INDIA. Mumbai: A Bhumi Pujan (groundbreaking ceremony) of the Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar Memorial to be set up at Haji Ali Chowk, Tardeo in South Mumbai, was performed on Monday in the presence of members of the Mangeshkar family and others.
Usha Mangeshkar, the younger sister of Lata Mangeshkar, was the chief guest on the occasion of the first death anniversary of the legendary singer, who passed away on February 6, 2022, at the age of 92 in Mumbai.
The proposed 40-foot-tall memorial, to be named “Swarancha Kalpvriksha” (Melodious Tree), will be constructed through MLAs’ funds with a contribution from the BMC and is expected to be completed in the next six months.
Immortalizing Lata Mangeshkar, her voice, and songs, her music will be played at the memorial venue on important days for the public.
Lata Mangeshkar’s sister Meena Mangeshkar, nephew Adinath Mangeshkar, and other family members, including actor Shivaji Satam, singers Sudesh Bhosale and Nitin Mukesh, Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, and others, were present during the groundbreaking ceremony.
On the occasion, playback singer Sudesh Bhosale said, “I had the good fortune to perform with Lata Dosanjh during the world tours in 1995 and 1997, and the best compliment she gave me was that when I was with her, she needed no other male singer because of my ability to imitate Amitabh Bachchan and Manna Da.” “I was very fond of her, and I’m glad to be here.”
“We are very pleased that the memorial is coming up here… It’s quite close to our home, Prabhu Kunj. The Maharashtra government and the Mumbai Municipal Corporation are working on it, and it will be ready soon. “We want the proposed coastal road connecting South Mumbai with suburbs to be named after Latadidi,” Usha Mangeshkar said.
“This is the first time such a mega-project is taken up in Mumbai; it comes up just beside the Mangeshkars’ ancestral home, and hence the family is desirous that it be named after Lata Didi,” she added.
The late singer’s nephew, Adinath Mangeshkar, said that “Maharashtra Tourism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodhaji met with Usha ji to discuss the memorial.” At that time, we requested that he pursue the matter and name the coastal road after Latadidi. “This is a humble request, and the government should consider it.”
The most prestigious project of the BMC, the Mumbai Coastal Road, is coming up at a quick pace, with the 10-km-long first phase in south Mumbai expected to be ready by December 2023.
Slated to cost around Rs 13,000 crore, the first phase comprises twin tunnels of 2.07 km running under the Malabar Hill, linking Girgaum Chowpatty Beach with Priyadarshini Park at the northern end.
Earlier, a political controversy had erupted over the issue of the Lata Mangeshkar memorial.
Some leaders had demanded that it be set up at historic Shivaji Park in Central Mumbai. where others opposed the idea.
Eventually, Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Lata Mangeshkar’s brother, and a well-known musician requested all the leaders to stop politics over the memorial.
A host of programmes were organised on the occasion of the first death anniversary of Lata Mangeshkar in the country, including concerts organised by the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh and the BJP MLA Shashish Shelar at Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha Hall in Central Mumbai.
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