Lata Mangeshkar, also known as the Nightingale of India, is an iconic Indian singer who has received national and international acclaim through the course of her life. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over 36 regional Indian and foreign languages, though primarily in Marathi and Hindi. She is the older sister to Asha Bhosle, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar.

Lata Mangeshkar began to perform at the age of five, by acting in her father`s musicals. Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, was a classical singer and theatre actor. After his death, Vinayak Damodar Karnataki, the owner of a movie company and a close family friend, took care of Lata Mangeshkar`s family. He gave her career a real start. Through him, she not only recorded her first few songs but also moved to Bombay. In this way, she was introduced to music directors like Vasant Desai and Ghulam Haider, the latter who she calls her Godfather, as he had complete faith in her talent. She got her first major breakthrough through her song in Haider`s film Majboor (1948).

The rest, as they say, is history. Lata Mangeshkar worked with several music directors and many blockbuster films, eventually foraying into regional and foreign languages as well. Over the years her career shot upwards into stardom, and her talent was coveted and praised all over the world. In 1959 she won her first Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for Aaja Re Pardesi from Madhumati (1958). It was the first of countless honours and accolades she received, a few of which are the Padma Vibhushan, Dada Saheb Phalke, and Bharat Ratna awards. A national-level award for works in the field of music, titled the Lata Mangeshkar Award, was instituted and is currently presented by several State Governments of India. In 1974 she became the first Indian to perform in the Royal Albert Hall, London. To this day, she still captures the hearts of millions of Indians, who raise their heads in pride at her name. The veteran singer breathed her last on 6th February, 2022.