New Delhi: Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar lovingly called India's Nightingale left for her heavenly abode on Sunday (Feb 6) at the age of 92 and left the whole country in shock.
Her family, friends and fans were deeply saddened by her tragic demise and expressed their condolences on social media and by remembering her songs and memories of her.
Similarly, Lata Mangeshkar's colleague and veteran actress Waheeda Rehman also recalled a few unheard and interesting anecdotes about Lata Di which will surely bring a smile to your face.
Waheeda Rehman and Lata Mangeshkar had worked on several shows together in the US and developed a good rapport. Waheeda also wanted Lata Di to perform in Bangladesh, however, the veteran singer wasn't too keen on it. Here's what Rehman did to convince her:
Waheeda Rehman told ETimes, "I had to organise a show for Bangladesh, after the 1971 war and I approached Lata ji and she said a no. She kept refusing for 10 days, but then I found out a weakness that I decided to take advantage of. Lata ji had a weakness for chocolates and I sent her loads and loads of chocolates, everyday. Eventually, she gave in and agreed to do the show, but she remarked, ‘Waheeda, you’ve figured my weakness and taken advantage of me. You’re very smart.’ I was just smitten by her warmth and her affable nature."
In the same interview, Waheeda Rehman also spoke about how Lata Mangeshkar never had any airs about her popularity and was an incredibly humble singer.
She recalled, "She never said, ‘theek hai, main Lata Mangeshkar hoon, gana gaa loongi’. She used to sit back stage and keep doing her riyaaz till she perfected her suur before going on stage and singing."
Waheeda Rehman also recalled an interesting incident where Lata Di helped her in need and brought buckets of water for her. During their Bangladesh tour, Waheeda Rehman was staying in a room with no water supply and approached Lata Di to ask her if she can use her bathroom. The veteran singer happily complied, however, the water supply stopped mid-way and Waheeda was left with soap on her body.
In this situation, Lata Di went and filled buckets of water for Waheeda to help her out.
Waheeda recalled, "Like a good person, she helped another person out."
For the unversed, her death was attributed to multiple organ failure after COVID as per Breach Candy hospital officials. Several political leaders, Bollywood celebrities rushed to pay their last respects.
She had been admitted to the hospital first in January and then again on February 5 when her health began deteriorating again. In the beginning, she was responding well to treatments, however, she breathed her last on the morning of February 6.
The Nightingale of India - Lata Mangeshkar began her illustrious singing career at the tender age of 13 in 1942 and has over 30,000 songs to her credit in several Indian languages.
