Singer Udit Narayan refused to believe on Sunday that the Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, is no more. Having sung chartbusters such as Tu Mere Saamne (Darr, 1993), Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, 1995) and the title track of Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), among many others, with the late singer, Narayan considers himself “fortunate”.

“Main apne aap ko bhagyashali samajhta hoon. Jitna kaam mujhe Lata ji ke saath mila, mujhe nahin lagta [mere time ke] kisi aur singer ko mila hoga. I guess I am the only one who sang over 200 songs with Lata ji. And all of them were superhit. I also shared the stage with her around eight times (for live shows). She would say, ‘Udit, tumhari awaaz original hai.’ Lata Mangeshkar ji saying something like that was like Goddess Saraswati blessing me,” says the 66-year-old singer.

Narayan was devastated when he learnt that the legend is no more. Calling it a sad news for “Bollywood, the music fraternity and the entire world”, Narayan gets emotional and adds, “Ek hi Lata ji thi aur woh chali gayi.”

The singer is certain that Mangeshkar is an integral part of India’s music history and she’ll continue to live on. “February 6, 2022, was a dark day. She loved me like a younger brother, and blessed me whenever we met. It’s a coincidence that she passed away around Basant Panchami. It proves that she was Goddess Saraswati herself,” he signs off.