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:
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.
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’ 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.
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