Hridaynath Mangeshkar on Shivaji Park memorial for Lata Mangeshkar: ‘We don’t wish for it, stop politicising the issue’

After the death of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, a debate has erupted over building a fitting memorial in her name. While the Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded a memorial at her cremation site at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has opposed the idea. Now, Lata Mangeshkar’s brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar has shared his thoughts about the same. 

Lata Mangeshkar died last week after she was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital post her Covid-19 and pneumonia diagnosis. She was cremated at Shivaji Park with full state honours in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, among others. 

Hridaynath Mangeshkar has said that the family does not ‘wish’ for a memorial in remembrance of Lata, reported NDTV. “Please stop politicising the issue of Lata didi’s memorial at Shivaji Park. The demand for it has not come from our family’s side as we don’t wish for it,” Hridaynath was quoted as saying. 

Meanwhile, a Pinkvilla report quoted Hridaynath saying that the family would support a music school and not memorial in Lata’s name: “Earlier, Aaditya Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray came up with a proposal to Lata Mangeshkar for a musical institute on her name and she gave a nod to it. We want that legacy to continue and her musical skills to be kept alive. If we want to celebrate her legacy we will support the music institute and not the memorial.”

The Maharashtra cabinet has decided to dedicate an international college of music in Mumbai to Lata Mangeshkar, said Uday Samant, minister for Higher and Technical Education, in Pune on Wednesday. According to Samant, the proposed institution will now be known as the Bharat Ratna Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar International Music College.

MNS secretary Sandeep Deshpande had earlier tweeted in Marathi, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park has been saved from encroachment by the people of Dadar who have struggled many times to have an open playground. Don’t sacrifice it for your politics.”

Also read: When Lata Mangeshkar spoke about a changed Mumbai: ‘We could roam freely without fear of molestation, being mugged’

According to an Indian Express report, BJP MLA Ram Kadam wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray “to consider erecting a memorial for Lata Mangeshkar at Shivaji Park at the same spot where she was cremated.” Reacting to the same, cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray said, “Any decision on a memorial will have to be considered after consultation with the Mangeshkar family. And, more importantly, it should be done in a way to match her high stature so as to do justice to Lata Mangeshkar.”