Stop Spreading Lies About Lata Mangeshkar, Requests Family

The vultures  in  the  media business  are having a field day. In  the last  one week ever  since India’s most beloved singer Lata Mangeshkar was hospitalized , the alarmists and  sensation-mongers are  putting  out periodic  “reports”(more  like  fodder  for  the sensation-hungry  multitudes)  about her health.

The  latest “authentic report” about Lataji came  to me an  hour ago.Someone from the entertainment  media tweeted she is gone.

Who are these  people who spread such monstrous  misinformation on  the social media? These  trouble-makers can probably  governments down. But they can’t kill India’s greatest  entertainment  icon for their  two minutes of  ill-gotten fame.

I spoke  to  Lataji’s  niece Rachana  after the  latest round  of  firing from  the doom-machale-doom brigade and she  says  our beloved  Lataji is just fine. She also says, “Please  ignore all the  fake  reports.”

 Tweets  from  “family  friends” of   the Mangeshkars are  doing the rounds. Just who are these  friends of  the family ?I have  been close to her  for  35 years. I haven’t  known  of any of these  “family friends” visiting her  even  once.  One socialite-columnist  , who should know better, declared the Nightingale to be no more, without checking with  any of  the  Mangeshkars. 

When did  this  socialite-columnist get so close to Lataji to be able  to comment  on  her health  condition? Does  this glamorous  specimen  of  a fancy writing  have any idea what such a declaration means to us  Lata bhakts?   For us  the end  of Lata Mangeshkar is  the  end of  an essential part  of our lives.We have  grown up with her  voice .She has defined everything beautiful on this  earth for us. And  if she  goes the light  in our lives goes.

So for your own perverse  reasons,  please stop  writing  obituaries for  someone  who is  much more just a  source of news  for us.Let’s have a law against misinformation about ailing icons. I am told that  the  Central government  plans to honour Lataji in a big way  after she is well again.But the  best  honour that PM Modiji can  bestow on Lataji(whom he  too adores, just like us)  is  to take  strict action those who are  posting ugly  reports  on her wellbeing.

I  know  a  lot  of  today’s generation will laugh at this  level of dedicated devotion . To them I have  only one thing  to say. You don’t know what  you  are missing.