Mumbai (Kolahpur): Lata (Didi) Mangeshkar is 81 today. She spent the day quietly at her home, while leading figures of India and Bollywood sent messages wishing her many more years of singing.
Lata Didi told Media that she did not observe anymore birthdays and spent the 81st birthday like any other day in Kolhapur, at her ancestral house. The melody queen after Noor Jahan, and Bharat Ratna, has sung for every heroine as a playback from Madhubala (herself a singer) to Kajol during 1971-91. Asha Bhonsle, her younger sister and another singing legend like her, called Lata from Hong Kong to wish her well. Lata has thanked all her admirers with an internet message.
Born in 1930, Lata started her playback singing career in 1942 with Marathi songs, encouraged by her father Dinanath. Her first Hindi song came in 1946. She recorded songs for over 1000 films in Mumbai, and sang for other language films too, including Kannada. She has recently lent her voice in a duet with Pak Ghazals singer Mehdi Hasan. She holds Indian musical genius A R Rehman in high esteem.