking for years on reputation alone, that it won’t live up to your expectations. But oh goodness, did Lata Mangeshkar live up to her reputation and then some. What an absolutely sublime artist! I’m glad that she had a long life to enjoy her gift and share it with the rest of us.
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posted by Kattullus at 5:17 AM on February 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
kattullus, I sure hope that it was because the Asha in the brimful reference was her younger sister Asha Bhosle?
posted by infini at 5:50 AM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by infini at 5:50 AM on February 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
@infini
Kattullus says he learned her name from the lyrics to the song, which mentions Lata along with Mohammad Rafi.
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Growing up, I preferred songs sung by Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle from the 50-60s because they had more oomph to them, as they were usually picturized on the 'vamp' characters, and had a jazzy feel to them. Lata sang for the chaste heroines, and most of her hits were based on Classical ragas. But the voice itself was absolutely magnificent. I have now begun to concentrate more on her Ghazals, and her renditions are fantastic. And her songs for those 50's Raj Kapoor/Nargis movies and Vyji's movies especially with Dilip Kumar are magnificent and haunting. Madhumati, Mughal-e-Azam, Chori Chori .... the list is endless.
My YouTube subscription is getting a workout!
posted by indianbadger1 at 9:53 AM on February 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
Kattullus says he learned her name from the lyrics to the song, which mentions Lata along with Mohammad Rafi.
.
Growing up, I preferred songs sung by Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle from the 50-60s because they had more oomph to them, as they were usually picturized on the 'vamp' characters, and had a jazzy feel to them. Lata sang for the chaste heroines, and most of her hits were based on Classical ragas. But the voice itself was absolutely magnificent. I have now begun to concentrate more on her Ghazals, and her renditions are fantastic. And her songs for those 50's Raj Kapoor/Nargis movies and Vyji's movies especially with Dilip Kumar are magnificent and haunting. Madhumati, Mughal-e-Azam, Chori Chori .... the list is endless.
My YouTube subscription is getting a workout!
posted by indianbadger1 at 9:53 AM on February 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
Weird thing -- the version I know of Brimful of Asha, the Norman Cook remix, cuts out the part that mentions Lata and Mohammed Rafi, etc.
And that is beautiful, dhruva! I've only ever heard the Hindi songs.
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 1:19 PM on February 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
And that is beautiful, dhruva! I've only ever heard the Hindi songs.
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 1:19 PM on February 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Speaking of Lata singing in other languages; here's her singing a duet in Tamil with another great singer we lost recently, SPB.
Valai Osai from the movie Satya, music Ilayaraja.
And the video of the song, with artificially enhanced audio quality but has Kamal and Amala.
posted by indianbadger1 at 1:49 PM on February 7, 2022
Valai Osai from the movie Satya, music Ilayaraja.
And the video of the song, with artificially enhanced audio quality but has Kamal and Amala.
posted by indianbadger1 at 1:49 PM on February 7, 2022
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posted by LobsterMitten at 6:18 AM on February 10, 2022
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:18 AM on February 10, 2022
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