10 interesting and less known facts about Bollywood superstar Lata Mangeshkar

Bollywood superstar Lata Mangeshkar, known to millions as the "Nightingale of India" and a regular fixture of the country's airwaves for decades, died Sunday morning at the age of 92.

Mangeshkar was born in 1929 and started her musical training early under the tutelage of her father Deenanath, singing in his theatrical productions when she was just five.

Here are 10 interesting and lesser known facts about Lata Didi you might not know

1) Lata Mangeshkar was forced to become a breadwinner of the family after her father's died when she was only 13. She supported four younger siblings in livelihood, and the family eventually moved to Mumbai in 1945. 
 

There she pursued a career as a playback singer, recording tracks to be mimed by actors, and her high-pitched voice soon became a staple of Bollywood blockbusters.

2) Her singing of "Oh mere batan ke log" (Oh the People of my Country) reportedly moved then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears.

In a move reflecting her huge following, Mangeshkar was invited by the government to sing a patriotic tribute to the soldiers killed in the 1962 Indo-China war at India's Republic Day commemorations in January 1963. This song is still consider one of the most painful patriotic song in India.

3) Mangeshkar was not shy about taking a stand when it came to raising her prices or asking for a share of the royalties earned on her songs.

4) She never sang a song with her shoes on, in respect to goddess Saraswoti, a hindu Muse.

5) She always wrote out each song by hand before recording it.

6) Apart from being honored with Bharat Ratna in 2001, India's highest civilian honour, she received France's Legion d'Honneur in 2009 in recognition of her contribution to Indian music and cinema.

7) A school dropout in her hometown of Indore who said she only attended classes for one day, Mangeshkar was fluent in several languages.

8) She sang in more than 1,000 films in addition to recording devotional and classical albums.

9) Her oeuvre spanned around 30,000 songs in dozens of languages including English, Russian, Dutch and Swahili.

10) She never listened to her own songs. Mangeshkar once said while speaking to media outlet that she does not listen to her own songs as if she did, she would find a hundred faults in her singing.

- 'Stalwart of Indian culture' -

Together with her younger sister Asha Bhonsle -- a superstar in her own right -- Mangeshkar dominated Bollywood music for more than half a century, and is considered by many to be the Indian film industry's greatest-ever playback singer.


Her longevity and discipline saw her lend her voice to teenage actresses who were 50 years her junior.

Critics complained that her dominance left little room for newer singers to thrive but her audience remained loyal, ensuring that her songs ruled the charts.

"Coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

She passed away in a Mumbai hospital on Sunday after being admitted to its intensive care unit on January 11 with Covid-19 symptoms.

Public broadcaster Doordarshan announced a state funeral and two days of national mourning for the singer after news of her death broke.