Ganpati mandals celebrate Lata Mangeshkar's birthday in Pune

While Lata Mangeshkar preferred to keep her 84th birthday a low-key affair, the Ganpati mandals in Pune came together to organise a grand celebration at her Pune residence to mark the occasion on September 28. The Melody Queen had stayed here for two years in the early 1940s.

The legendary singer and actor of the Marathi theatre, the late Deenanath Mangeshkar, stayed with his wife Mai Mangeshkar and his children for two years at 699, Shukrawar Peth near Srinath Theatre, off Shivaji Road. They later shifted to another place in Pune.

Ganpati mandals, under the leadership of Seva Mitra Mandal, had organised a special programme at the small lane near Srinath Theatre. Lifesize pictures of Deenanath Mangeshkar and Lata Mangeshkar were put up outside an old wada for the function. Noted singer Bhagyashree Bhandare sung the song ‘Thumak Chalat Ramchandra...’ famously sung by the Melody Queen decades ago.

Veteran activist Ravi Randhir and Nimbalkar Talim Ganeshotsav Mandal trustee Suresh Pawar garlanded Deenanath Mangeshkar’s portrait. Senior member of Seva Mitra Mandal Shirish Mohite, Kumar Renuse and Anand Saraf were the main organisers.

Narayan Shankar Rasal, a resident of 700 Shukrawar Peth, whose family was a neighbour of the Mangeshkars, got nostalgic on this occasion. In his 70s now, Rasal recalled stories his mother told him about the Mangeshkars.