Veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar, who was hospitalised on January 11, 2022 after testing positive for COVID-19, passed away on Sunday at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. She was 92.
Fondly referred to as the ‘Nightingale of India’, Lata Mangeshkar, despite her popularity, chose to stay away from media attention over the last 70 years and kept details about her life private. One such topic that was a subject of curiosity among the public was Lata’s preference not to marry.
In an interview in 2013 with a well-known media house, the singer shared a few details about her thoughts on love, marriage and family.
During the interview, when asked about what role love played in her life and who she was involved with, Lata was quoted as saying, “There are some things only for the heart to know. Let me keep it that way (sic).”
Later, the singer also spoke about people’s belief that a woman was “incomplete” unless she was married and had children. She was quoted as saying, “People talk about all sorts of things, so learn to ignore them. Else, it will be difficult to lead a happy life. Energies that are negative and depressing should be kept at bay. I have always done that (sic).”
The singer then referred to an interview of Kiran Rao in which the latter had spoken about the same thing, and said, “Bohut khoobsurat bola hai unhone (she has spoken beautifully). It’s important to first find happiness and a sense of fulfilment within yourself, else the dream of being fulfilled only through marriage or children loses its significance (sic).”
Known to be one of Indian cinema’s most iconic singers, Lata received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 2001. She has also been honoured with the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and multiple National Film Awards.
The legendary singer has recorded songs in more than a thousand Hindi films and has sung tracks in several Indian languages as well as foreign languages.