A fascinating anecdote about Lata Mangeshkar's association with East Bengal

Her voice united India and her demise left the entire nation voiceless. There was, and will only be, one Lata Mangeshkar!

The legendary singer, who was conferred with India’s highest civilian honor, Bharat Ratna, in 2001, breathed her last in Mumbai on Sunday morning at the age of 92.

Dr Pratit Samdani, who was treating her at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital, said:

“She has died because of multi-organ failure after more than 28 days of hospitalization post COVID-19.”

A veritable music institution, Lata ji was cremated with full state honors at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Sunday evening. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other luminaries to the general public, a sea of admirers attended the funeral to pay their last respects to the prolific singer.

As a mark of respect to her legacy, the government of India declared a two-day state mourning from February 6 to February 7. During the period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast and there will be no official entertainment.

Revered the world over as the “Nightingale of India”, Lata ji’s passing away has left a permanent void in the country’s cultural milieu. Her unparalleled career, spanning nearly eight decades, requires no elucidation. Lata Mangeshkar's divine voice enraptured millions across generations as she sang thousands of songs in 36 languages.

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Lata Mangeshkar – A passionate sports fan

A true genius, Lata ji’s interests and influence branched out in various directions. Apart from music, she was an ardent lover of literature and sports. Her passion for cricket knew no bounds as she never refrained from doing her bit in the cause of Indian cricket.

After Kapil Dev’s India scripted a miracle by lifting the Cricket World Cup (Prudential Cup) in 1983, the "Queen of Melody" famously lent them her support by performing at a concert at the Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

Since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) lacked funds at the time, the event was organized to raise money and felicitate India’s first-ever World Cup-winning squad. Each member, including manager PR Man Singh, was paid ₹1 lakh from the surplus of ₹21 lakh generated through the event.

As a goodwill gesture, the BCCI offers the Mangeshkar family two tickets for every international match played on home soil. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian ODI team also honored Lata ji by sporting black armbands in their first ODI against the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening. Co-incidentally, it was Team India’s 1000th ODI match.

Lata ji shared a special bond with another Bharat Ratna awardee, Sachin Tendulkar. The legendary Indian batter, who looked up to the iconic singer as a mother, appeared palpably emotional whilst paying his last respects to his “Aai” [“mother” in Marathi] at Shivaji Park.

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Did you know Lata Mangeshkar was an honorary life member of East Bengal?

Although her love for cricket is a well-known fact, not many would be aware that Lata ji was an honorary life member of East Bengal, one of Asia’s oldest football clubs.

The story dates back to 1988. Lata ji visited Kolkata to take part in East Bengal's Pre-platinum Jubilee celebrations. Held at the club ground, it was her only concert for an Indian football club.

Eminent football historian and statistician Gautam Roy narrated a fascinating anecdote about the event. Roy, who has documented East Bengal’s rich history in his book, “East Bengal 100”, told Sportskeeda:

“It was Suprakash Gargari, an erstwhile senior club official, who brought Lata Mangeshkar to East Bengal. The club used to send her honorary life membership cards through Mr Gargari every year, hoping that she would accept it. But that didn’t happen."

He continued:

“Then, one day, Mr Gargari met her by chance in Mumbai. He asked her, ‘Ma’am, why don’t you accept our club’s honorary life membership?’ She said that she didn’t watch football much, but accepted the life membership. Mr Gargari then asked her if she had heard of East Bengal Club before. To this, Lata ji laughed and replied, ‘Of course, I have! On East Bengal's match days in Bombay, Burman dada [Sachin Dev Burman] used to cancel all his recordings and head straight to the ground to cheer for his favorite team. I think Manna Dey is a supporter of East Bengal’s rival club [Mohun Bagan], right? They used to have so many banters!’"

Roy added:

“After this meeting with Mr Gargari, Lata ji was kind enough to visit Kolkata and perform at a concert to raise funds for the development of East Bengal Club. The club was going through a financial crisis at that stage. Lata ji was quite happy to sing in front of an enthusiastic audience at the club ground.”

East Bengal’s executive committee official Debabrata Sarkar, too, expressed his condolences via a video message. He said:

“We worshiped Goddess Saraswati yesterday, on the occasion of Saraswati Puja. Today, we’ve lost the real Saraswati. I’ve been fortunate to meet her in person a few times. Lata ji is immortal. Our club’s flag will be flown at half-mast today, as a mark of respect to her.”

The club’s Indian Super League avatar, SC East Bengal, mourned Lata ji’s death on social media.