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Lata Mangeshkar, three others nominated to Rajya Sabha

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Melody queen Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar, politician-turned social worker Nanaji Deshmukh, theatre personality and journalist Cho Ramaswamy and legal luminary F S Nariman are among those who have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha, top government sources said today.

They told rediff.com that a decision has been taken nominating these personalities to the upper house of Parliament in recognition of their outstanding work in their respective fields.

Lata Mangeshkar has been singing for Hindi films, apart from holding concerts in the country and abroad, for almost four decades now. Endowed with a rare voice, she has elevated playback singing from its surrogate status to a highly-valued component of India's burgeoning entertainment industry.

As far back as 1959, an American weekly described her as "the indisputable and indispensable queen of Indian playback singing." She was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on September 28, 1929 and not 1928 as has been noted in the Guinness Book of World Records. She acquired the classical background to her singing by training under her father Dinanath Mangeshkar, a stage celebrity.

Following his death, Lata trained under Ustad Aman Ali Bhendibazarwale and later under Pandit Tulsidas Sharma, a disciple of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.

Lata first sang for Vasant Joglekar's Marathi film Kati Hasaal in 1942 but the song was dropped from the film. She again sang in Vasant Joglekar's Aap Ki Sewa Mein ( 1947 ) . The song was thumri. In 1947, Noorjehan, the then most popular female singer, moved to Pakistan, leaving the field open to Lata. Lata initially imitated Noorjehan's voice but after gradually gaining confidence, she developed her own unique style.

When she was 16, she won the prestigious Khazanchi award, named after the superhit film of the same name in 1945. Before starting to sing for the movies, Lata appeared as an actress in many Marathi films -- Pahili Mangalagaur ( 1942 ), Chumukla Sansar (1943), Maze Bale (1943), Gajabhau (1944), Chhatrapati Shivaji (1952), Jeevan Yaatra (1946), Subhadra (1946), and Mandir (1948). After that, there was no looking back.

Cho Ramaswamy, editor of the Madras-based magazine Thuglak is a well-known stage and film personality. He is also legal advisor to the TTK Krishnamachari group of companies. He has acted in 186 films.

Nanaji Deshmukh is a former Union minister and belongs to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh family. He has retired from politics and is engaged in social work in a village near Bhopal.

F S Nariman is a Constitutional expert and a towering figure in the Indian legal profession.

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