Lata attended school only for a day, learnt alphabets from domestic help

At that time, her cousin Vasanti was studying in Class 3 at a school opposite their house in Sangli. She would tag along with Vasanti and whenever the latter had a music lesson, little Lata used to attentively listen to the teacher. 

One day, the teacher asked Vasanti who the girl was. “I jumped up saying: ‘I am Master Deenanath’s daughter!’ She said: ‘He is such a great singer. Can you sing?’ 

I told her I could sing many raags, and rattled off their names: Malkauns, Hindol, etc. 

She led me straight off to the staff room where all the teachers were sitting and asked me to sing. So, I sang a classical song based on Hindol. I was four or five,” she later told filmmaker author Nasreen Munni Kabir, who adapted these conversations as a book titled “Lata Mangeshkar...in her own voice”.