Latabai Mangeshkar, who, as a playback singer, enjoys today, a clout, which
                           even the movie moguls of the country's film industry cannot dream of.Lata
                           Mangeshkar's songs have captured the hearts and imagination of millions of
                           her admirers around the world. They have become an inseparable part of
                           the daily lives of Indians - wherever they may be. Words fail to express
                           the depth and scope of Lata Mangeshkar's genius. Lata Mangeshkar has
                           come to symbolise India in a way that no one else has, or ever will for years
                           to come. She has charmed her fans with thousands of songs she has sung as a
                           playback singer in films, her name was in the Guinness Book of World
     Records for singing the maximum number of songs way back in 1974 sung in over 20 different
     languages. Perhaps only mother's voice sounds more magical than Lata's. The name of Lata
     Mangeshkar (b.1929) is a byword in Indian semi-classical music. A soprano with over three octave
     range, she has an indescribable, unsoiled purity in her voice. It is delicate, sharp and clear in
     difficult note patterns. Her rendition is marked with a rare sense of rhythm and lyrics.

     It was after India’s losses in the India-China war in 1962 that a
     young Lata had sung the song, “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon, Zara
     Aankh Me Bhar Lo Pani”. The song, written by Kavi Pradeep,
     moved the then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to tears
     and he confessed “Beti toone mujhe rula diya.”It is at this time
     when the Pakistani Prime Minister said that he would gladly
     exchange Lata for Kashmir" such is the aura of Lata Mangeshkar.

                         Lata’s reign over the world of playback singing for female characters has
                         been undisputed over the decades and she has lent her voice to heroines from
                         Meena Kumari to Sreedevi to Urmila. She has surprised even her fans with
                         the range of her singing in the film DIL SE with the song "Jiya Jale" on her
                         turning 70, which was a huge hit and was recorded in just 40 minutes.

     Lata is a legend in her lifetime and undeniably the best singer India has ever produced. As
     renowned Classical singer Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan said for lata "Kambakht Kabhi Besura Gati
     Hi Nahi". Her contribution to making music popular throughout India and the world is incalculable
     and she has reigned supreme all through the last six decades.

Lataji's Personal Favourites

1. Aayega Aanewala [MAHAL]
2. Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya [MUGHAL-E-AZAM]
3. Aaja Re Pardesi [MADHUMATI]
4. Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil [BEES SAAL BAAD]
5. Allah Tero Naam [HUM DONO]
6. Naina Barse Rim Jhim [WOH KAUN THI]
7. Aa jaane ja [INTEQUAM]
8. Bindiya Chamkegi [DO RAASTE]
9. Dil Deewana [MAINE PYAR KIYA]
10. Jiya Jale [DIL SE]