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Mangeshkar was also a big supporter of the Indian cricket team, and she got along well with players like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. She not only enjoyed watching cricket but also once helped the Indian cricket board in deciding how to honour the Indian team that had just won the Prudential World Cup in 1983, defeating the two-time champions West Indies in the final at Lord’s on June 25, 1983.
The BCCI back then was nothing like the one that exists today, which is the richest cricket board in the world. NKP Salve, the president of the board in the pre-Jagmohan Dalmiya era, was one of the most influential characters in Indian politics, and he was having problems figuring out how to appropriately congratulate the Indian team on their World Cup victory in 1983.
Salve had to turn to his ‘Man Friday’ and Indian cricket’s ‘one stop Encyclopedia’ Raj Singh Dungarpur for a solution to be able to reward the players for such an achievement.
‘Raj bhai’, as Dungarpur was known in Indian cricket circle, decided that the only way was to request his close friend and one of country’s biggest cricket fans, Lata Mangeshkar, to do a pro-bono concert in the national capital’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
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The IG was packed to capacity as ‘Lata ji’ did a near two-hour programme. The event ensured that BCCI collected enough money and all the 14 members got INR 100,000 each as cash award.
As a mark of respect, the BCCI till her death kept two complimentary VIP tickets allocated at any Indian stadium for her, where India played an international match.
Mangeshkar chose to do a pro-bono concert in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where a sold-out crowd enjoyed the Nightingale of India singing for two hours. The event ensured that BCCI raised enough funds, and each of the 14 members received a monetary award of Rs 1 lakh.
As a token of respect, BCCI retained two complimentary VIP seats reserved for her at any Indian venue stadium where India played an international match until her death.