Veteran playback singer Suresh Wadkar has been honoured with the Gansamragini Lata Mangeshkar Award.
Wadkar was felicitated with the award at an event in Mumbai on Thursday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presented him with special mementos.
In 2021, he also became a recipient of Padma Shri, The fourth-highest civilian award in the Republic of India.
"It feels really special to receive the award under the tenures of Modi ji and President Ram Nath Kovind ji. It's a big thing for me. I am extremely happy. I have been waiting for a long time to get this award and now I have finally received it," Wadkar earlier told ANI.
Wadkar is known for his playback singing in Hindi and Marathi. He has been enthralling audiences for over 45 years now. He has also carved a niche for himself in devotional music. 'Sapne Mein Milti Hai', 'Pehli Baar Mohabbat Ki Hai', and 'Lagi Aaj Saawan Ki' are some of his popular tracks.
His earliest hit numbers were 'Sona Kare Jhilmil Jhilmil' (film Paheli), and 'Seene Me Jalan' (Gaman), which reportedly caught late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar's attention and she recommended him to other top music composers of the day.
On coming a long way in his journey, Wadkar said, "I feel blessed on getting opportunities to work with big makers in the industry. There's no bigger achievement than people's love. Luckily, I have been able to achieve that through my work. It's every artist's dream to receive this award. I started singing at the age of 4 and till now have sung 30,000 to 40,000 songs."
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