It is a personal loss too..sort of

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Lata Mangeshkar is no more. Who was Lata Mangeshkar? She was an Indian singer who sang mostly for films. Those in 30's may not be very familiar with her, but those of us in 60's cannot think of our music without her. She was an iconic figure. Her personal life too was exemplary forgiving some flaws that we all humans make. My heart goes out to her family. The reason I am feeling the loss is because as a kid my father had night shifts. I used to stay with him during those vacations. My father used to lock me up from outside (you all will call it abuse but that was the only way to keep the child safe), and switch on the radio. Back then we did not have television sets. Her numbers would put me to sleep around 9.30 pm. I used to put the radio on full volume and sleep at my study desk so that outside nobody thought I was alone and I could not hear any unusual noise. Dad would return from the shift, lift me and put me on bed. I was just around 6 or 7 then...she put me to sleep without her knowledge. She kept fears away from me in those nights. Feeling is closer to what one would feel for a mother. The world called her didi (older sister), I would call her Lata amma. May your soul rest in peace and may we meet in next life so that I can tell you how kind you have been to me, and repay the debt in whatever way I can. Here is one of her songs - those who know Hindi would understand it.