Jaya Bachchan, one of the country's most respected actresses, salutes Lata Mangeshkar, and her tremendous importance to our nation:

Music is something I love and, as an actor, it is the starting point for preparation for all my roles. I mentioned this once and HMV kindly sent me all of Lataji's songs. I listen to them all the time.

What can one say about her that hasn't been said before? She was the heroine's voice -- she is a legend.

She always sang for me, but then, she sang for every heroine.

I remember watching her economy of facial expression when I played a singer in Abhimaan and learning from it -- how she faced the mike, how she addressed it.

We shouldn't just celebrate her 75th birthday, we should celebrate her, and the fact that she is ours. She is an Indian we can all be proud of.

Wish Lata Mangeshkar!