Meri awaaz suno, over memorial for Lata didi

A day after Lata Mangeshkarrsquos death there was a debate over where a memorial dedicated to her should be constructed While a Bharatiya Janata Party BJP legislator and the state Congress chief demanded a memorial at the iconic Shivaji Park where the legendary singer was cremated on Sunday the Shiv Sena has asked that the issue not be politicised BJPrsquos local MLA Ram Kadam said in a video statement on Monday that he has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday requesting him to build a memorial for Mangeshkar at Shivaji Park ldquoIt is a popular demand from Lata didirsquos fans music lovers and wellwishers of the Mangeshkar family to have a memorial where she was cremated The memorial will inspire the entire world The CM should announce the decision immediatelyrdquo he saidCurrently Shivaji Park has the late Balasaheb Thackerayrsquos makeshift memorial which was created after he was cremated there nine years ago The new memorial will be housed in a neighbouring bungalow the Mayorrsquos residence The state government is building itSanjay Raut Shiv Sena chief spokesperson and Ram Kadam BJP MLAThe Sena slammed the politics in the demand raised by the rival party MLA The partyrsquos chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the demand was unwarranted and there shouldnrsquot be politics over the memorial ldquoI know some people have demanded it but there is no need to raise such a demand now Lata didi is a global icon The state and Central governments will definitely have a memorial of international standards She wasnrsquot a political leader She was our countryrsquos precious treasurerdquo Raut said adding that building a memorial for her wasnrsquot an easy taskCongress endorses BJP demandState Congress president Nana Patole also said the memorial should be at Shivaji Park ldquoThere must be a memorial for Lata didi at Shivaji Park The Congress expects it to be big and at par with international cultural and tourism destinationsrdquo he addedPatole had previously in the press conference said the memorial should be either at Shivaji Park or another appropriate place However he revised his statement at the end of the interaction and insisted on Shivaji Park as the memorial siteSources in the government said that the issue could be discussed in the forthcoming weekly cabinet meeting ldquoThere could be an informal or formal discussion on how to go about it It will also be interesting to see what the union government decides But there will definitely be a decision sooner or later to have a memorial as a mark of respect for the Bharat Ratna awardee The site could be anywhere Like for Balasaheb there could be a makeshift one for Lata didirdquo said a leaderMixed reaction on social mediaSocial media was overflowing with reactions to the development Most of the people wanted a memorial but the opinion was split about the site and the format of the memorial Some suggested that the memorial shouldnrsquot be a conventional one but like an institute that should work for the betterment of talent in the music worldA Facebook post by Ruhita Kamble said Shivaji Parkrsquos sports culture should not be disturbed with land for the memorial and instead suggested building a hospital or a school in the memory of Lata MangeshkarldquoMemorials donrsquot serve any purpose Donrsquot use Shivaji Park instead use other land for a museumlike memorial which can also work as an institute to help the poor and needy artistes hone their skillsrdquo wrote another Facebook user Mohan VajeA twitter handle That Marine Guy requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce the highest music award in the name of Mangeshkar and also build a memorial where all the memories related to her life all her songs could be displayedA Twitter post by ThulaseedharanS said a music academy should be formed under the societyrsquos act ldquoThe government must not have a role in it except granting adequate land free of cost The academy should be governed and administered by experts from the field of musicrdquo it added