The tributes will continue to pour in and much will be written. But this is my own little eulogy for the great Lata Mangeshkar whose melodies are ingrained in my library of memories. Her vast repertoire of songs—some of the greatest hits ever— arrived in our home first on the radio my mother tuned in between the hissing and rasping of signal interruptions between India and Pakistan. And then from the cassettes that my father played on those long drives from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in the 70s.

Little did I know then that she had already been singing for 30 years and in a career that eventually spanned 75 years of songs and melodies. Chalte chalte, tharay rahio, kabhi kabhi, yasho mathi mayya, lagja galay and so many more bring back those fragrances of the past….In Jeddah parked outside the Uddippy restaurant in Balad waiting for a table and playing Lata Mangeshkar while we waited or in Karachi growing up listening to the great compositions of Pakeeza and Mughal e Azam while crushing on some teenage heartthrob and finally in Londön, enjoying her na’at“be kas pe karam kijiye” to her bhajan “Vaishnava janatho”

It is hard to imagine any musical memories without Lata’s songs and I would say that there is no Indian or Pakistani who would not have heard or hummed one of Lata’s greats. Her legacy is one of the richest chapters in the history of subcontinental music and has been a foundation of music in the subcontinent. Lata was simply an institution and an icon. An absolute legend.

So she goes with the angels now making the heavens melodious with her songs. Rest in Peace Lata Mangeshkar and thank you for giving voice to our emotions and music to our souls.