Birthday Special: Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, Jiya Jale – 10 best songs of India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar!

Here are a few gems from the long and illustrious singing career of India’s most celebrated playback singer

Born on September 28, 1929, Lata Mangeshkar celebrates her 86th birthday today. In spite of all the ups and downs, she will always be considered as a musical giant in an industry where careers are short lived and those of musicians, even more so.

Eldest of five siblings – Lata, Asha Usha, Meena and Hridaynath – Lata took on the onus of taking care of the family and sang her first song onscreen for the Marathi film Kitti Hasaal (1942), after her father Dinanath Mangeshkar passed away when she was just 13. She moved to Mumbai from Nagpur at 16 and took further training in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, after which she began her epic journey in Hindi cinema. A versatile singer, Lata held her own when she sang opposite masters such as Mukesh, Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey. It was her pairing with Mohammed Rafi that was most popular and the two sang hundreds of songs together until they had an ugly fallout, after which they refused to sing together for a couple of years.

Praising her elder sister, Asha Bhosle said that Lata didi always took care of her after their father Dinanath Mangeshkar passed away. “She managed the home and took care of us despite several problems. It was very difficult for her. She then started as a playback singer for Hindi films. And, honestly, god gave her the place she deserved – right on top.”

In her six decades of her music career, she has sung for almost every big female actor – from Madhubala to Meena Kumari and Madhuri Dixit to Kareena Kapoor. Lata Mangeshkar’s voice remains timeless, ethereal and every bit as sweet as it ever was. Considering the space constraints, we managed to pick 10 of her songs that we like most.

Here are 10 best songs of Lata Mangeshkar:

Lag jaa gale (Woh Kaun Thi, 1964)