7 Feb – Legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar has recently passed away. The singer, who recorded tens of thousands of songs, mostly for Bollywood films, breathed her last nearly a month after being in the ICU following a COVID-19 diagnosis. Expressing sadness over the death of the Queen of Melody and Nightingale of India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, "I am anguished beyond words. The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled." "The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people," he added.
The government has also announced a two-day mourning for Lata, of which the national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country. Born in 1929, Lata began performing for Marathi movies in her teen years, before she - alongside her sister Asha Bhosle - became one of the most sought-after playback singers for Hindi movies, including hit films like "Sangam", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Dil To Pagal Hai", "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham", "Mohabbatein" and "Rang de Basanti". She was 92.