Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga recalls meeting with Lata Mangeshkar

Colombo: Sri Lanka's World Cup winning cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga said that he can't forget his first meeting with The Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away at the age of 92 in Mumbai.

Recalling his meeting with the legendary singer, and the former captain said, “It was our great pleasure to have played the Charity match to raise funds for her Pune's cancer hospital in 2003. The BCCI's late president Raj Singh Dungarpaur, who had been my friend and an admirer of Lanka cricket had invited us to play the match in Mumbai and we participated”, according to Daily Mirror Online.

Arjuna Ranatunga reached the ground via helicopter from a nearby destination. He added: “It was the best of things we could do for an ever-enterprising lady. When I informed her that my mother (Nandani) is her great fan and has watched many Indian films in which Lata ji has sung songs, she immediately gave me a set of CDs signed by her; and my mother, who is 84 now, still has been listening to her voice.”

“I am very sad to hear about her passing away. She was not only an icon for India, but internationally famed. Her music touched the hearts of millions of people around the world, and her legacy will live on for many more years through her music,” Ranatunga added. (UNI)