I couldn’t hold back my tears after receiving Lata Mangeshkar’s blessing: Ankhi Alamgir
Reminiscing about her encounter with Lata Mangeshkar, Ankhi Alamgir said, “We met Lata Mangeshkar in 2017. We went to India to record a song for the film titled “Ekti Cinemar Golpo”
The legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last today, 6 February, 2022, after being hospitalised for over a month.
From politicians to artistes, everyone paid tribute to the Queen of Melody of the Indian subcontinent.
Bangladeshi singer Ankhi Alamgir met Lata Mangeshkar around five years ago with the help of another popular Bangladeshi singer, Runa Laila.
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Reminiscing about her encounter with Lata Mangeshkar, Ankhi Alamgir said, "We met Lata Mangeshkar in 2017. We went to India to record a song for the film titled "Ekti Cinemar Golpo."
Ankhi Alamgir skipped a show in Australia on 26th March because she was due to meet Lata Mangeshkar the next day.
She left the Australian show and went to India as she did not want to miss the opportunity of meeting Lata Mangeshkar. The singer could not sleep the night before, as she had butterflies in her stomach.
"I couldn't sleep the whole night. I cannot put into words how much I adore her. I grew up hearing Lata Mageshkar's songs on the radio and memorising them. I may not be able to sing all of her songs but I know them very well," shared Ankhi Alamgir.
"Lata Mangeshkar may have millions of fans but I am among those lucky fans who got the opportunity to see her in person," she added.
Ankhi Alamgir even remembers the precise moment she encountered Lata Mangeshkar.
"We got a 30 min slot to meet Lata Mangeshkar on 27 March at 4pm. I was feeling anxious and thought Lata might cancel our meeting. Before entering Lata's house in Mumbai, I even thought someone might come and say that she is not available at the moment," remembers Ankhi.
"We waited for her for around 10-15 minutes at her residence. The moment I saw her with my own eyes, it felt surreal. Runa aunty introduced me to her. I sat on the floor in front of Lata ji and kept holding her hands the whole time," reminisced Ankhi.
"After seeing this, Runa aunty made a witty remark saying 'you have a lot of guts to have held the hands of Lata ji.' I said that a legendary singer like Lata ji is sitting in front of me. I can't miss the opportunity of holding her hands. I can't express in words how I felt that day, I felt as if I was stuck in a bubble," she remembered.
"Lata ji lives in a simple house with her entire family. There are no ostentatious elements in her home. We had a long conversation with Lata ji that day. Instead of 30 minutes, Lata ji spent two and a half hours with us," adds Ankhi.
"Alongside sharing anecdotes about several artists, including Kishore Kumar, Lata ji also mimicked a lot of singers in front of us. She has an amazing sense of humour and speaks in a fascinating manner.
I couldn't stop tears from rolling down my eyes when Lata ji kept her hand on my head and gave me her blessings, while we were returning. I kept apologising for my tears but all the people at her residence said that their hour had been filled with my love," remembers Ankhi.
Ankhi Alamgir also shared that she had received a lot of gifts from Lata ji.
Moreover, Lata Mangeshkar gave Runa Laila a sari, her autobiography, a book written by her niece, a CD of her songs, while Runa gave her a Jamdani sari.
After returning, Ankhi Alamgir worked on recording her song. She was heavily praised by Runa Laila that day. In 2018, Ankhi Alamgir won a national award for that song. "Maybe I got the award because of the blessings of Lata ji. I pray that she rests in peace."
