This year, the Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar's father Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar's death anniversary which falls on April 24 is a bit more special than usual.
This year as her father's 70th death anniversary is finished; Lataji also completes 70 years of singing! Not a record that may be broken easily.
Laughing softly on the 70th anniversary of her career, Lataji says, "It's hard to believe I've completed 7 decades of singing. The year 1942 when my father kicked the bucket was also the year I sang my first song in Marathi for the film Kiti Hassal. I also did my first acting assignment the similar year in Pehili Mangalaa-gaur. I played the heroine's younger sister."
Little Lata didn't much take care of acting. "I hated it. Even at that young age I knew singing was my forte. Luckily for me and for those that like my singing, I USED TO BE proven right."
About the double anniversary this month, Lataji says, "In some way my father's death and my singing career are connected. If he hadn't passed away, I'D not have taken to singing in films. I needed to become the family's bread-earner by force at an age when other girls play with dolls. Did I fail to spot my childhood? Perhaps. But I'VE no regrets. I needed to take care of my brother and sisters. If my father had lived who knows what I'd have done? I COULD not became a playback singer in any respect. I'D have pursued classical singing!"
This year on her father's very special death anniversary, Lataji and her siblings would again be honouring achievers in various fields with awards named after her father. Among people who could be honoured are Tabla artiste Kumar Bose, theatre television and stage actor Vikram Gokhale, social activist Dr Prasad Deodhar, Kannada novelist S.L Bhyrappa and Madhuri Dixit-Nene.
Says the Nightingale, "We Mangeshkar siblings attempt to bring forward excellence in every field annually. We felt these achievers epitomize the spirit that our father has left behind."
While the awards function per annum was held in Pune, this year's venue can be Mumbai on the Shanmukhnanda auditorium for the manager guest Balasaheb Thackeray's convenience.
Says the Nightingale, "PER ANNUM we gave a token prize of Rs 50,000 to each award winner. This year we've doubled the prize money to Rs.1 lakh. This will sound like a meager sum by today's standards. But for a woman who started singing and performing at the age of 13 for Rs .100-150, it is a fortune. I'm blessed."
