Lata Mangeshkar, India’s Nightingale, dies at 92

Nepal: It was 1942 when legendary singer and composer Lata Mangeshkar sang her first song. Composed by Dada Chandekar, ‘Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai’, the Marathi song became her launching pad. Since then, Mangeshkar had been unstoppable with her musical journey, which spanned seven decades. She sang more than 30,000 songs in 36 different languages. Because of her soothing voice, Mangeshkar was popularly known as the ‘Nightingale of India’.

Mangeshkar amassed admirers, followers, and singing devotees from all across South Asia, and Nepal was no exception. She was a dear singer to the country, someone who lent her voice to some memorable Nepali songs and sang with celebrated singers like Ram Krishna Dhakal.

Many Nepalis took to social media platforms to pay tribute to the legendary Indian singer who is a household in Nepal, with generations growing up listening to her songs
President Bidya Devi Bhandari also remembered Mangeshkar as an artist with unprecedented talent.
“I am deeply saddened to hear about the demise of the Indian legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who has lent her sweet-melodic voice to many Nepali songs,” Bhandari wrote on Twitter. “I express my heartfelt condolences to the extraordinarily talented Lata Mangeshkar.”
The legendary singer was hospitalised after contracting Covid-19 and was struggling with pneumonia. She passed away at 92 on Sunday.

To celebrate the achievements of the maestro, the Post remembers some of Mangeshkar’s most memorable Nepali songs that still remain dear to Nepalis:

‘Jun Mato Ma Mero’

In 1966, Mangeshkar sang the nationalistic song ‘Jun Mato Ma Mero’. The song was written by Ma Bi Bi Shah, the pen name of King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah for the movie ‘Maitighar’. Mangeshkar sang many songs written by Ma Bi Bi Shah, who was at the time introducing the goals of the Panchayat government with cultural unification: ek bhasha, ek bhesh, ek dharma, ek desh. Despite being a calculated song by the king, Mangeshkar’s voice to the lyrics is heartening and still remains one of the go-to classic Nepali songs.

‘Aakash Ma Tirimire’. 

Yet another song written by Ma Bi Bi Shah, and sung by Lata Mangeshkar is the song titled ‘Aakash Ma Tirimire’. As part of Ma Bi Bi Shah’s album Usai Ko Lagi 2, this song was released along with eight other songs sung by different singers. Unlike the song for the film ‘Maitighar’, ‘Aakash Ma Tirimire’ is a romantic rendition apt for calm and peaceful nights.

‘Bachunjelilai’

‘Bachunjelilai’ is a more recent modern song by Lata Mangeshkar and it also features Ram Krishna Dhakal. In 2012, Mangeshkar collaborated with Dhakal, who at the time was at the peak of his music career. Ananda Adhikari penned the song and the music video featured actor and model Jharana Bajracharya. ‘Bachunjelilai’ went on to become one of the most popular songs of 2012, and serenaded Nepali radios for a long time. In 2013, the song also won the Hits FM Award for best vocal collaboration.