Raipur, February 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi respected late Lata Mangeshkar as his elder sister and called her “Didi”. And it all began with an event organized in Gujarat about a decade ago.
After a decade of becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi revived his symbiotic relationship with his home town Vadnagar. In 2010, he instituted the Tana-Riri Award and ensured that its first recipient was India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar.
The two-day Tana-Riri Mahotsav is organized every year in Vadnagar in memory of Tana and Riri, the two daughters of Adyakavi Narsinh Mehta, who sacrificed their lives for maintaining a tradition of singing only before village deity. They were forced to sing in the court of Emperor Akbar but committed suicide by drowning in a well.
Gujarat government gives Tana-Riri award in their honor. The award carries citation, shawl and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
Lata Mangeshkar however could not make it to the function and expressed regret at not being able to receive the award in person. In a recorded video message in Hindi, she described Narendra Modi as a “great leader” and said she held him in the same esteem and respect as a sister has for her brother.
Since then, there was tremendous bonding between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lata Mangeshkar like brother and sister. Once on Raksha Bandhan, Lata didi had asked Narendra Modi for a promise that he would always take India high.
The melody queen breathed her last on Sunday at the age of 92 in a hospital in Mumbai, causing a huge personal loss for Narendra Modi.
I am anguished beyond words. The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people. pic.twitter.com/MTQ6TK1mSO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 6, 2022
