‘Lata Mangeshkar passes away’!

A Whatsapp message brings the news. She is gone!

It is not a surprise- the losing battle was on for quite some time. I thought that I was mentally prepared to hear the worst anytime. Still, it feels like a sudden hammer blow. Tears start flowing almost immediately. It feels like something deeply personal has been snatched away from me. Something precious, something timeless, something undefinable! A part of me is gone forever!

From the age of six, since I was mesmerized by the lilting strains of ‘Aaja Piya Tohe Pyar Doon’ floating on the airwaves, introducing me to the singing phenomenon, to the present day, when passage of life has taught me that nothing lasts forever, her voice has been constantly at my side, guiding and goading me through the vast riches of Indian music. The voice that gave a magical fourth dimension to the most intricate compositions, poetry, and screen performances. The voice that defined purity and perfection; soul and spirituality; and melody and Midas touch. The voice that set the standards for the generations to follow.

‘Melody Queen’, ‘Nightingale of India’, Bharat Ratna…. the sobriquets, awards, and honors do just a partial justice to what she has been, and what she has meant to me, and to millions of music lovers world over. The sway held by her songs over the masses, as well as the classes, and the connection her music made with each living, breathing moment of so many lives over the eight decades of her memorable career marks her as the artiste extraordinaire with few parallels.

The body has stilled. The voice will reverberate throughout the world forever!

The Queen is dead. Long live the queen!