PM Modi inaugurates Ayodhya chowk, dedicates 40-ft-long veena statue to Lata Mangeshkar on her 93rd birth anniversary

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar received a special tribute on her 93rd birth anniversary on Wednesday.

To honour the late playback singer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated a chowk in Ayodhya - named after Mangeshkar.

A 40-feet-long and 12-metre-high veena sculpture was installed at the Ayodhya intersection. The weight of the installation is 14 tonnes (14,000 kilograms). According to reports, around Rs 7.9 crore have been spent on developing the intersection - considered as one of the greatest projects of Ayodhya.

It took Padma Shri awardee Ram Sutar two months to make the giant sculpture. The veena sculpture has a picture of Goddess Saraswati with 'the goddess of music' engraved.

PM Modi, an avid social media user, also paid a touching tribute to the late singer on Twitter. The 72-year-old recalled the 'innumerable interactions' he had with the singer throughout his life. He also remembered her as an affectionate person.

"Remembering Lata Didi on her birth anniversary. There is so much that I recall … the innumerable interactions in which she would shower so much affection. I am glad that today, a Chowk in Ayodhya will be named after her. It is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest Indian icons," his post read.


Mangeshkar passed away this year on February 6 due to multiple organ failure. Days after her demise, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that an Ayodhya chowk would bore the Mangeshkar name.


On Twitter, Adityanath also paid a tribute to the late 'Bharat Ratna'. His post in Hindi said that Mangeshkar was the 'queen' who enriched the music world with her voice.


Born on September 28, 1929, Lata Mangeshkar began her career in 1942 at the age of 13. In a career spanning seven decades, the melody queen recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films. She recorded her songs in over 36 regional Indian and foreign languages. She is known as the 'Queen of Melody' and 'India's Nightingale'.