‘Had dinner after India won’: When Lata Mangeshkar revealed she fasted for semi-final vs Pakistan in 2011

Late play-back singer Lata Mangeshkar’s untimely demise left the world in a state of shock. She was under treatment after contracting Covid in January, and on Sunday, she lost her battle with the ailment. Aged 92, Lata Mangeshkar left for the heavenly abode, but she will be immortalized with her legacy of thousands of songs to which she lent her voice. 

An ardent cricket fan, Lata Mangeshkar supported Team India when and however, she could. In a lesser-known tale about her fondness for the Indian cricket team, the late singer had once revealed how she did not eat anything for the entire duration of India’s semifinal against Pakistan in the ODI World Cup 2011. 

While the Men in Blue were able to beat their arch-rivals and go on to lift the coveted title in Mumbai, Lata Mangeshkar was rooting for the team all along the way. 

In a conversation with news agency PTI at the time – ‘Lata tai’ as she was fondly called by her fans – had recalled, “I had watched the whole match and I was very tense. Everyone in my family follows some kind of superstition when India is playing. I, Meena, and Usha did not eat or drink anything during the match. I was constantly praying for victory and we had our dinner after India won.”

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— DNA (@dna) February 6, 2022

Another interesting lesser-known story regarding Lata Mangeshkar’s love for Indian cricket was when she had organised a special concert to raise funds for the BCCI to help them reward the Indian cricket team players back in 1983.

Having upset the heavyweights West Indies, all members of the Indian squad were rewarded with INR 1 lakh each, thanks to the money raised by the concert where the former Bharat Ratna winner Lata Mangeshkar had performed. 

Earlier in the day, her funeral was held and Lata Mangeshkar was awarded full state honours, as PM Modi Narendra Modi, Sachin Tendulkar and Shah Rukh Khan were some of the icons who attended her last rites.