Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accepted the first ever Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award and donated the cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh to charity. In a letter to Hridaynath Mangeshkar, musician & younger brother of singing maestro, late Lata Mangeshkar, the Prime Minister requested him to donate the proceedings to any charitable institution of his choice.
"This amount could be used to bring a positive difference in the lives of others, something Lata Didi always wanted to do," PM Modi mentioned in the letter.
He also wrote, "I would like to once again thank the Mangeshkar family for conferring me with the 1st Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award I will never forget the warmth and affection shown to me at the award function in Mumbai last month. It was unfortunate that I could not meet you due to your ill-health, but Adinath managed the programme very well."
In April, PM Modi was honoured with the Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar award and remembered the iconic singer as an artiste who was an integral part of nation-building.
“Lata Didi, apart from being the queen of melody, was my elder sister. She taught generations the language of love and compassion. I feel fortunate that she loved me like an elder sister. After many decades, this will be the first Rakhi when Didi won’t be here,” Modi said in his award acceptance speech.
“The journey of songs and the world ran through the journey of Lata Didi, who gave voice to five generations of actors and made India proud. Her journey on this planet came to an end at a time when our country is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Modi received the award on April 25, which marked the 80th death anniversary of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar, the singing legend’s father.
