The legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar remained single throughout her life and never married. This was her personal choice because she couldn’t marry the love of her life. Taking a trip back in time, the singer, who was a diehard cricket fan, fell in love with a fast-medium bowler from Rajasthan, Raj Singh Dungarpur, who later became the Manager of the Indian cricket team, as reported by DNA.
Raj Singh Dungarpur had a royal background as the youngest son of Maharawal Lakshman Singhji, the ruler of Dungarpur. Lata was an ardent cricket enthusiast, while Raj had a deep love for music, which brought them together. Lata was born in Indore, and her father was Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, a Marathi musician and theater actor.
The love story of Lata and Raj was documented in a biography of the princess of Bikaner, Rajshri, who is the niece of Raj Singh Dungarpur. In her memoir autobiography titled ‘Palace of Clouds – A Memoir,’ she revealed that the two met through Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Lata Mangeshkar’s younger brother.
Raj Singh went to Mumbai to study law, and he was also a cricket player. Both Lata’s brother Hridaynath and Raj played cricket, which led to Raj’s entry into Lata’s house. The book mentions that their initial friendship gradually transformed into love.
After completing his law studies, Raj returned to Dungarpur and expressed his desire to marry Lata. However, Rajshri further writes that the royal family did not approve of their love, and Raj was not allowed to marry Lata.
Despite their love being unapproved, both Lata and Raj chose to remain unmarried, immortalizing their love. The autobiography also mentions that Raj Singh Dungarpur affectionately called Lata Mangeshkar ‘Mithu.’ It is said that upon Raj Singh’s death in 2009, Lata Mangeshkar secretly visited Dungarpur for a final farewell to him.