Bhubaneswar: Veteran singer and of India’s most iconic stars, Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last on Sunday at the age of 92.
The singer stayed unmarried all her life and always maintained a dignified silence on any reports of link-ups and romances.
While some reports suggest that Lata decided against walking down the aisle as being the eldest, she had to take care of her siblings Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridayanath.
However, there were reports that she had developed a deep bond with former President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Raj Singh Dungarpur, who loved her voice. Lata was also a big cricket enthusiast. This brought them closer. Raj Singh would fondly call her ‘Mithoo’.
Raj Singh knew her brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar, whom he met at the cricket ground in Mumbai since he was associated with Rajasthan Ranji team, and he would take him home, where he met Lata for the first time. Raj Singh was then pursuing law in Mumbai.
Since music and recording kept Lata busy, they could not meet often and Raj Singh used to fill this gap by listening to her songs. He used to always keep the tape recorder with him.
However, they could not end up together.
The royal status of Raj Singh reportedly proved to be an impediment. He was the son of Laxman Singh, the king of Dungarpur princely state. When he told them about Lata to his father, he rejected their idea of getting married since she was a commoner.
They both never married but remained friends for life.
Notably, Raj Singh passed away in 2009.
During an interview with Hindustan Times, Lata was asked about what role love had played in her life and who was the lucky man. She simply replied, “There are some things only for the heart to know. Let me keep it that way.”
Referring to an interview of Kiran Rao, the legendary singer then said, “Bohut khoobsurat bola hai unhone (she has spoken beautifully). It’s important to first find happiness and a sense of fulfilment within yourself, else the dream of being fulfilled only through marriage or children loses its significance.”
