INDIA LOST ONE of its finest musical talents, Lata Mangeshkar, in 2022, when she was 92. She is still remembered for her stellar and extraordinary voice, which she lent to thousands of songs across 36 languages. The Queen of Melody was known for a musical career spanning eight decades and is often remembered as the Nightingale of India.

Despite being a musical genius, Lata Mangeshkar's life revolved around notes, melody and music for years. Over the course of her career, she had several feathers in her cap. From recording 30,000 songs in the 1960s and earning a Guinness World Record to receiving several prestigious accolades, Lata Mangeshkar’s voice crossed generations and established her as one of India's most iconic and legendary singers. Even though her musical journey was known to the world through a string of back-to-back hit songs, her personal life was never an open book.

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Lata Mangeshkar never married or had any children, as far as the world knew. As per reports, she had prepared a will in which she had donated all her property to charity after her death. She came from a long line of musicians and was the eldest sister in the family. Her well-wishers often wondered about her reasons for not getting married. She lived with her music, but there was a prince she had fallen in love with. His name was Raj Singh Dungarpur, a prominent Indian cricketer and former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

When Lata Mangeshkar fell in love with royalty

Lata Mangeshkar was born in Indore, present-day Madhya Pradesh, in 1929. A family friend of the Mangeshkars helped young Lata start her musical career after her father died when she was 13. Over the years, she had established herself as the voice the country yearned for by the 1960s. From songs like Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya from Mughal-e-Azam to devotional songs such as Prabhu Tero Naam, Lata Mangeshkar conquered people’s hearts with her melodious voice.

In the 1960s, she shared a close bond with cricketer Raj Singh Dungarpur, who was six years younger than her. The lesser-known love story of Lata Di and Raj Singh Dungarpur never really found its happily-ever-after, but neither Lata nor Raj Singh ever got married even after their separation. Raj Singh Dungarpur passed away in 2009 at the age of 74, whereas Lata Mangeshkar was 92 years old when she died.

The veteran playback singer had shared her views on marriage and music on several occasions. Reflecting on why she never got married, she once said, “People ask why I never married. To that, I say that God gave me a job to do, and I am very satisfied with my work.” She also talked about the moments of sorrow that everyone experiences in life, saying, “But my sorrow is very temporary. What I cannot bear to see is other people suffering. I feel a sense of joy by helping such people.”

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How did Lata Mangeshkar and Raj Singh Dungarpur Meet?

Her deep bond with Raj Singh Dungarpur started with friendship, which soon blossomed into an epic love story. As per some reports, he had a nickname for Lata Mangeshkar and used to call her ‘Mithoo Ji’. He was the youngest son of Maharawal Lakshman Singhji, who was the ruler of Dungarpur in Rajasthan. He was a popular Indian cricketer who played for the Rajasthan cricket team and the Central cricket team. He met Lata Mangeshkar in Mumbai, where he had come to study law at the age of 24.

He was also friends with Lata’s younger brother, Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Raj Singh and Lata’s love story hit a wall when his father learned about their relationship, which he strongly opposed.

Maharawal Lakshman Singhji rejected their relationship because Lata was not of royal blood and belonged to a different community. He also opposed their relationship because Lata Mangeshkar was six years older than his son.

Lata Mangeshkar had spoken about her relationship with Raj Singh when asked about it in an interview with Hindustan Times. She said, “There are some things only for the heart to know. Let me keep it that way.”

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