Lata Mangeshkar Music College to be built in Mumbai

The Maharashtra government announced on Wednesday that a music academy will be built in Mumbai in memory of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who breathed her last on Sunday at the age of 92.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant while addressing a press conference at Savitribai Phule Pune University said that the proposed music academy will be known as Bharat Ratna Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar International Music College. He added that the college will also have a library with a collection of memorabilia of the cultural icon.

“A committee had been set up under the chairmanship of Hridaynath Mangeshkar and it has members like Zakir Hussain and A R Rahman, among others. The committee had submitted a report on establishing an institute within the campus of the University of Mumbai, but unfortunately, adequate space could not be provided. There is a three-acre space nearby belonging to the Technical Education Department, which will be allotted for this institute,” said Samant.

A pedestrian walks past a poster with a picture of late Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar put up in her memory in Mumbai on February 7, 2022, a day after her death. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)

Mangeshkar’s last rites were performed at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Sunday evening where she was laid to rest with full state honours. PM Narendra Modi also attended her funeral.

Recently, Bharatiya Janta Party MLA Ram Kadam had written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, requesting him to dedicate a memorial to the late singer at the Shivaji Park.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday announced that the state government will build an academy, a music school, and a museum at Mangeshkar’s birthplace Indore. “Lataji was born in Indore. We have decided to establish an academy in Indore so that kids can engage in sur-sadhna. A music school will be established and a museum will be shaped in the city. We will discuss the format of the museum in consultation with other music maestros,” he said.

Born on 28 September, 1929, Mangeshkar started her career at the age of 13 in 1942. In a storied career spanning seven decades, she sang over 30,000 songs in over thirty-six Indian languages. She’s also a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.