Be it Indian classical or cabaret songs or the pain of a heroine immersed in grief, everything gets completely cast in Legendary Lata Mangeshkar's voice. Therefore, if we call Lata Mangeshkar as the Goddess of tunes, then there will be no exaggeration. The one who has recorded songs in over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, though primarily in Marathi, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese languages. The singer is the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1989) recipient by the Government of India. In 2001, in recognition of her contributions to the nation, she was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor and is only the second vocalist, after M. S. Subbulakshmi, to receive this honor.

Do you know, Lata Mangeshkar was named 'Hema' at her birth but later on her parents renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays, 'Bhaaw Bandhan'. At the age of five, Lata received her first music lesson from her father and started to work as an actress in her father's musical plays (Sangeet Natak in Marathi). When she was 13 years old, Lata's father died of heart disease and the owner of the Navyug Chitrapat movie company took care of her and also helped her in establishing her career in singing and acting. Initially, one of her first major hits was "Aayega Aanewaala," a song in the movie Mahal (1949), composed by music director Khemchand Prakash and lip-synced on screen by actress Madhubala.

After earning a name through the 'Aayega Aanewaala' song, Lata never turned back and sang several melodious songs in Hindi cinema. But her song 'Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya' from Mughal-e-Azam (1960), composed by Naushad and lip-synced by Madhubala, turned out as an epic success for the singer. So, on the occasion of her 91st birthday, let's have a look at one of the best songs sung by the nightingale of India.

Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya - Mughal-e-Azam (1960)

The epic song was composed by Naushad, written by Shakeel Badayuni, and sung by Lata Mangeshkar with a chorus. This song became the most expensive song of that era, featured on such a large scale and Lata Ji's voice just mesmerised the emotions & expressions of Madhubala.



Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna - Guide (1965)

The movie's chart-buster was the song 'Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna' written by Shailendra and composed by S.D. Burman and it turned out to be a cult classic song sung by Lata Ji.



Piya Tose - Guide (1965)

1965 romantic drama Guide and was picturised on Waheeda Rehman and Dev Anand. Till date, it remains one of the most soulful romantic songs Bollywood has ever sung.



Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera - Aradhana (1969)

The duet featuring Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar will take you back to the 60s. Lata Ji's magical voice suits Sharmila Tagore perfectly.



Hothon Main Aisi Baat - Jewel Thief (1967)

'Hothon Main Aisi Baat' is a duet featuring Bhupinder Singh and Lata Mangeshkar, the song was a remarkable achievement at the time because of the way it was recorded and shot.



Aap ki nazron ne samjha - Anpadh (1962)

Sung by Lata Mangeshkar for the 1962 film Anpadh, starring Mala Sinha, Dharmendra is still one of her memorable songs till date. The song lyrics were penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan.



Jiya Jale - Dil Se (1998)

Picturised on Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan for Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, this is among Lata Ji's finest performances.



Tere Liye - Veer Zaara (2004)

'Tere Liye' lyrics from 'Veer Zaara' was sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Roop Kumar Rathod. Its music is composed by Madan Mohan while lyrics are written by Javed Akthar.



Apart from these songs, Lata Mangeshkar has also sung songs for Meena Kumari's last film, 'Pakeezah'. It featured popular songs including "Chalte Chalte" and "Inhi Logon Ne", sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and composed by Ghulam Mohammed. She further recorded many popular songs for S. D. Burman's last films, including 'Rangeela Re' from Prem Pujari (1970), 'Khilte Hain Gul Yahaan' from Sharmeelee (1971), and 'Piya Bina' from Abhimaan (1973).

All in all, if we start counting songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar, then even a year wouldn't be enough to appraise the beauty of her voice. Her voice didn't need any kind of introduction, whether it was in the early 60's or 70's or 2000's era, the singer has collaborated with several singers and composers. Her contributions towards the field of music are immeasurable and her voice has played an important role in shaping the country's musical culture. So on turning 91 years old, Santa Banta Team wishes the legendary nightingale of Bollywood Lata Mangeshkar a very happy & prosperous birthday.