Remembering Lata Mangeshkar: Why the legendary singer was named 'Lata'

India's beloved music icon Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last at the age of 92 on Sunday, at the Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai. The singer had been undergoing treatment for the past couple of weeks for pneumonia after having tested positive for COVID-19. The news of her passing was confirmed by her sister Usha Mangeshkar. 

The beacon of inspiration for many, the 'Queen of Melody' started her career at a very early age after her father died of heart disease. Interestingly, her father was a Marathi and Konkani musician as well as a theatre actor, who the singer grew up listening to. While Lata reigns in the hearts of millions across the globe, not many know that she was named Hema at birth. Why her father later named her Lata has an interesting backstory to it. 

Lata Mangeshkar was named 'Hema' at her birth

The legendary singer's father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, was keenly imbued with his acting stints in theatres and the idea of changing her name to 'Lata' originated at one of his plays titled 'Bhavbandhan'. The female character in the play was named 'Latika', and her father is said to have liked the name so much that he ended up naming his eldest child after it. 

'Lata Didi' was the eldest of her siblings - Meena, Asha, Usha, and Hridaynath - all of who became accomplished music artists as well. After her father's demise, the 13-year-old singer and her family were taken care of by Vinayak Damodar Karnataki, the owner of Navyug Chitrapat movie company as well as a close friend. He also helped Mangeshkar in getting a small role in the 1942 Marathi movie Pahili Mangalaa-gaur, in which she voiced the track Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai. 

A pathbreaking figure taking the Indian music scene to newer heights, Lata Mangeshkar has recorded songs in over 36 Indian and foreign languages and won accolades like Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Bharat Ratna and many others for her work. 

(Image: @urmikundu26082021/Instagram)