Kovind, Modi greet Lata Mangeshkar on 89th birthday
New Delhi, Sep 28: President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday wished legendary Indian playback singer and Bharat Ratna recipient Lata Mangeshkar on her 89th birthday, praying for her long life and good health.
"Birthday greetings and best wishes for a long and healthy life to Lata Mangeshkar, who has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna. May her melodious voice continue to mesmerise millions across the world for years to come," the President tweeted.
Calling Mangeshkar as "Lata Didi", the Prime Minister also expressed his best wishes on her birthday.
"Respected Lata Didi, best wishes to you on your birthday. Your exceptional work, spanning decades has endeared you to crores of Indians. You have always been passionate about our country's development. May you lead a long life filled with good health," Modi tweeted.
Born to a family of musicians on September 28, 1929, in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, Mangeshkar is the second female vocalist after M.S. Subbulakshmi to receive the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2001.
She is also the recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke award, three National Film awards and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement award besides many others.
A doyenne among playback singers, her career spans over seven decades.
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1,600 Indians travel to India on 5 Qatar Airways flights amid airspace curbs
Doha (PTI): Around 1,600 Indian nationals travelled to India on five Qatar Airways flights on Tuesday, even as the airline continues to operate limited services due to restrictions on Qatar's airspace, the Indian Embassy here said.
The flights included two services to Delhi and one each to Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, the embassy said in a social media post.
"In total, about 1600 Indian nationals travelled on Qatar Airways flights today," it said.
The mission noted that Qatar's airspace remains largely closed and Qatar Airways is currently operating only limited, non-scheduled flights.
The airline has announced services to nine Indian destinations starting Wednesday, and passengers can make bookings through the Qatar Airways website, mobile application or authorised travel agents.
The embassy said it continues to facilitate temporary Saudi transit visas for stranded Indian nationals wishing to travel to India via Saudi Arabia by crossing the Salwa land border.
The mission will remain open on all days in the coming week to provide consular services, including issuance of passports, while its control room and helplines through phone, email and WhatsApp will continue to function on a 24/7 basis.
It urged the Indian community to follow instructions issued by Qatari authorities and exercise responsibility in sharing information to help maintain public safety and community stability.
The embassy and Indian community organisations have also collaborated to support members of the Indian fishermen community in Qatar by providing dry rations to those in need.
Tensions in West Asia continue to escalate following the US-Israel strikes on Iran since February 28.
