‘Learned from listening to her songs’: Gen Z singers recall how Lata Mangeshkar inspired them

Aishwarya Pandit, who has been a participant at India’s Got Talent and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, says that she started her singing journey with Mangeshkar’s song.

“The first time I sang on a stage was at India’s Got Talent. And I still remember how many times I had listened to ‘Lag Ja Gale’ before actually delivering it on the stage. It is impossible to sing the way she does. Every word she sings has an emotion and I am still astonished by the fact as to how one human being can sing in so many different moods,” she says.

Another singer, Farhad Bhiwandiwala, says that he has learned singing from listening to Mangeshkar’s songs.

“Every untrained singer like me has learned from listening to her songs. I think I am blessed that I could see her sing for so long. Whenever I listen to her song, I think of her as my mother because her songs have taught me everything,” says Bhiwandiwala.

He further adds that he has spent his childhood listening to Mangeshkar’s songs. He says even though it is difficult for him to choose one specific favourite, the song Luka Chuppi from the movie Rang De Basanti holds a special place in his heart.

Ronkini Gupta, another singer, says, “Lataji, for me, is an institution of music. Whether it is soul or technique, she represents pure perfection, something that a true musician aspires to be. Out of every aspect that I look up to her for, what strikingly sets her apart is the divinity in her voice. It’s unique and inexplicable. She truly devoted her entire life to music and that just shines in every note that emanates from her being.”

Sahil Solanki still remembers his meeting with the veteran singer like it was yesterday.

“I had participated in a show in 2007, when the channel had taken us to her place in Prabhu Kunj. When she asked me about the song that I was going to sing in the next episode, I told her that I got eliminated last week. She consoled me and I still remember every word of advice that she had given me then,” he says.

Like Bhiwandiwala, Solanki too says he has grown up listening to Mangeshkar’s songs.

“At every event that I sing, I ensure that I am singing at least one song sung by Lataji. Otherwise, that event remains incomplete for me. It is very sad that we have lost someone like her,” says Solanki.