LATA MANGESHKAR - Short Essay

Lata Mangeshkar is one of the most recognised Indian playback singers. She has a magical voice with her career spanning over 6 decades starting from 1948. She has ruled millions of hearts with her sweet voice and down-to-earth attitude.

Mangeshkar was born on September 28, 1929 in Indore, to Pundit Deenanath Mangeshkar, a theatre actor and classical singer, and Shevanti Mangeshkar. She is the eldest child of her parents. She started taking music lessons from the age of 5 and showed virtuoso in music from very small age. She used to pick ragas at once and could master vocal exercises the very first time. She was taught by many famous musical gurus including Aman Ali Khan Sahib and Amanat Khan.

Though having a great voice, she was not given a chance until 1948, as many people believed that her voice was too thin and high-pitched. She made her debut as a playback singer in a Marathi film ‘Kiti Hasaal’, but the song was eventually edited out precisely for this reason. However, she never felt defeated. She continued to try, and it paved her way to success. She got her big break in the film Majboor and ever since, she has never seen back. Year after year, and film after film, her songs became the heartthrob of millions of people in India and abroad, and hundreds of them are runaway hits. With her conviction, she has introduced a change in the Bollywood singing trend, and you will hardly find any heavy nasal voices now. She has sung thousands of songs in different languages, and this feat continues to grow with each passing day, despite her advancing age. She was called the Kokila by Jawaharlal Nehru, and the truth is that she really is a singing cuckoo. She has been awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest award of the country.

Word Meanings : playback : behind the screen : hejos kesâ heerÚs; virtuoso : extremely skilfulness : DelÙeefOekeâ ÙeesiÙelee; debut : first appearance : ØeLece oMe&ve; heartthrob : a famous person : Øeefmeæ JÙeefòeâ; conviction : strong belief : yengle efJeÕeeme; feat : accomplishment : meheâuelee~