CM lays foundation stone for Lata Mangeshkar music school
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde laid the foundation stone for the Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar Gurukul, a music school dedicated to promoting Indian music. The school, to be managed by the Mangeshkar family, will offer courses in vocal and instrumental music and sound engineering. The government has allocated ₹25 crore for the construction, which is expected to be completed in one and a half years. Shinde also inaugurated several development works in Thane, including a pedestrian bridge, water distribution system expansion, and beautification projects.
Thane: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday laid the foundation stone for Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar Gurukul, a music school dedicated to the promotion of Indian music. Lata Mangeshkar’s younger sister Usha Mangeshkar and Krishna Adinath Mangeshkar were present during the occasion.
“A school in Thane named after nightingale Lata Mangeshkar is a proud moment for all of us. We have experienced the Lata era, and her songs have been part of our daily life. It is important that this legacy is passed on to the next generation and the music school will play a crucial role in this,” said Shinde paying tributes to the playback singer who passed away in February 2022 at the age of 92.
The music school will be constructed on the Raptakos plant land now reserved for public amenities on Pokhran Road no 1 in Vartak Nagar. The government has allocated ₹25 crore for the construction, which is expected to be completed in one and half years. The school will be managed by the Mangeshkar family. It will offer certificate courses in vocal and instrumental music and sound engineering.
Shinde, after laying the school’s foundation stone, said many luminaries from the music world like Pandit Ram Marathe, music director Shrinivas Khale, and lyricist P Sawalaram lived in Thane. “Thane has always had a legacy of music and literature. A music school will ensure that this legacy continues,” he said.
Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MLA Pratap Sarnaik recalled that in 2011 when Lata Mangeshkar and her family visited Thane to participate in the Dinanath Mangeshkar memorial programme, he had promised the deceased singer that he’d ensure music facilities were available in Thane.
“When Eknath Shinde became the chief minister, he supported the Gurukul idea and sanctioned ₹25 crore to build it. Thane municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar said the four-storey building would be ready in one and half years. I request Usha Mangeshkar that the Mangeshkar family should run it with music stalwarts at the helm, so that it attracts the best music talent,” Sarnaik said.
Shinde also inaugurated several development works in Sarnaik’s Majiwada-Ovala constituency via remote control, including a pedestrian bridge ( ₹3.75 crore) opposite Singhania school on Pokhran Road no 1, expansion of water distribution system in Vartak Nagar, Lokmanya Nagar and Ghodbunder Road under Amrut 2.0 scheme ( ₹200 crore), cleaning and preservation of old wells in Thane city ( ₹50 crore), beautification of intersections in Vartak Nagar ward and digital boards ( ₹20 crore), installation of musical fountains in the lakes in Ovala-Majiwada ( ₹50 crore), and beautification of pavements with railings ( ₹25 crore).
Municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar said the CM’s ‘Changing Thane’ campaign will complete one year in December, and the road works initiated at the cost of ₹605 crore are 90% complete and will be fully complete in December.
Bangar said that upgradation of the hostel at the Rajiv Gandhi Medical College in Kalwa was also complete, and the CM would inaugurate it soon. “Resident doctors had drawn the CM’s attention poor living conditions in the hostel when he paid a visit in March, after which the CM gave orders to refurbish the hostel,” said Bangar. He stated excluding the time taken for the tendering process, the hostel upgradation was completed in 90 days.
