The ‘Queen of Melody’, Lata Mangeshkar had mesmerised everyone with her soulful singing. With songs like Aayega Aanewaala, Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh, Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, Mera Saaya Saath Hoga, Piya Tose, Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna and many more, Lata added soul to every song she sang. When Lata Mangeshkar entered the film industry, she was rejected as her voice was considered too thin for playback singing.
Born as Hema Mangeshkar on September 28, 1929, Lata was renamed by her parents after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays. The Bharat Ratna sang many songs in Hindi and other regional languages in a career spanning eight decades. Do you know, Lata Mangeshkar never listened to her own songs? In a throwback interview, the veteran singer confessed the same and stated that she would find several faults in her singing.
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The veteran singer bid adieu to the world on February 6, 2022, leaving a forever vacuum in the music industry. There are many unknown aspects of Lata tai's life, and one of the most shocking episodes of her life was when she was poisoned. In 1962, when Lata Mangeshkar was at the peak of her career, a shocking incident happened with the veteran singer. She was poisoned, and the news shocked her fans to the core.
Many people thought that Lata Mangeshkar would never be able to sing as she was bedridden for three months. While talking to Nasreen Munni Kabir for the book, Lata Mangeshkar in Her Own Voice, the veteran singer talked about the time when she was poisoned. Sharing details about the same, Lata stated:
“We Mangeshkars don’t talk about it, as it was a terrible phase in our life. In 1962, I fell very ill for about three months. One day, I woke up feeling very uneasy in my stomach. And then I started throwing up — it was terrible, the vomit was a greenish colour. The doctor came and even brought an X-ray machine home because I could not move. He x-rayed my stomach and said I was being slowly poisoned.”
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After hearing the news of Lata's poisoning, her sister, Usha, went straight into the kitchen and told everyone that she would be cooking for Lata tai from that moment instead of the servants. Hearing Usha Mangeshkar’s instructions, one of the servants left immediately without even collecting the payment.
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And the family got to know that someone had planted the servant there. In the same conversation, Lata Mangeshkar revealed that they had found the person who poisoned her, but they didn’t take any action against the person. Revealing the reason behind the same, she stated:
“Yes, we found out who it was. But we didn’t take action because we had no proof against that person.”
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During the conversation, Lata Mangeshkar also opened up about the misconception people had that Lata tai lost her voice due to poisoning. Calling it a myth, she said:
“Not true. This is a myth created around my slow poisoning. No doctor told me I won’t be able to sing. In fact, our family doctor Dr R P Kapoor who cured me said he was determined to see me back on my feet. But let me clear the misunderstanding propagated over the years, I didn’t lose my voice. It was confirmed that I was being poisoned slowly. Dr Kapoor’s treatment and my own determination pulled me through. After being bedridden for three months I was ready to record again.”
It was composer, Hemant Kumar who recorded the first song with Lata Mangeshkar after her recovery. Breaking all the myths, Lata tai went to the studio and sang the song, Kahin Deep Jale Kaheen Dil for the film, Bees Saal Baad and won her second Filmfare Award for the same song.
Lata Mangeshkar sang her last song, Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti Ki, a tribute to the Indian Army in 2019.
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