Prime Minister Narendra Modi donated the cash prize that he received as part of the Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award. Last month, PM Modi travelled to Mumbai to personally receive the award. He couldn’t meet Lata’s brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar as he was hospitalised at the time. Mangeshkar now took to Twitter and revealed that he received a special letter from the PM.
In his letter, Modi thanked Mangeshkar for conferring him with the award. “I will never forget the warmth and affection shown to me at the award function in Mumbai last month. It was unfortunate that I could not meet you due to your ill-health but Adinath managed the programme very well,” he wrote.
“As I rose to receive the award and make my remarks, I was overcome by a variety of emotions. Most of all, I was missing the presence of Lata Didi! It was when I was receiving the award that it fully dawned upon me that this time, I will be one Rakhi poorer during Raksha Bandha. The realisation hit me that I will no longer be receiving those phone calls enquiring about my health, asking me about my well-being and discussing a variety of subjects with me,” he added.
“The award came with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh as well. May I request you to donate the proceedings to any charitable institution of your choice? This amount could be used to bring a positive difference in the lives of others, something Lata Didi always wanted to do. I once again express my gratitude to the Mangeshkar family and pay my tributes to Lata Didi,” the letter concluded.
Sharing the letter on Twitter, Mangeshkar wrote, “My family & I gratefully thank our beloved PM Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi ji for accepting the 1st ever Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award! Sir, your kind receiving of this award in it’s year of institutionalisation has resulted into it’s immortalisation!”
My family & I gratefully thank our beloved PM Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi ji for accepting the 1st ever Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award! Sir, your kind receiving of this award in it’s year of institutionalisation has resulted into it’s immortalisation! @narendramodi @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/vpZQl4UQMH
— Hridaynath Mangeshkar (@hridaynathdm) May 26, 2022
“Such a gracious & noble gesture by our Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi ji, of donating the cash prize component of the 1st ever Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award to charity! Our Trust has decided to donate it to the PM Cares Fund,” he added.
Lata Mangeshkar passed away earlier this year. PM Modi flew down to Mumbai to attend her funeral.
