When Lata Mangeshkar left Telugu audience in awe

Amaravati: It was December 1993, Lata Mangeshkar came to Vijayawada to receive the prestigious Dr Pinnamaneni and Seethadevi Foundation’s lifetime achievement award. The function was to be held in Tummalapalli vari Kshetrayya Kalakshetram that evening. In the morning, Lata Mangeshkar went to Indrakeeladri, the abode of Goddess Kanaka Durga, to worship the presiding deity of […]

Amaravati: It was December 1993, Lata Mangeshkar came to Vijayawada to receive the prestigious Dr Pinnamaneni and Seethadevi Foundation’s lifetime achievement award.

The function was to be held in Tummalapalli vari Kshetrayya Kalakshetram that evening. In the morning, Lata Mangeshkar went to Indrakeeladri, the abode of Goddess Kanaka Durga, to worship the presiding deity of Vijayawada.

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Foundation Managing Trustee C Nageswara Rao, a couple of her family members, and a handful of people accompanied Lata Mangeshkar to the temple, where she was accorded a traditional welcome.

After worshipping the Goddess and offering puja, the nightingale rendered, impromptu, a hymn in praise of Goddess Kanaka Durga, right inside the sanctum sanctorum.

Everybody stood mesmerised as the queen of melody left everyone in awe with her mellifluous and devotion-filled rendition. Later, in the temple mantapam, she was offered the Goddess’ traditional pattu vastram and prasadam.

Another legendary singer S P Balasubrahmanyam also received the Dr Pinnamaneni and Seethadevi Foundation award along with Lata Mangeshkar that day. Lata Mangeshkar’s first song for a Telugu film was in 1955 for ‘Santhanam’, starring the legend Akkineni

Nageswara Rao. “Nidurapora Tammuda…”, composed by Susarla Dakshina Murthy, is one of the famous all-time melodies in Telugu. Years later in 1988, she sang a duet with SP Balasubrahmanyam for the film ‘Aakhari Poratam’ in maestro Ilaiyaraja’s composition.

The film starred Akkineni Nagarjuna, son of Nageswara Rao. The song “Tella cheeraku takadhimi tapanalu…” was a chartbuster of the time.

In 1989, Lata Mangeshkar lent her voice to a few songs for the film Sridevi, a Telugu dubbed version of the super hit Hindi movie ‘Chandni’.

In 1999, Lata Mangeshkar was presented the NTR National Award, named after the legend Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, who founded the Telugu Desam Party and served as Chief Minister of then united Andhra Pradesh.

In 2009, she was honoured with the Akkineni Nageswara Rao National award, one of the many lifetime achievement awards she received.

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