News updates: RBI postpones MPC meet by a day to February 8

Live news updates: A recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award in 1989, Mangeshkar recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films.

10:10 PM

Over 2,700 police personnel deployed in Mumbai to handle situation after Lata Mangeshkar's death

Mumbai police on Sunday deployed over 2,700 of its personnel across three places in Mumbai linked to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar - the hospital, where she breathed her last, her Pedder Road residence and the Shivaji Park ground, where she was cremated in the evening. Mangeshkar died in Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on Sunday morning at the age of 92.

 

"As the news of her death broke out, people started gathering outside the the hospital. In order to control the crowd, a number of constables were deputed there," a police official said.

 

From the hospital, Mangeshkar's mortal remains were taken to her residence Prabhu Kunj in south Mumbai in the afternoon, where several celebrities and other people paid their last respects.

9:50 PM

RBI postpones MPC meet by a day to Feb 8

RBI postpones MPC meet by a day to Feb 8 as Maharashtra declares public holiday on Monday as mark of respect to Lata Mangeshkar

9:34 PM

Sputnik Light vaccine gets nod for emergency use in India

Apex drug regulator, the Drug Controller General on Sunday granted emergency use approval to single-dose Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine in India.

 

As per the vaccine developer RDIF, the interim data of the efficacy trial from Russia has shown an efficacy of 65.4 per cent against Covid-19, 21 days after immunisation.

 

"DCGI has granted emergency use permission to Single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine in India.This is the 9th COVID19 vaccine in the country", said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a tweet. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic, he added.

9:16 PM

Delhi records 1,410 Covid cases, 14 deaths; positivity rate down to 2.45%

Delhi on Sunday reported 1,410 fresh COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths, while the positivity rate dropped to 2.45 per cent, according to data shared by the health department.

 

With this, the national capital's case count increased to 18,43,933 and the death toll climbed to 25,983 the latest health bulletin stated.

 

The number of COVID-19 tests conducted a day ago stood at 57,549, it said.

 

Delhi had on Saturday reported 1,604 cases with a positivity rate of 2.87 per cent, and 17 deaths. The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13.

9:15 PM

Tamil Nadu sees downward trend in daily Covid infections

Tamil Nadu continued to witness a decline in daily COVID-19 cases as 6,120 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the aggregate to 34,10,882, the health department said on Sunday. According to a medical bulletin, 26 more people succumbed to the contagion, mounting the toll to 37,759. Recoveries outnumbered new cases as 23,144 people got discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 32,51,295 leaving 1,21,828 active infections.

 

A total of 1,23,537 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined to 6.25 crore.

 

Though seeing a downward trend, Chennai and Coimbatore accounted for majority of new cases with 972 and 911 respectively followed by Chengalpet at 531 while the remaining was spread across other districts. Perambalur recorded the least number of cases-- 13 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.

8:58 PM

Lata Mangeshkar's demise has created a big void in me: Ilaiyaraaja

Film composer Ilaiyaraaja, who collaborated with Lata Mangeshkar on a number of songs, on Sunday remembered the legendary singer and said her divine voice mesmerised people world over.

 

Mangeshkar (92) died at a hospital in Mumbai around 8.12 am due to multiple organ failures.

 

Ilaiyaraaja, 78, took to his Twitter handle and posted a video message, saying that he was "deeply saddened" by Mangeshkar's demise.

 

"In the history of Indian film music, for the last six-seven decades, Lataji mesmerised the world over with her divine voice. I am deeply saddened by her passing away and her demise has created a big void in me.

7:22 PM

State honours as brother consigns Lata's remains to flames

Pallbearers in service uniform carried Lata Mangeshkar's mortal remains to the cremation dais at Shivaji Park and honoured the legendary singer with a military-style bugle recital as part of a state funeral. 

 

The state honour came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a string of dignitaries and celebrities in paying homage to Mangeshkar, who had passed away in the morning the same day.

 

The late singer's younger brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar lit the funeral pyre after the services offered a gun salute.

 

Lata Mangeshkar had died in the morning of Sunday, Feb 6, at the age of 92.  

 

 

6:38 PM

PM Modi leads string of big wigs in paying homage to Lata Mangeshkar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Lata Mangeshkar within minutes of his arrival at Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Sunday, February 6 evening, to attend the final rites of the legendary singer. Mangeshkar had passed away in the morning the same day.

 

Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari followed PM Modi in paying respects to the departed singer, after which a string of dignitaries and celebrities, including Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Piyush Goyal, Sachin Tendulkar, Javed Akhtar and Shah Rukh Khan paid homage. 

 

It will be a state funeral.

 

There was heavy police bandobast in and around Shivaji Park and barricades had been put up at various places to restrain members of the public from crowding the area.

6:22 PM

PM Modi reaches Shivaji Park for Lata Mangeshkar funeral

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Shivaji Park a little after 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 6, and just ahead of the last rites of Lata Mangeshkar. The PM would also be paying homage to her ahead of the lighting of the pyre. 

 

The legendary singer had passed away in the morning.

 

Other dignitaries and celebrities at the funeral included Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Piyush Goyal, Sachin Tendulkar, Javed Akhtar and Shah Rukh Khan. 

 

There was heavy police bandobast in and around Shivaji Park and barricades had been put up at various places to restrain members of the public from crowding the area.

5:35 PM

Lata Mangeshkar will live through her songs: Sikkim CM

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Sunday mourned the death of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar and said that the 'Nightingale of India' will live through her songs.

Mangeshkar, 92, died at a Mumbai hospital on Sunday.

"I am deeply saddened to know about the demise of veteran singer #LataMangeshkar Ji at the age of 92. I express my deepest condolences to her family & friends and join the entire Nation in mourning this monumental loss and pray that her soul rests in eternal peace. Om Shanti!" Tamang tweeted.

"Her passing away is an irreparable loss for our nation, leaving a void that can never be filled. The Nightingale of India will live through her songs," he added.

As notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Sikkim government announced that state-wide mourning will be observed on February 6 and 7.

As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, two days of state mourning will be observed from February 6 to 7, a government notification said.

During the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast, and there will be no official entertainment, it added.

5:34 PM

Sri Lankan army chief mourns death of 'Nightingale of India'

Expressing grief over the demise of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who is popularly known as the "Nightingale of India", Sri Lankan Army chief General Shavendra Silva on Sunday said that the veteran singer's musical tradition impacted the whole of Asia and Sri Lanka was no exception.

In a message of condolence to Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, General Silva said the cultural ambassadorial contribution of the late singer has left an indelible milestone in the hearts of all Sri Lankans, including those of the armed forces.

"Lata Mangeshkar who had sung in more than thirty-six languages and recorded some 30,000 plus songs honoured Sri Lanka by singing a couple of Sinhala songs, too which turned out to be popular hits after they were released in Sri Lanka late in1950s and 1960s," the Sri Lankan Army said in a statement.

"It is her musical tradition that impacted the whole of Asia, and Sri Lanka remains no exception. Her soothing universal voice that penetrated the hearts and minds of Sri Lankan music-lovers mesmerized people and that melodious voice would continue to reverberate through for generations since her iconic voice had no boundaries," General Shavendra Silva commented.

Sri Lankan Army chief also sent a condolence message to Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner of India for Sri Lanka.

5:23 PM

PM Modi arrives in Mumbai to attend Lata Mangeshkar funeral

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon to attend the funeral of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who died here this morning.

The 92-year-old singer's funeral will be performed with full state honours at Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai around 6.30 pm.

The mortal remains of the singing icon are being taken from her Pedder Road residence Prabhu Kunj to Shivaji Park.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal earlier said they have arranged about 25 kg of sandalwood for Mangeshkar's cremation along with other necessary things.

Around 2,000 sq ft of the park's area has been barricaded for the funeral proceedings, a BMC official said.

5:22 PM

Lata attended school only for a day, learnt Marathi alphabets from house help

On her first day of school, Lata Mangeshkar took younger sister Asha, then aged about 10 months, with her and when her teacher objected to it, she angrily went back home never to return again.

She learnt Marathi alphabets from her house help who taught the singer to read and write the basics.

"I must have been about three or four when I asked our servant, Vitthal, who was a teenager at the time, to teach me the Marathi alphabet and how to read and write the basics. I studied Marathi at home," she told filmmaker-author Nasreen Munni Kabir, who later adapted these conversations as a book titled "Lata Mangeshkar...in her own voice".

Mangeshkar, however, had attended some nursery classes before. "The teacher used to write 'Shri Ganeshji' on the blackboard, and I used to copy it perfectly. I got 10 out of 10."

At that time, her cousin Vasanti was studying in the third standard at Murlidhar School, a Marathi-medium school just opposite to their house in Sangli, a city in Maharashtra. Sometimes she would tag along with her cousin and whenever Vasanti had a music lesson, Mangeshkar used to attentively listen to the teacher singing.

"One day, the teacher, pointing at me, asked my cousin: 'Who is she?' I jumped up saying: 'I am Master Deenanath's daughter!' She said: 'He is such a great singer. Can you sing?' I told her I could sing many raags, and rattled off their names: Malkauns, Hindol, etc. She led me straight off to the staff room where all the teachers were sitting and asked me to sing. So, I sang a classical song based on Hindol. I was four or five," the book, published by Niyogi, mentioned.

So on the same day, Mangeshkar was to join the same school, Asha Bhosle was about 10 months old.

"I took her in my arms and off I went. When I entered the class, I sat down with Asha in my lap. The teacher said firmly: 'Babies aren't allowed here.' I was very angry and got up. I took Asha home and never went back," Mangeshkar recalled.

She learnt Hindi from her cousin Indira and later from a person in Bombay named Lekhraj Sharma. She then went on to learn Urdu, Bengali and a little bit of Punjabi. She tried learning Tamil too and could also understand Sanskrit.

On how she would learn a song, Mangeshkar told Kabir: "I first write the lyrics in Hindi, in Devnagari - even if the words are in Urdu or any other language. The music director sings the song to me so I hear the tune as I read the words. I make notes on my page of lyrics, indicating at what point I might stress a particular word. Then I memorise the tune and sing it.

5:14 PM

Lata Didi amar rahe: Fans bid adieu to singing legend on her final journey

Chanting slogans, singing songs and waiting for hours just to get a final glimpse of their icon -- that's how Lata Mangeshkar's fans bid a tearful adieu to the singing legend as her final journey began from her residence in south Mumbai to Shivaji Park for the last rites.

Hundreds of fans, young and old, flocked Mangeshkar's residence Prabhu Kunj to pay their last respects to the music icon who died due to multi-organ failure following COVID diagnosis.

Traffic and city police were deployed in large numbers to ensure the busy Pedder Road near her residence doesn't turn chock-a-block, as fans gathered on both sides of the road on a humid Mumbai afternoon.

The lane opposite her residence reverberated with admirers' chants, "Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Lata didi ka naam rahega" and "Lata Didi amar rahe".

"I got a bad feeling when I woke up today morning and immediately started praying for her recovery. I'm just shattered that Didi, who has shaped my life and that if crores of others, is not anymore," 60-year-old Savita Shah told PTI.

Shah arrived outside Mangeshkar's residence early morning, with a bouquet of Chrysanthemums and a wish.

"I just want to touch her feet. If that's not possible, I'll lay these flowers at the entrance of her building. This is the closest I'll get to her in this lifetime," she added.

Shah wasn't alone, as several fans of Mangeshkar from various parts of the city stood for hours on the street, some even fighting with the policemen because they were denied entry to go closer to the apartment.

A special barricade was put up by the cops for the battery of media persons present, but fans managed to leak through those as well, entering the media zone for a "better view".

Some made their way smartly on to trees, climbing their way up to get a vantage point view, while some took the help of BMC installed large garbage bins to hop on the wall opposite her residence.

Every balcony or window of the neighbouring buildings had curious admirers peeping out.

Mumbai police force had to routinely disperse the restless, emotional crowd.

Kalyani Ghosh, a college student, also stood with strangers behind police barricades. She wasn't an "ardent fan" but was there on behalf of someone who requested her to witness the "last glimpse of history".

"My grandmother called me, crying. Lata Mangeshkar's songs have been through her thick and thin. They're like medicines to her. When the news was out, she broke down and requested if I could be present, so that she would feel she saw Lata Didi one last time.

"I'll be video calling her and showing her the visuals," Ghosh said.

Military officials stood outside Mangeshkar's residence to escort the body from her residence to the Shivaji Park crematorium for the state funeral.

The coffin was draped with the national flag and placed on the truck with a band march.

Mangeshkar siblings Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridaynath boarded the open truck along with other relatives.

As the vehicle moved, people chanted "Lata didi amar rahe" and showered it with petals.

5:07 PM

Lata Didi amar rahe: Fans bid adieu to singing legend on her final journey

Chanting slogans, singing songs and waiting for hours just to get a final glimpse of their icon -- that's how Lata Mangeshkar's fans bid a tearful adieu to the singing legend as her final journey began from her residence in south Mumbai to Shivaji Park for the last rites.

Hundreds of fans, young and old, flocked Mangeshkar's residence Prabhu Kunj to pay their last respects to the music icon who died due to multi-organ failure following COVID diagnosis.

Traffic and city police were deployed in large numbers to ensure the busy Pedder Road near her residence doesn't turn chock-a-block, as fans gathered on both sides of the road on a humid Mumbai afternoon.

The lane opposite her residence reverberated with admirers' chants, "Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Lata didi ka naam rahega" and "Lata Didi amar rahe".

"I got a bad feeling when I woke up today morning and immediately started praying for her recovery. I'm just shattered that Didi, who has shaped my life and that if crores of others, is not anymore," 60-year-old Savita Shah told PTI.