Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar was honoured with the Swara Mauli title by Shankarcharya Vidyanarsimha Bharati Swami last evening here...

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar was honored with the Swara Mauli title by Shankaracharya Vidyanarsimha Bharati Swami last evening here. Mangeshkar, 88, was conferred with the award at her residence Prabhu Kunj at Peddar Road in south Mumbai. Her sisters Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar and brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar were also present.  The music icon said she was touched when Jagatguru Shankaracharya of the Math at Kolhapur's Karvir, chose to honor her with the title. "Jagatguru Shankaracharya had met me earlier at Kolhapur and had conferred the Swara Bharati. I cannot recall the year. Now I have been given the second title Swara Mauli, I feel honored and blessed," Mangeshkar told reporters here last evening.

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar honored with the Swara Mauli title

"Every award is big. All awards should be accepted with love. I feel happy to receive this award," she added. The veteran singer has several awards to her credit in her over seven-decade-long career, including three National Awards. Mangeshkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country, in 2001 - the second vocalist, after MS Subbulakshmi to receive the honor. Bhosle lavished praise on her elder sibling. "I am very happy and proud of her, there is no one like her," she said.