Lata Mangeshkar’s state funeral held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai
GBNEWS24DESK//
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar was accorded a rare public funeral with full state honours on Sunday evening after her final journey from her Prabhukunj home on Pedder Road in south Mumbai to Shivaji Park, report IANS and PTI.
The site where the 92-year-old singer’s funeral will be performed with full state honours is about 100-metre away from Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s memorial, on the west side of the Shivaji Park, located in Dadar area.
Her mortal remains were brought home around noon and kept for ‘darshan’ for a couple of hours with hordes of Bollywood personalities, top politicians across party lines, and other celebs trooping for a last glimpse and to offer solace to her siblings and other family members.
Later, a flower-bedecked army truck arrived to the building compound, her body draped in the Indian Tricolour was brought down and kept there as the Mumbai Police band played soulful tunes.
A police contingent fired a 21-gun salute and the body was placed atop the truck which started on a slow 10-km drive to Shivaji Park where all preparations are made for the public funeral.
The Maharashtra Government has declared a 3-day State Mourning and Monday (Feb 7) as a public holiday as a mark of respect to the legend.
Thousands of teary-eyed people lined up the 10-km long route from Pedder Road to Shivaji Park, with several VVIPs including Minister Aditya Thackeray and Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal and others joined the procession on foot.
As the procession continued, many hundreds joined en route, many raising cries of “Lata Didi, Amar Rahe”, “Lata Didi Zindabad”, carrying her photos or playing her immortal numbers, and thousands more stood in the balconies of their homes in small or tall buildings, raising their hands in an adieu.
Amid tight security in and around at Shivaji Park, a specially-erected funeral pyre was ready for the last rites, with a host of top leaders and celebs in attendance.
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