Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India with a career that has spanned more than six decades. She is the only playback singer to have been awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation`s highest civilian honour. Although she sang mainly for Hindi and Marathi films, Lata Mangeshkar`s popularity and influence transcends barriers of region and language. She has sung 35 major Indian languages. Lata is also popularly referred to as the `Nightingale of India`.

Early Life of Lata Mangeshkar
Lata was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on 28th September, 1929 into a middle-class Maharashtrian family. She was the first born child and daughter of Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar and Shudhmati Mangeshkar. Her father was a theatre actor and classical singer. Her siblings are Hridayanath Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar. All of the siblings, except Meena, chose music as their careers. When Lata was 5 years old, Lata started working as an actress in several plays known as "sangeet nataks" in which her father was performing. Her father also began giving her singing lessons when at that age.

Singing Career of Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar`s first cinematic song was for the film Kiti Hasaal (1942), produced by Vasant Joglekar. In 1947, Vasant Joglekar employed Lata to sing for his film Aapki Seva Mein. The popular songs composed by musician Datta Daavjekar established Lata as a leading playback singer in Bollywood. She reinforced her position with hits from the movie Majboor - Angrezi chhora chala gaya, Dil mera toda Haaye and, mujhe kahinka na choda tere pyaar ne.

She ruled the Bollywood music industry for over 60 years. She sang for several popular music directors such as S. D. Burman, C. Ramchandra, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Khayyam, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji, and A.R. Rahman etc. She composed music for some Marathi movies under the pseudonym of Anand Ghan. She has also produced four films. Though she was selected as a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1999, for her weak health she could not join it regularly.

Awards and Recognitions of Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar has won several awards and honours, including Padma Bhushan (1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989), Maharashtra Bhushan Award (1997),[17] NTR National Award (1999), Bharat Ratna (2001), ANR National Award (2009), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists` Association Awards. She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards.

In 1974, The Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artist in the history.