Lata Mangeshkar has been "my all-time favourite among popular singers", wrote LK Advani.
Veteran BJP leader LK Advani paid tribute to iconic artiste Lata Mangeshkar today with a statement message recalling their long association. "Lata ji was a fine human being and in all my interactions with her, I was touched by her simplicity, warmth and above all, her love for our great country," he said. It was her Ram bhajan that became the "signature tune" for his rath yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya, he wrote.
"Lata ji has been my all time favourite among popular singers and I feel fortunate to have shared a long association with her. I recall the time when she recorded a beautiful Shri Ram Bhajan and sent it to me when I was about to undertake my Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya. That memorable song--"Ram Naam Mein Jaadu Aisa, Ram Naam Man Bhaaye, Man Ki Ayodhya tab tak sooni, jab tak Ram Na aaye…"became the signature tune of my Yatra," his statement read.
"Amongst Lata ji's countless beautifully rendered songs for Hindi Cinema, I have been particularly fond of Jyoti Kalash Chhalke… and each time I felt overwhelmed when Lata ji sang this song at my request at several public events where we shared the dais, he added.
Lata Mangeshkar died at the age of 92 at Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital today from post-Covid complications.
She was hospitalized on January 8 after she was diagnosed with Covid and pneumonia. After recovering from Covid, she had to be put on ventilator support after her condition worsened on Saturday.
The government has announced a two-day national mourning in her memory and the national flag will fly at half-mast. The recipient of Bharat Ratna and many national and international awards, the legendary artiste often called the "Nightingale of India" will be given a state funeral in Mumbai this evening.