Lata Mangeshkar's 92nd birthday: 5 lesser-known facts that may surprise you

For decades, Lata Mangeshkar's voice has kept music lovers across the globe entertained. Many fans will be able to list down some of her iconic tracks and several of them would easily croon her songs. However, not many would know about the interesting details of her life. 

As the legend celebrates her 92nd birthday, here are some of the lesser-known details of Lata Mangeshkar's life:

5 lesser-known details of Lata Mangeshkar's life

1. Early life

Lata Mangeshkar's father, musician-actor Deenanath Mangeshkar, had named her Hema, initially. However, he changed his mind and named her after Latika, one of the characters in his play Bhav Bandhan.

Lata was reportedly poisoned in 1963 and fell seriously ill with bouts of vomiting, severe body pain, and being bed-ridden for three days. However, she miraculously survived. The doctors claimed that she was given slow poison, and it is said that the servant had vanished without collecting his salary.

2. Political stint

Lata Mangeshkar was nominated for the Rajya Sabha in 1999. Her term ended in 2006, though she was criticised for not attending the sessions. She had then cited her ill-health for her absence from the Parliament. 

3. International honours

While Lata is known for being among the few to be honoured with Bharat Ratna, the government's highest civilian award, she was also honoured with France's highest civilian award, The Legion of Honour in 2007. In an unprecedented move, French authorities had arrived in India to bestow the honour on her. It is said that this was after she expressed her discomfort in travelling by air to France to collect the award. Among her international honours was when she became the first Indian to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1974. Even the New York University had bestowed an honorary doctorate on Lata Mangeshkar. 

4. Food

It is said that Lata Mangeshkar used to eat a lot of green chillies to maintain her sweet voice. She also used to chew gum that helped in her singing. As far as her diet was concerned, the veteran loved seafood and used to eat dal-rice or phulka along with sabzi regularly. She also loved Gajar ka Halwa and Pani Puri. She loved all kinds of cuisines and also enjoyed cooking Kolhapuri mutton and sabzi.  

5. Non-singing endeavours

Though it is singing that brought her global recognition, she had started her career as an actor. She starred in Pahili Mangalagaur (1942) and then also featured in films like Chimukla Sansar (1943) and Maajhe Baal (1944). She, however, stated that she was uncomfortable acting and that applying make-up and laughing or crying as per the instructions of the director was not something that she enjoyed.

Apart from acting and singing, the legend also launched her production house with the Gulzar directorial Lekin in 1991. She also launched her music label in 2013. The perfume Lata Eau de Parfum was named after Lata Mangeshkar in 1999. She also designed for an Indian diamond company and five of her designs fetched 105,000 pounds. She also donated for earthquake relief efforts in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. 

(Image: Twitter/@mangeshkarlata)