REGARDLESS of the tension that exists between Pakistan and India, the people of both the countries greatly adore each other’s legendary artistes and cricketers.
One saw its manifestation yet again on the death of star playback singer Lata Mangeshkar who became victim to Covid-19 complications at the age of 92 on Sunday.
As soon as the news broke of her demise, the people of Pakistan also poured with condolences, recognizing and paying tributes to her unparalleled melodious voice.
Certainly, music has no borders.It will not be wrong to say that there will not be a single house in India and Pakistan where people would not have listened to and enjoyed her music.
With her voice, she indeed filled and won the hearts of millions of people across the world.
Together with her younger sister Asha Bhonsle — a superstar in her own right — Mangeshkar dominated Bollywood music for more than half a century.
Her melodious voice earned him the title of nightingale.A school dropout in her hometown of Indore who said she only attended classes for one day, Mangeshkar was fluent in several languages.
She sang in more than one thousand films, in addition to recording classical albums.Her oeuvre spanned around 27 thousand songs in dozens of languages including English, Russian, Dutch and Swahili.
From the classics of Mughal-e-Azam to new era movies like Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Lata’s voice remained the moniker for Indian cinema.
Fiercely dedicated to her craft, Lata was the first playback singer to demand better pay and royalties for her music.
She explained in an interview once, “I am a self-made person.I have learned how to fight.I have never been scared of anyone.
” She was also the first to demand acknowledgement in the film’s credits and record labels which previously only mentioned the name of the character and not the playback singer.
Her death indeed is an end of an era in music but her nightingale voice will continue enchanting us and coming generations as well.
