World is crying today: Curator of Lata Mangeshkar museum for past 35 years mourns singer's demise

Meerut resident Gaurav Sharma, curator of a museum dedicated to late singer Lata Mangeshkar for the past 35 years, condoled her demise on Sunday and said that the "world is crying".

He also pledged to take her legacy forward in future.

"The whole world is crying today. India has become deaf. Lata Ji has left an eternal legacy," Sharma toldhere.

The museum has a collection of Lata Mangeshkar CDs, cassettes, vinyl records as well as all published articles on the singer at his residence in Meerut.

Sharma, now a special educator in the UP education department, was just eight years old when he first heard about Lata Mangeshkar.

Talking about his collection, he said, "The collection is to show the legacy of Lata ji and her life. It is a dedication to my Guru. This collection belongs to all. Didi is like an ocean and I have devoted 35 years of my life to this. This is a tribute to my Guru."

Sharma is aware that his devotion to the singer might be mocked by some, but that never deterred him. In August 2013, he got the chance to meet Lata Mangeshkar at her house in Mumbai.

"We consider the collection as a national treasure. The collection is named 'Latanjali'. If anything is published on Lata ji, then it is in my collection," he added.

Condoling the demise of the legendary singer, Gaurav's mother Manjulatha said it is a huge loss for the world and urged everyone to take the legacy forward.

On Gaurav's collection, his mother said, "All family members helped in his collection. Earlier people ridiculed it but now they understand his dedication."

Legendary singer and Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar passed away at the age of 92 on Sunday at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital after battling with COVID-19 and pneumonia for several weeks.

The Central government announced two days of state mourning today and tomorrow during which the National Flag will be flown at half-mast throughout India.

( With inputs from ANI )

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