Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India]: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the ‘Lata Mangeshkar Chowk’ in Ayodhya on Wednesday to honour the legendary singer.
Paying rich tributes to the Bharat Ratna awardee and legendary singer on her 93rd birth anniversary, Yogi Adityanath said, “Great Lata didi dedicated her entire life to art and music and sang most ‘bhajans’ of Lord Rama. I am honoured to inaugurate the ‘Lata Mangeshkar Chowk’ leading to the grand Ram Temple road in Ayodhya today. It is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest Indian icons.”
The Chief Minister in the presence of Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, Mahant Nrityagopal Das, Jaiveer Singh and other dignitaries also inaugurated the spectacular intersection on the banks of the Saryu river, featuring a 40-ft-long and 12-metre-high ‘Veena’ weighing 14 tonnes, 92 lotuses depicting her 92 years of existence and seven pillars representing the seven musical notes, according to an official statement.
He added, “Under the inspiration of respected PM Modi, Lata Didi’s first memorial has been built in the holy city of Lord Rama to whom she devoted her entire life. Just as this intersection, every road in Ayodhya, every corner should be developed as grandly to present the city as the most beautiful one before the entire world”.
Stating that the double-engine government is determined to develop every place in Uttar Pradesh having religious and spiritual significance, Yogi Adityanath said, “The government will continue to develop our religious places, however, public participation is a must to fulfil the vision. Everyone must contribute towards a clean, hygienic, plastic-free and beautiful Ayodhya.”
The CM continued, “We must take forward the beautification work of Ayodhya in a time-bound manner so that as the under-construction grand Ram Temple gets ready, the world gets to witness Ayodhya as the most well-planned and beautiful city as it was during ‘Tretayuga’.”
Yogi went on to say that this ‘Deepotsava’, along with the grand celebrations by the government, every house in Ayodhya must light a ‘Diya’ and add to the grandeur of the holy festival.
Maintaining that Ayodhya underwent a massive transformation in the span of the last 5.5 years, the CM said, “The developed and widened roads, beautified ‘ghats’ and other places in Ayodhya have impressed everyone coming to the city lately. We must take forward our responsibility with commitment.”
“PM Modi launched the Swach Bharat Mission and today our villages and cities are cleaner, whereas, 8 years ago, the first thing people witnessed on visiting villages and cities was filth and garbage”, Yogi pointed out.
Furthermore, Yogi said that not just Ayodhya, but the entire state is being developed. The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, under the leadership of PM Modi, has been revamped and witnessed crores of devotees during the holy month of Shravan, he remarked
“Development of religious and spiritual places by the government is not only a means of respecting the religious faith of public but also a medium of generating employment opportunities for the youth in the state,” he said.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy on the occasion said, “Bharat Ratna Lata Ji was a magician and that her music touched souls. “Classics like ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo’ will continue to inspire generations and will fill them with patriotism. Lata Didi’s life is no less than an inspiration for all”.
The Union Minister added that being a Telugu speaker, he also remembered Lata didi’s songs in the Telugu language and said that the legendary singer mastered the art of conveying emotions through her voice in different languages.
He also expressed happiness over the efforts being made by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with the inspiration of PM Modi for the overall development of Ayodhya.
Ayodhya special issue magazine published by Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan and 10 volumes of Global Encyclopedia of Ramayana was also released on the occasion.
Lata Mangeshkar’s family members Adinath and Krishna Mangeshkar, who were also special guests were seen getting emotional during the inauguration of the ‘chowk’. Sharing his memories, Adinath said that Lata didi’s day started with worshipping Lord Rama and that he was overwhelmed to see her divine and grand memorial built in the holy city of Ayodhya. (ANI)
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