Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar, also called the "Nightingale of India" was born on September 28, 1929 in Indore. She was born in the house of a Maharashtrian Brahmin family. She was the eldest child of her parents, Dinanath Mangeshkar and Shudhmati. Lata Mangeshkar is one of the best playback singers of the Indian music industry till date. Her voice is so mesmerizing and awe inspiring that her performances leave the audience totally spellbound. There is a magic in her voice. In this article, we have provided the biography of Lata Mangeshkar, which will give you a valuable insight into her life history.

Lata made an entry in the arena of music at a very young age. Her father being a classical vocalist always promoted her interest for music. Lata has also acted for a couple of films. When she was only five years old, she performed in a play in which her father also acted. She did not restrict her keenness to learn music to listening the songs of her father. She took a formal music training under the guidance of Aman Ali Khan and then later from Amanat Khan and thus acquired a deep knowledge about the Indian classical music.

Early Career
In the initial phase of her career, it did not seem that she wanted to take up singing as a profession. The year 1942 was a very crucial period for her career, as it is in this year that she got her maiden break to record a song for a film. Unfortunately, the song that she recorded was cut out from the film. The same year, she lost her father. At that time, Lata was just 13 years old. Being the eldest child, the entire responsibility of the family fell on her shoulders.

To meet the financial crisis at home due to sudden demise of her father, she had to take up acting job. She acted in a couple of films like Pahili Mangalagaur (1942), "Maajhe Baal" (1944), "Chimukla Sansar" (1943), "Gajabhau" (1944), "Jeevan Yatra" (1946), "Chhatrapati Shivaji" (1952), "Badi Maa" (1945). The period of early 40s was not very favorable for Lata. She had a very thin voice, which was not much in demand those days. Therefore, she had to face numerous rejections.

She got her first break in the film "Aap ke Sewa Main" (1947), in which she sang the song "Pa Lagoon Kar Jori Re". She also sang for other films, however, her luck was not with her. She did not get an easy success. She had to struggle a lot. Then, finally her song "Aayega Aanewaala" got released, which brought her into limelight. The partition of India gave Lata an opportunity to prove her versatility. It was during that time that most of the directors, producers and singers migrated from Bombay (now Mumbai) and settled elsewhere. This gave impetus to Lata's singing and provided her a chance to rise to fame.

By the 1950s, Lata established a niche for herself in the Indian music industry and since then she has been constantly giving good song numbers for the movies. She worked in close association with leading music directors like Shankar-Jaikishan and gave big hits. She sang for some of the most famous movies like Mahal", "Barsaat", "Ek Thi Ladki" and "Badi Bahen". The next three decades witnessed her position as the undisputed queen of Hindi music. She worked with almost all the prominent music directors of the Indian film industry such as S.D. Burman, R.D. Burman, Salil Chowdhury and Naushad.

The notable works in the musical repertoire of Lata Mangeshkar are "O Sajna Barkha Bahaar Aayee" from Parakh (1960), "Aaja re Pardesi" from Madhumati (1958), "Itna na Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badhaa" from Chhaya (1961), "Allah Tero Naam" from "Hum Dono" (1961), "Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh par" from "Junglee" (1961), and "Yeh Sama" from "Jab Jab Phool Khile. Well, throughout her long career, not all things went smooth. Her own sister Asha Bhosle became her biggest professional rival.

Lata Mangeshkar did not sing with Mohd. Rafi for quite some time due to the dispute over royalty. There have been lots of ups and downs in her life. From 1980s, Lata's position began to decline. From that time onwards, our Bollywood industry began to give chance to youngsters and it was here that the voice of Lata did not seem to match into the scene. So, she withdrew herself from the Bollywood, but even now, once in a blue moon, whenever she sings any song, it is always pleasing to the ears and loved by all. She has made a commanding position for herself in the Indian film industry and would always be admired for her beautiful voice.