Shreya Ghoshal shared a note on Instagram about the effect Lata Mangeshkar and her music have had on her life. “Tears have been rolling down the whole day listening to your songs. Your voice is too dear to me Lata ji,” Ghoshal wrote.
She added, “I remember my childhood, each moment of happiness, sadness, victory, loss through your songs. Those long hours of practice trying to analyse the nuances, expressions, lilts in your singing made my musical bond with you more profound.”
Ghoshal wrote that her mother would make her rewind the tape till she got it right. “‘Haye jiya roye’ was the first song of yours I had learnt as a child. Felt such strong emotions listening to it even as a small kid. Singing ‘Suniyo ji’ in music competitions got me noticed by many and ‘Jeevan dor tumhi sang’ was the audition song which got me first film Devdas.”
“This loss is personal. You were and will be my teacher. When I came to the music industry you blessed me with your affection whenever I got to meet you. Lata ji you are embedded too deep in my soul but a part of me went away with you today,” Ghoshal concluded.
Playback singer Anusha Mani commented, “I am a witness to your hours of practicing her songs , every line , word .. sending you & mom love.”
Lata Mangeshkar passed away on 6 February after weeks of hospitalisation.
Shreya Ghoshal had shared a picture of Mangeshkar with the caption, “Feeling numb. Devastated. Yesterday was Saraswati Puja & today Ma took her blessed one with her. Somehow it feels that even the birds, trees & wind are silent today. Swar Kokila Bharat Ratna #LataMangeshkar ji your divine voice will echo till eternity. Rest in peace. Om Shanti.”
Shreya Ghoshal had written about the first time she met Lata Mangeshkar in an article for India Today. She wrote, “An artisan intricately sculpts an idol of a God but only when there is the presence of ‘prana’ after elaborate prayers and rituals do we worship that idol. Lataji puts that ‘prana’ in every song she has sung.”
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