Varanasi: Arman Ahmad has held Rudhrabhishek at Kashi Vishwanath Temple on January 20 for the welfare of the legend of singing Lata Mangeshkar.
On Sunday morning, he and his family were in a surprise after hearing his death.
“He is like a mother for us, and we call him ‘MAA’ every time we meet him directly or talk to him by telephone,” said Arman Ahmad and his brother Rizwan Ahmad, the Saree traders at the Gauriganj location here.
“I have called him on January 1 and hopes the new year and does not have a hunch then it will be my last conversation with him,” Arman said.
When he found out about his illness and placed in a ventilator, we have arranged Rudrabhishek at Kashi Vishwanath Temple with prayer for the initial recovery, he added.
“Demisnya is a personal loss for our family,” Rizwan said crying.
We came into contact with Lata Mangeshkar in May 2015, when his brother Hridgehahath Mangeshkar and other family members visited Varanasi and came to our store to buy Saree for him.
“I talked to him by telephone to find out the preferences and he asked me to visit Mumbai with several sarees,” he said.
Arman went to Mumbai with some beautiful banarasi sarees.
“After the meeting, the emotional bond was developed between us, and he became a motherly figure for us,” Arman said.
It becomes a routine for us to talk to him by telephone or meet him every time we go to Mumbai on the way, Arman said, who also recorded some of their conversations.
“Even though he never visited our house, he really cared and always asked about the welfare of all family members.
He also sent a gift to the festival and a birthday,” he said.
He said that Lata Mangeshkar liked Sarees Banarasi and had bought around 100 from him.
“We have maintained gifts and even some checks sent by him,” he said.