A nation of more than a billion lost its nightingale on Sunday, as the legendary Lata Mangeshkar passed away at the age of 92.
A voice which became the benchmark of excellence and purity; her magical voice took every soundtrack to another realm. 'Ae mere Watan Ke Logo', an iconic patriotic song has been immortalised by her soulful voice. Every Indian has goosebumps listening to this song each time.
Born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on 28 September 1929, she began learning music at the age of five from her father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, who was active in the world of theatre. After her father's death, the family moved to Mumbai where a teenage Mangeshkar began singing for Marathi movies. Her big break came in 1949 with the release of a haunting song titled Aayega Aanewala for the movie Mahal.
Over the next few decades, Mangeshkar sang thousands of songs which were lip-synced by Bollywood's biggest heroines across generations.
During her extraordinary career spanning more than half a century, she recorded thousands of songs in 36 languages. She received every laurel possible including India's highest honour for civilians, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001.
Lata, a quiet and private person was a feminist all the way. In a rare 2013 interview,  the singer opened up about the significance of love, marriage, and children in her life.
She spoke about people's notions that a woman is 'incomplete' unless she is married and has children. She said, "People talk all sorts of things, so learn to ignore them. Else, it’ll be difficult to lead a happy life. Energies that are negative and depressing should be kept at bay. I have always done that."
The nightingale is gone but she will continue to live in a billion Indian hearts.