Sri Lankan army chief mourns death of 'Nightingale of India' Lata Mangeshkar

Expressing grief over the demise of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who is popularly known as the "Nightingale of India", Sri Lankan Army chief General Shavendra Silva on Sunday said that the veteran singer's musical tradition impacted the whole of Asia and Sri Lanka was no exception.

In a message of condolence to Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, General Silva said the cultural ambassadorial contribution of the late singer has left an indelible milestone in the hearts of all Sri Lankans, including those of the armed forces.

"Lata Mangeshkar who had sung in more than thirty-six languages and recorded some 30,000 plus songs honoured Sri Lanka by singing a couple of Sinhala songs, too which turned out to be popular hits after they were released in Sri Lanka late in1950s and 1960s," the Sri Lankan Army said in a statement.

"It is her musical tradition that impacted the whole of Asia, and Sri Lanka remains no exception. Her soothing universal voice that penetrated the hearts and minds of Sri Lankan music-lovers mesmerized people and that melodious voice would continue to reverberate through for generations since her iconic voice had no boundaries," General Shavendra Silva commented.

Sri Lankan Army chief also sent a condolence message to Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner of India for Sri Lanka.

Lata Mangeshkar passed away on Sunday at the age of 92 years. The megastar had been admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital on January 8 after she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia.

The Central government has declared two days of National Mourning from Sunday during which the national flag would be flown at half-mast throughout the country. Lata Mangeshkar's state funeral would take place in Mumbai on Sunday evening.

( With inputs from ANI )

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