Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

As <keyword id="501815" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pusarla-Venkata-Sindhu">Pusarla Venkata Sindhu</keyword> storms her way into badminton finals of Rio Olympics, India’s hopes of winning gold medal pins on Sindhu’s performance as she descends in the tennis court opposite World’s number 1 player <keyword id="1707027" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Carolina-Marin">Carolina Marin</keyword> in a few minutes from now. 
 Not much is known about her journey to the Olympics. From a 16-year-old watching <keyword id="30618" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saina-Nehwal">Saina Nehwal</keyword> win the 2012 London Olympics bronze to being India's lone badminton medal hope in the 2016 Games, we bring you some inspiring facts from Sindhu’s life that shows her impeccable journey from an underdog to an Olympic medalist: 
 
1. Sindhu was born on July 5, 1995 in Hyderabad and her parents—P.V. Ramanna and P. Vijaya were both former professional volleyball players. Her father also won the Government of India 2000 Arjuna Award for his sport. 
 
2. Although her parents were professional volleyball players, Pusarla was more interested in Badminton, which is started playing at 8 years old. She was a huge fan of Pullela Gopichand, who won the 2001 All England Open Badminton Championship by defeating Chen Hong. 
 3. She learnt the basics of the sport from <keyword id="632053" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mehboob-Ali">Mehboob Ali</keyword> and used to practice at the badminton courts of Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications in Secunderabad. She would travel 56 kms from her residence to practice every day and always had the dream to become an ace badminton player. 
 
4. Later on, she joined Pullela Gopichand’s badminton academy. She won the 5th Servo All India ranking championship in doubles for under 10 years category, singles title at the Ambuja Cement All India ranking and under-14 team gold medal at the 51st National School Games in India, apart from several other national level tournaments. 
 
5. The 21 year old player made India proud at international level when she won Asia Youth Under 19 Championship, beating Japanese player Nozomi Okuhara (the same one she defeated yesterday to enter Olympic's finals), and also stunned the world when she beat London 2012 Olympics gold medallist Li Xuerui of China in Li Ning China Masters Super Series tournament. In January this year, Sindhu again made the country proud by winning Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold women's single title. 
 
6. The badminton champion currently ranks 10th in the world and was also awarded Arjuna Award in 2013. In March 2015, P.V. Sindhu became the youngest recipient of the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour. 
 
7. She is the second-highest-ranked women’s singles player from India after Olympic bronze medalist and No. 2 Saina Nehwal. 
 
(Image credit: Indiatimes)

PV Sindhu: From an underdog to India's Olympic medallist

After breaking every single stereotype that there is about pregnant women, <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>'s latest mom-to-be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Kareena-Kapoor-Khan-is-not-letting-pregnancy-stop-her-from-looking-drop-dead-gorgeou/articleshow/54585216.cms">Kareena Kapoor Khan</a>, who is eight months pregnant went ahead and did a maternity photoshoot with <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/brunch-exclusive-kareena-can-t-wait-to-be-a-mom-bebobump/story-KYldwGv5um7TZM9ULHM21J.html">HT Brunch</a> and needless to say the results are beautiful. 
 Not only does she look absolutely gorgeous, but we're also digging that radiant glow on her face. Motherhood is definitely going to suit <keyword id="2857" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bebo">Bebo</keyword>! 
 
That's not all. In the interview accompanying the photoshoot, she was at her candid best stating that being pregnant doesn't give anyone the excuse to be lazy. It's worth noting that Kareena has been upping her fashion choices throughout her pregnancy. 
 
She also joked about <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Heres-how-Kareena-Kapoor-Khan-celebrated-her-36th-birthday/articleshow/54456982.cms">Saif Ali Khan</a>, saying "I've been keeping myself so busy during this pregnancy that Saif always says 'You'll have this baby in Mehboob Studios!' 
 
She also revealed that she expected to be back at work one month after the delivery. 
 <keyword id="1377418" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kareena-Kapoor-Khan">Kareena Kapoor Khan</keyword> and <keyword id="333" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saif-Ali-Khan">Saif Ali Khan</keyword> are expecting their first child, due on December. 
 
Have a look at the pictures and watch your mind being blown away! 
 
Image credit: HT Brunch

Kareena Kapoor Khan looks radiant in her first ever pregnancy photoshoot

Patna, Former Bihar CM <keyword id="20102182" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rabri-devi" source="keywords">Rabri Devi</keyword> on Monday filed nomination papers for election to the state legislative council, besides three other candidates of her RJD and one of alliance partner CPI(ML) Liberation. Three candidates of the BJP, including former minister and state unit chief Mangal Pandey, also filed their nomination papers. Rabri Devi reached the Vidhan Sabha secretariat along with her husband Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, and sons <keyword id="19916246" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tejashwi-yadav" source="keywords">Tejashwi Yadav</keyword> and <keyword id="20196796" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tej-pratap-yadav" source="keywords">Tej Pratap Yadav</keyword>. The other RJD candidates who filed nomination papers were Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Syed Faisal Ali and Urmila Thakur. CPI(ML) Liberation's Shashi Yadav also filed nomination papers. Tejashwi Yadav, a former Deputy CM and the leader of multi-party <keyword id="19941767" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahagathbandhan" source="keywords">Mahagathbandhan</keyword>, told reporters, "It is a matter of delight that our coalition has fielded three women." While Yadav's mother is seeking re-election to the upper house for a third consecutive term, Siddiqui, a veteran leader, has had a three-year-long stint in the council in the 1990s, besides having been elected to the assembly several times. The other Mahagathbandhan candidates will be making their debut in the Vidhan Parishad. Yadav, however, declined to take questions on former Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan, who is in the NDA but has dropped hints that he could switch sides if he got a better deal. CPI(ML) Liberation legislative party leader Mehboob Alam told reporters, "Let Chirag make clear his stand. His late father Ram Vilas Paswan had been our ally. If he, too, decides to junk the BJP, we shall welcome him." Congress legislative party leader Shakil Ahmed Khan, who was also present on the occasion, was asked about some leaders of his party expressing dissatisfaction that "despite having 17 MLAs", it was not fielding a candidate for legislative council polls. Notably, elections are being held for 11 seats, the terms of which are to end in May. Of these, one seat was held by senior Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra. However, Khan said, "Our party is democratic and all people are allowed to express their opinions. But this is not an issue. We got our candidate elected to the Rajya Sabha recently. We are now helping our alliance partner (CPI-ML)." After the Mahagathbandhan candidates, it was the turn of Mangal Pandey, besides BJP debutantes Anamika Singh Patel and Lal Mohan Gupta to file their nomination papers. They filed their nomination papers in the presence of Samrat Choudhary, Deputy Chief Minister and state BJP president, besides Jitan Ram Manjhi, ex-CM, whose HAM is an NDA partner and whose son Santosh Suman is also seeking re-election to the legislative council. Suman, who is a minister in the <keyword id="19907431" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nitish-kumar" source="keywords">Nitish Kumar</keyword> cabinet, filed his nomination papers last week, along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and JD(U) MLC Khalid Anwar. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is March 14 and voting, if required, will take place on March 21.

Rabri Devi among 8 candidates to file nomination for legislative council polls on last day

New Delhi, Apr 8 () A 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Delhi's Bawana after he was suspected of a conspiracy to spread COVID-19, police said on Wednesday. The victim has been identified as Mehboob Ali, a resident of Harewali village in Bawana, they said. Police said Ali had gone to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh for a Tablighi Jamaat conference and returned to the national capital in a truck of vegetables after 45 days. He was held at the Azadpur vegetable market and released after a medical examination. Police said when he reached his village, rumours spread that Ali had a plan to spread coronavirus. He was thrashed in the fields on Sunday. He was rushed to a hospital by police where he died, a senior police officer said. Police registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC and arrested three persons, they added. NIT RDK

Suspected of conspiracy to spread COVID-19, man killed in Delhi's Bawana

New Delhi, Apr 8 () A man who had returned to his village in Bawana in northwest Delhi after attending a Tablighi Jamaat conference in Bhopal was allegedly thrashed earlier this week after some people accused him of spreading COVID-19, police said. Three people have been arrested for allegedly beating the 22-year-old, who is recovering from his injuries in a hospital, police officials said. It was earlier erroneously reported that he had died after being thrashed. Mehboob Ali, a resident of Harewali village in Bawana, had gone to Bhopal for a Tablighi Jamaat conference, officials said. He was there for 45 days and returned to the national capital in a truck carrying vegetables. He got off at the Azadpur vegetable market on Sunday where a medical examination was conducted to check for symptoms of COVID-19. He left for his village after that. When he reached there, rumour spread that he had plans to spread COVID-19. He was thrashed in the fields and later rushed to a hospital, a senior police official said. The official added that Ali's condition is stable. The Tablighi Jamaat's Nizamuddin markaz has become a hotspot for coronavirus not only in the national capital but also across the country. NIT PR MINMIN

Man thrashed after being accused of conspiracy to spread COVID-19

<ul><li>The men suspected him of being a COVID-19 patient and attacked him, causing him to fall into a gutter and die, the official said.</li><li>Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state in India with a total number of cases rising to 6,430, followed by Gujarat which reported 2,624 cases and Delhi which has reported 2,376 cases.</li></ul>A 34-year-old man was allegedly attacked on suspicion of being a COVID-19 patient and died after falling into a gutter during the assault in Kalyan town of Maharashtra's <keyword id="6378985" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Thane-district">Thane district</keyword>, police said on Friday. The incident took place on Wednesday morning when Ganesh Gupta had stepped out of his home to purchase some essentials amid the COVID-19 lockdown, an official said. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75341330" title="Coronavirus cases in India count hits 23,000 mark— 718 dead and 4,748 recovered as of April 24" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> On noticing some policemen manning the street, the victim took an alternate route, where a few passersby assaulted him after he coughed while walking, he said. The men suspected him of being a COVID-19 patient and attacked him, causing him to fall into a gutter and die, the official said. The deceased's body was sent for post-mortem, and a case of accidental death has been registered as of now, the station house officer of the Khadakpada police station said. A 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Delhi This hasn't happened for the first time in India. Earlier, a 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Delhi's Bawana after he was suspected of a conspiracy to spread COVID-19, police said on Wednesday. The victim has been identified as Mehboob Ali, a resident of Harewali village in Bawana, they said. Police said Ali had gone to Bhopal in <keyword id="6355554" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madhya-Pradesh">Madhya Pradesh</keyword> for a <keyword id="274939" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tablighi-Jamaat">Tablighi Jamaat</keyword> conference and returned to the national capital in a truck of vegetables after 45 days. He was held at the Azadpur vegetable market and released after a medical examination. Police said when he reached his village; rumours spread that Ali had a plan to spread <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>. He was thrashed in the fields on Sunday. He was rushed to a hospital by police where he died, a senior police officer said. A month into the nation-wide lockdown, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country mounted to 23,077 as on Friday (April 24), according to the <keyword id="83655" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-health-ministry">Union Health Ministry</keyword> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink">data</a>. Of the total cases, 17,610 are active cases, 4,748 people have recovered, and 718 people have succumbed to the disease. Around 1,684 fresh cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with a total number of cases rising to 6,430, followed by Gujarat which reported 2,624 cases and Delhi which has reported 2,376 cases. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/data-of-coronavirus-patients-state-wise-in-india/articleshow/74669748.cms" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink">Coronavirus cases in India state wise</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/coronavirus" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink">Coronavirus News and Updates</a>

Maharashtra man beaten to death on suspicion of being Coronavirus patient

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu flashed in the worldwide media amidst cheers when she bagged the most coveted gold medal for woman’s singles in BWF World Championships 2019. Interestingly, Sindhu is the first Indian to land in front of the podium during the most prestigious world meet. As the whole of India looks to her with pride, here are a few interesting facts about PV Sindhu you might not have known. Family and early life of PV Sindhu PV Sindhu was born on July 5, 1995 in Hyderabad. Her parents P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya were both professional volleyball players. Her father PV Ramana had bagged the highly prestigious recognition of Arjuna Award for his outstanding achievement in volleyball. Inspired by <keyword id="84905" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pullela-Gopichand">Pullela Gopichand</keyword> Sindhu has time and again said her main inspiration is Pullela Gopichand, a former Indian badminton celebrity. Taking to this sports at a very young age of eight, Sindhu drew inspiration from Gopichand’s success in 2001 All England Open Badminton Championship, when Gopichand won the tournament by defeating Chen Hong 15-12, 15-6. Strenuous efforts of PV Sindhu Sindhu is highly hardworking when it comes to her passionate sports. She would work with her coach right from 4.15 am everyday on a continuous basis over the past three years. During her early days of practice, she used to travel about 60 kms to reach the training center in Hyderabad on a daily basis. Arjuna award recipient Sindhu has won the most famed Arjuna Award at a very young age of just 18. In order to attend the Grand Prix at Lucknow, Sindhu had to miss her very dear sister’s marriage ceremony. Other awards and honors In 2013, Sindhu emerged as the first Indian woman to win a medal at the World Championships for singles. In 2015, she was credited with <keyword id="25105" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Padma-Shri">Padma Shri</keyword> Award, the fourth highest civilian award of India. She figured among the top 20 in the world of badminton as per the rankings published by the <keyword id="66015" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Badminton-World-Federation">Badminton World Federation</keyword>. Learnt the basics of the game under Mehboob Ali In Secunderabad, Sindhu learnt the basics of her passionate game under the guidance of Mehboob Ali at Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications. Eventually she joined Gopichand’s team. She sacrificed her favorite dishes to keep herself fit Under the able guidance of her coach Gopichand, she came forward willingly to give up her most favorite dish Hyderabad biriyani chocolates which she loved the most. She took these steps only to keep herself fit. Such was her dedication and passion for the game. Loves swimming and Yoga Sindhu has said she had fallen in love with swimming and Yoga, which she felt as the pillars to support her with her life with badminton. She found them highly useful to enhance her fitness both physically and mentally. Has a dauntless spirit that paved road to her success It was her dauntless spirit that paved way to her success. While describing her dedication for sports, Gopichand, her coach remarked, “The most striking feature in Sindhu’s game is her attitude and the never-say-die spirit.”

Unknown facts about World Champion P. V. Sindhu

BJP, JDU and LJP have decided to contest in 2019 Lok Sabha elections together forming a pre-polling alliance. BJP has decided to fight from 17 constituencies in the state. While 6 parliamentary seats are allotted for the contesting candidates from LJP, JDU will nominate its candidates for the remaining 17 lok Sabha seats. The constituencies from where LJP candidates will fight in the elections include Vaishali, Hajipur (SC), Samastipur (SC), Khagaria, Jamui (SC) and Nawada. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Giriraj Singh of BJP won from Nawada constituency and later became the Union Minister. Along with two other states of the country, Bihar will go for polling in 7 phases. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Bihar </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.75pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Constituency </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Polling Date </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">LJP Candidates </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Nawada </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Apr-11 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Chandan Kumar </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Jamui </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Apr-11 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Chirga Kumar Pawan </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Khagaria </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Apr-23 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Mehboob Ali Kaiser </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Samastipur </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Apr-29 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Ram Chandra Paswan </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Sitamarhi </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">May-06 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">RamChndra Paswan </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Hajipur </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">May-06 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Pashupati Kumar Paras </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Vaishali </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">May-12 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;">Vina Devi </td></tr></tbody></table>

Election 2019: Lok Janshakti Party Candidate list for Bihar

Though anticipated, when it became official that the Melody Queen of India, <keyword id="31278" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lata-Mangeshkar" source="Orion">Lata Mangeshkar</keyword>, is no longer among us, it hit the collective consciousness of the nation like a sledgehammer. The only consolation was that she may have passed on, but her voice, which moved our hearts and provided succour to our souls for more than seven decades, will forever be with us. Like all inspirational stories, Lataji's early struggle to establish herself in the 1940s is one that we cannot ever forget. In those days, she would take a BEST bus and travel from her south Mumbai home regularly to meet Naushad Ali at his Khar West bungalow or in the studios, hoping for a 'singing break' under the legendary music maker's baton. In the vicious Mumbai monsoon, she would come to Naushad's home, wearing her trademark sari, carrying an umbrella but totally drenched, shivering and barely able to speak, let alone sing. The music director would offer her piping hot tea and cookies to soothe her, but no songs ... yet ... . "I felt her voice was not yet 'ripe' for my style of music," said Naushad, the perfectionist, in a conversation with this writer. He was trying to justify not giving her an early break. "To improve her diction and control over words, I advised her to learn and practice Urdu, which she did ... and finally, she was ready to record for me." The first choices of Naushad were the reigning stalwarts -- Noorjehan, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Zohra Ambalewali, to name a few. With time, trained by her father, Dinananth Mangeshkar, Lataji grasped the maestro's advice and got her first major hit -- 'Uthaye Ja Unke Sitam' ('Andaz', 1949) -- composed by her mentor Naushad. With it, she 'arrived' in the film industry. Thereafter, top music directors of the era wooed her, and they included Sachin Dev Burman, Husan Lal-Bhagat Ram (brothers), Ghulam Haider, Sardar Malik, Ghulam Mohammed, Jaidev, Salil Chowdhary, C. Ramchandra, Shankar-Jaikishan (partners), Roshan, Madan Mohan, M. Zahur Khayyam, Kalyanji-Anandji (brothers), Laxmikant-Pyarelal (partners), Sonik-Omi (uncle-nephew), Ravi Kumar Sharma or 'Ravi', Sudhir Phadke, Sajjad Hussain, Usha Khanna, and even A.R. Rahman, Anu Malik, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind and Jatin-Lalit, among the younger crop of baton wielders. Producers and directors vied for Lataji's unique voice and style for their top heroines, especially because she could 'mould' her voice to suit most heroines. Without doubt, she had become the first among women singers, a position that Mohammed Rafi enjoyed among the men. Yet, there was a music director who remained aloof from Lataji -- with haughty pride -- and yet rose to the top echelons of the music industry -- the incomparable O.P. Nayyar. "I found Lata's voice too thin, too shrill, which did not suit my compositions," Nayyar had once said, claiming he was "the only music director who succeeded in Bollywood without Lata's voice". He added: "I needed a more vivacious, richer, healthier voice of, say, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Ghosh-Dutt, Asha Bhosale." One woman singer, Suman Kalyanpur, was blessed with a voice rivalling that of Lataji's, but she was content being in the shadows, yet she thrived on enduring masterpieces composed by some of the music directors. As Lataji's singing style matured under master music directors, her voice helped heroines who acted or danced to her tunes catapult to stardom, such as Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Ameeta, Beena Rai, Waheeda Rehman, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Tanuja, Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Nutan, Saira Bano, Sadhana Shivdasani, Babita Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, Hema Malini, Rekha, Sridevi, Neetu Singh, Madhuri Dixit, and many others in the post-1980s, right down to the youngsters, notably, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee and Karisma Kapoor. After the exit of Noorjehan from India and the fading away of other stalwart female singers, by the late 1950s/early 1960s, Lataji was firmly perched on the top of the heap and brooked no nonsense from anyone -- producers, directors, composers, siblings or contemporaries -- attempting to clamber anywhere close to her roost. Bollywood is full of stories of how Lataji ring-fenced her position till the very end, often raising the hackles of her female peers, although male singers, such as Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor and Manna Dey (all deceased) and others, chose to maintain a professional rapport with her. Nevertheless, there were tales of how Rafi once bore the brunt of her "other side", or certain composers quivering as she gently declined to sing for them after they allegedly dared to commission some other female singers, for whatever reason. Of course, powerful filmmakers such as Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Kamal Amrohi, Dev Anand, Shakti Samanta, B.R. Chopra, Yash Chopra and the likes had no time for tantrums. Born on September 28, 1929, as the oldest child of a musically inclined family in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) -- comprising father Dinanath, Lataji, Meena (Khadilkar), Asha (Bhosale), Usha and sole brother Hridaynath -- she was tutored by her dad from the age of five and also acted in his musical stage plays, till death in 1942. Helped by a close family friend, Master Vinayak D. Karnataki, she got a foothold in singing and acting that year with a first Marathi song and a maiden Hindi song in 1943 before shifting to the film industry capital in 1945. In Bombay (now, Mumbai), she learnt classical music and continued singing the odd songs, till her big break with 'Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahinka Na Chhoda' ('Majboor', 1948), with full help from Ghulam Haider, whom she later described as her "godfather". With a colossus such as Noorjehan still around, Lataji continued her with a few more hits -- 'Aayega Aanewala' ('Mahal', 1949) and 'Uthaye Ja Unke Sitam' ('Andaz', 1949), heralding her entry with a bang in big-time Bollywood. Simultaneously, she sang in different Indian languages with aplomb, non-film songs, with her range encompassing classical, tragic, melodious, erotic, melancholic, light, mischievous, depending on the composer, or the heroine, or the song situation. After the seniors passed away or faded out, Lataji sang expertly and easily with the gen next of male singers such as S.P. Balasubramaniam, Amit Kumar, Shabbir Kumar, Nitin Mukesh, Anwar, Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam, and astounded her listeners with the seemingly "undying" power and youthfulness of her golden voice. Over the decades, she was decorated with a multitude of rewards and honours -- three Padma awards, five Filmfare Awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award -- capped by the Bharat Ratna in 2001. More than that, state governments named awards and institutions after her. Lataji sang at prestigious live concerts or charitable events, enthralling global audiences, picked up more overseas accolades, such as France's highest civilian honour, Officer of the Legion of Honour, in 2007, briefly dabbled in high-end merchandise, such as signature jewellery and perfumes, launched a production and music house, and entered into international music collaborations. Death has only removed her physically. The legacies she leaves behind will outlive her for decades. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/aditya-birla-fashion-retail-d2c-unit-will-sell-ethnic-and-wedding-wear-from-top-designers/articleshow/89347587.cms">Birla has the best wedding suits stacked up and he wants them displayed on your phone</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/textile-cigarette-metal-and-electric-batteries-sectors-stocks-up-budget-day/articleshow/89346157.cms">Textile, cigarette makers and others sector stocks that rallied since budget speech</a>

You Searched For "Mehboob Ali" and got 14 results

PV Sindhu: From an underdog to India's Olympic medallist

Anushree Singh

Kareena Kapoor Khan looks radiant in her first ever pregnancy photoshoot

Poulomi Das

Rabri Devi among 8 candidates to file nomination for legislative council polls on last day

PTI

Suspected of conspiracy to spread COVID-19, man killed in Delhi's Bawana

PTI

Man thrashed after being accused of conspiracy to spread COVID-19

PTI

Maharashtra man beaten to death on suspicion of being Coronavirus patient

BI India Bureau

Unknown facts about World Champion P. V. Sindhu

BI India Bureau

Election 2019: Lok Janshakti Party Candidate list for Bihar

BI India Bureau

Lata Mangeshkar's over 70-year journey from travelling in BEST bus for singing break in the industry to melody queen of India

IANS

Lok Sabha Election 2019 Candidate List for Bihar

BI India Bureau

Bihar Election date 2019 list for Lok Sabha Election

BI India Bureau

BJP (bharatiya janata party) Candidate list for Bihar

BI India Bureau

Check out winner candidate list for Bihar lok sabha election 2019

BI India Bureau

Maharashtra identified 14 districts as red zones— here’s the complete list of containment zones in Mumbai and Pune

Navdeep Yadav

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides