Lata Mangeshkar: Her voice was a reflection of compassionate personality; incidents that define nightingale of India

Lata Mangeshkar - a signature voice that ruled the hearts of every Indian - has left for the heavenly abode. Those who have known the legendary singer comment she was a lot more than a magnificent singer. She was a compassionate human being who always tried to help others. Despite her immense stature, she always encouraged others and made them comfortable in her company.

Lata Ji used to write her songs on paper before going ahead with the recording. While writing she used to connect with every word and make some mental notes with regards to her tone, emotions and pitch of the song. "No matter how clean the handwriting of the other person was, or a nice printout of the song presented to her, she would write the song in her handwriting," said Veteran compere Harish Bhimani while remembering Lata Mangeshkar during an interview on a news channel. "Lata ji used to rehearse a lot before every concert. Her commitment to her work and the audience was impeccable as she wanted her song to be as perfect as it was when sung for the first time, and that required going through every melody, every composition and every mood more than once to relive the song and create the same impact. Live concerts have no room for re-take and Lata Ji never left anything to chance," Harish Bhimani further added.

Harish Bhimani was associated with Lata Mangeshkar for many years. He had accompanied her on various musical shows and witnessed her commitment to rehearsals and work. He has written a box on Lata Mangeshkar which is a mix of biography, music tour/show reports and informal conversations with Lata Ji.

If not a singer then Lata ji would have been a dialogue writer: Harish Bhimani
Though she spoke very little in public appearances, she was very talkative with friends and family members. I always believe that she would have been a writer - a dialogue writer - if she had not chosen the field of music.

Lata Ji always remained a student of music and success never affected her. Perhaps that is why her voice never appeared to age, and her compassion for others kept growing with the passage of time.