Veer Savarkar did not get his due: Lata Mangeshkar

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has lamented that freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar has not got the respect he deserved in independent India.

It is 100 years since Savarkar penned the popular poem Ne majsi ne parat matrubhoomila, sagara pran talmalala, extolling the sea to take him back to the motherland.

Lata’s brother Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar composed the music and the legendary singer lent her voice to the very popular composition.

Talking to a Marathi daily, Lata recalled that when the tunes were being composed, Tatya (Savarkar) was alive. “I went to him with the invitation. But, since he was unwell, he was not able to make it to the function,” she said.

Lata said she has had the opportunity to sing many of his compositions. “The lyrics aroused patriotic fervour. They were inspirational not just to Maharashtrians, but to all Indians,” she said.

According to her, Savarkar sacrificed a lot for the country. “But independent India did not honour him and give him his due,” she said of the controversial figure, who was arrested in connection with the killing of Mahatma Gandhi but acquitted for lack of evidence.