PM Modi honours Lata Mangeshkar on her 97th birth anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday remembered Lata Mangeshkar on the legendary singer's birth anniversary, describing her as a figure whose voice brought India recognition across the world.

In a post on X, Modi said he offered his humble respects to "Lata Didi" and credited her with enriching the country through her singing while consistently encouraging efforts linked to national prosperity. He added that her contribution to Indian music would remain memorable for generations.

Mangeshkar, widely known as the Nightingale of India, would have turned 97. She died in Mumbai in 2022 at the age of 92.

Her career, which began in the 1940s, came to define the sound of Hindi cinema and also shaped music in Marathi and several other Indian languages. She recorded songs in more than 36 Indian languages and worked with many of the country's leading composers, including Naushad, S.D. Burman, R.D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and A.R. Rahman.

Her repertoire included songs such as 'Aayega Aanewala', 'Lag Jaa Gale', 'Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya' and 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon', which remain landmarks in India's musical memory.

Her honours included the Padma Bhushan in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989, the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 and the Bharat Ratna in 2001.