When Jawaharlal Nehru was moved to tears by Lata Mangeshkar’s Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon
India Today
In 1963, she performed the song Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon in front of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Lata Mangeshkar has passed but the music plays on - in a seemingly endless refrain, as it has for almost eight decades and likely for many more. She was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital on January 8 after she tested positive for Covid-19, and was under treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) over the past couple of weeks.
The monikers are many -- 'melody queen', 'India's nightingale', 'the voice of the millennium' and simply 'Lata didi' for many. She mesmerised all and sundry with her golden voice and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was one of them.
How will you remember Lata Mangeshkar? Pay your tributes here.
In 1963, she performed the heart-wrenching tribute song Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon in front of the then Prime Minister Nehru. Later, in an interview, Mangeshkar said that, "I was much relieved to get it over with. After I finished my two songs, I went backstage to relax with a cup of coffee, unaware [of] what an enduring impact the song had created. Suddenly, I heard Mehboob Khan Saab calling for me. He caught hold of my hand and said, 'Chalo, Panditji ne bulaya hai.”
She also spoke about how she was surprised at the incident and wondered why the Prime Minister had called for her. “Panditji said, 'Bahut achcha. Mere aankhon mein paani aa gaya,” she added.
Here a video of Lata Mangeshkar singing the iconic song at an event:
