Mumbai, December 03, 2009 (PTI): Noted singer Lata Mangeshkar was conferred with ‘Officier de la Legion d’Honneur’, France’s highest civilian award at a glittering function in Mumbai on Wednesday night. The award was presented to the 81-year-old singer by French Ambassador to India Gerome Bonnfont. “I am extremely honoured to receive this award from the French government,” Lata Mangeshkar said.

Bollywood personalities like Yash Chopra, Madhur Bhandarkar, Anu Malik and others attended the function.

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LATA MANGESHKAR BIOGRAPHY

Lata Mangeshkar is India’s most well known playback singer.  She has sung in all the major Indian languages and is one of the most recorded artists in the world.

Childhood

Lata Mangeshkar was born on September 28, 1929 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh into a Maharashtrian Brahmin household.  Her father was Dinanath Mangeshkar and her mother was named Shudhmati.

Lata was the oldest of several children.  She had a younger brother named Hridayanath Mangeshkar, as well as three younger sisters named Asha (Bhosle), Usha and Meena.  (Of these Asha Bhosle would grow up to rival Lata in the world of film music.)

Her exposure to music began in infancy.  Her father Dinanath was an accompanied classical vocalist and was very active in the theatre.  It is said that Lata made her acting debut at the age of five in a play in which her father was participating.

Lata’s musical studies were not limited to hearing her father sing.  She also studied under Aman Ali Khan, and later under Amanat Khan, and acquired a good background in classical music.

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