India plunged into grief as the Goddess of Indian music, Lata Mangeshkar, left for the heavenly abode, leaving a huge void.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar was laid to rest at Shivaji Park maidan in Mumbai with full state honours on Sunday evening.
Her last rites were attended by several dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.
Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Asha Bhosle, Sachin Tendulkar, Devendra Fadnavis, and several other high-profile personalities also attended the funeral and paid their last respects to the departed soul.
Modi’s website highlighted on Sunday the special bond he shared with the singer and noted that she had in 2013 said she prays to God to see him as India’s prime minister.
Actress Anushka Sharma remembered the late legendary singer and wrote on social media, “God speaks through beautiful voices. Sad, sad day for India as our nightingale leaves her mortal body. Lataji’s voice has immortalised her forever. She will live in our hearts through her music. My deepest condolences to her family, friends, and fans. RIP Lataji.”
Screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar said, “I was privileged that I knew Lataji personally and she sang my songs as well. It is a rare artiste who achieves such excellence in his field that he cannot be compared with anyone else. Lataji was this person.”
The legendary singer passed away today at the age of 92, breaking billion hearts. She was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital in early January after she tested positive for Covid-19 and was also diagnosed with pneumonia. Around January 28, she was taken off the ventilator, after she showed slight signs of improvement. However, on February 5, her condition deteriorated and doctors put her back on ventilator support.
Lata Mangeshkar, known as the ‘Nightingale of India,’ had rendered her voice to songs in several popular Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali. She was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Dadasaheb Phalke Award as well as several National and Filmfare Awards. Her last complete album was for Yash Chopra’s 2004 directorial Veer-Zaara, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukerji.
