Entertainment
Indian PM attends ceremony as Lata Mangeshkar cremated in Mumbai with state honours
Narendra Modi visited Shivaji Park to pay his last respects to the singer and met the Mangeshkar family members and consoled them
New Delhi: Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar was cremated with full state honours at Mumbai's iconic Shivaji Park this evening bringing an end to a splendid and decorated career in playback singing and Bollywood. She was 92.
Just before the last rites, the national flag in which the body was draped, was handed over to the family members. Lata Mangeshkar's brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar lit the funeral pyre of the singing legend.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Shivaji Park to pay his last respects to the singer and met the Mangeshkar family members and consoled them. He left the venue before the funeral.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, megastar Shah Rukh Khan, lyricist Javed Akhtar, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, among others, were also in attendance to pay their last respects.
A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, Lata Mangeshkar was an icon of Indian cinema, having sung playback for an extensive list of Hindi films.
One of the famous episodes of her life is when her music moved Jawaharlal Nehru to tears. On January 27, 1963 during the backdrop of the India-China war, Lata Mangeshkar sang Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon in the presence of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, bringing him to tears.
PM Imran Offers Tribute To Legendary Singer
Prime Minister Imran Khan also offered tribute to the legendary singer.
"With the death of Lata Mangeshkar the subcontinent has lost one of the truly great singers the world has known. Listening to her songs has given so much pleasure to so many people all over the world," Imran Khan tweeted.
Lata Mangeshkar, who belonged to a prominent musical family, also composed music as well as produced a handful of films. She was popularly known as the 'Nightingale of India.'
In her melodious voice, Lata Mangeshkar had sung over 50,000 songs in 14 languages since her radio debut in 1941.
The central government has announced a two-day "state mourning" on the death of the legendary singer. The national flag will fly at half mast from February 6 to February 7 throughout India and there will be no official entertainment in this period.
Earlier in the day, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar passed away in Mumbai at the age of 92 on Sunday after suffering a multi organ failure last night.
According to details, a senior doctor treating her at the Breach Candi Hospital said was in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital.
Mangeshkar was admitted to the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for the novel Coronavirus earlier in January. She was on the ventilator for weeks but then on January 28, she was taken off the ventilator as she showed signs of improvement.
Lata Mangeshkar was a force to reckon with in playback singing. In her seven-decade-long career, she gave us musical gems such as Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo, Lag Jaa Gale, Yeh Kahan Aage Hain Hum and Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, among others. For her exceptional talent, she was honoured with countless awards, including the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award.