Lata Mangeshkar was the manifestation of divine grace. India lost a precious gem. The timeless treasure trove of melodious songs rendered by her will continue to resonate in the world for many more years. Singers will come and go, but Mangeshkar’s place in the world of music will remain supreme and irreplaceable (‘A voice in white’, February 20).
Vijay Singh Adhikari,
Nainital, Uttarakhand.
Your cover story on Mangeshkar was splendid, and there was so much information in it. The exclusive articles were really good. THE WEEK deserves appreciation for such a timely package.
Raghavan Rajagopal,
Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu.
To call Mangeshkar a legend is not enough. No adjective suits her. Mangeshkar’s influence spanned from one generation to the other, and one country to the other.
Her simplicity stunned everyone and she will forever remain in our hearts. I am sure there will never be another Mangeshkar.
Jayaprakash Reddy,
On email.
The passing of Mangeshkar has left a vacuum in the field of music that is very difficult to fill—at least in near future. The ‘Nightingale of India’, as I would like to call her, has left a permanent impression in our hearts. There cannot be two opinions about her unmatched talent.
Amar L. Naik,
On email.
My heartfelt thanks to THE WEEK for recalling memories of the incomparable Mangeshkar. In addition to anecdotes on her Dickensian life, your cover story also showed the struggles and storms that Mangeshkar faced, which would greatly inspire budding flowers in the music field.
Sam Alexander,
On email.
Mangeshkar was intensely personal and not readily accessible to even top celebrities. I was fortunate to have heard her sing a song at a conference in Mumbai where the president of India was the chief guest.
What is perhaps not mentioned in the cover story is her contributions to the cancer hospital in Pune, which was named after her father [Deenanath Mangeshkar].
K.V. Jayaram,
On email.
Kudos to your team for having put up such a detailed and interesting story on Mangeshkar in such a short time. However, an interview with Gulzar or Javed Akhtar would have been a bonus.
Mahesh Joshi,
On email.
The detailed narration of Mangeshkar’s musical journey—extolling her soulful dedication to meticulous renditions in multiple languages, with a tinge of nativity—explained why she was the reigning queen for well over six decades.
In the starlit musical world, many singers like S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and K.S. Chithra have rendered numerous songs in different languages with unswerving grit and confidence, but Mangeshkar left imprints in maintaining her mellifluous voice for well over six decades, which has earned her the nation’s highest award and laurels.
B. Gurumurthy,
On email.
Mangeshkar created history by dominating as a singer in the film industry for a record number of decades. She was able to sing with ease in so many languages. We have many singers par excellence in south India, and it is heartening to know that Mangeshkar carved a niche in the music world in north India.
Yvonne Fernando,
On email.
Crazy about Wordle
I fully agree and share the craze for Wordle, which was mentioned by Anuja Chauhan in her column (‘Bingo’s the Word’, February 20). My mornings are incomplete without tea and Wordle. Sudoku has taken a backseat since Wordle fever got to me. My brain cells are continuously in motion to guess each word. A sense of accomplishment, achievement and joy gives a serenity to my mornings.
Long live, Wordle!
Ranju Gulati,
On email.
2017 won’t repeat
Covid mismanagement, unemployment, police atrocities in rural areas, tumbledown infrastructure in remote areas and agrarian unrest were some issues with enough potency to throw away the BJP dispensation [in Uttar Pradesh], but timely succour—from the hijab row that will polarise the atmosphere [in the state], to the unavailability of any mainstream political party in central and eastern UP [to challenge the BJP]—will save the day for the BJP (‘Terabytes for mega-votes’, February 20).
However, the BJP should not expect to replicate the magic of 2017, and to cross the mark of 300 in UP assembly. Besides, the faded aura of Narendra Modi will only add a small percentage of voters into the BJP fold.
Devendra Awasthi,
Lucknow.
Interesting article
‘Inked love’ (February 20) was really interesting. I never thought that Prahlad Kakkar, Vikas Khanna, Ma Anand Sheela and Anuja Chauhan will open up in this manner about their love lives, which, for many like me, is a private matter. I agree with Kakkar that today’s youngsters are unable to write poetry because they don’t feel strongly enough.
I wonder whether the boy Chauhan was referring to is actually her husband.
Suraj Nambiar,
On email.
Correction
The song “O basanti pawan paagal” in the film Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai was picturised on Padmini, and not Vyjayanthimala, as mentioned by [Mumbai-based music journalist] Narendra Kusnur.
Subramania Rangnanathan,
On email.
We regret the error.
Editor