Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna shared a special bond with the late Lata Mangeshkar, often hailed as the "Nightingale of India". Their connection was rooted in mutual admiration and a shared love for food and culture. Khanna often speaks of the promise he made to Mangeshkar, a commitment to visit her home every year on the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Khanna's relationship with Mangeshkar went beyond professional admiration. He considered her a motherly figure, and each visit to her home felt like a pilgrimage to a temple. He would bring her homemade modaks and puran polis during Ganesh Chaturthi, special versions that she particularly loved. Mangeshkar, in turn, followed Khanna's culinary journey, watching him on "MasterChef India" and expressing her appreciation for his work.

In 2016, Khanna visited Mangeshkar to seek her blessings for the fifth season of "MasterChef India". He stated that it was his fourth year of keeping his promise to visit her on the first day of Ganpati. Mangeshkar wished him and the contestants luck, a gesture that meant a great deal to Khanna.

Khanna also fondly remembers an instance where Mangeshkar invited him to her home, Prabhu Kunj, to prepare "prasad" for her prayers. He prepared steamed baby bananas stuffed with a mixture of jaggery, coconut, cardamom, and sesame seeds, a dish that became one of her favorites. In January 2024, Khanna shared the recipe for this steamed banana dish, honoring Mangeshkar's legacy in Ayodhya, where the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk was inaugurated in September 2023.

Beyond their personal connection, Khanna also acknowledged Mangeshkar's philanthropic side. In 2020, he donated 1000 PPE kits to the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, built in memory of her father. Mangeshkar expressed her gratitude on Twitter, and Khanna responded by saying she inspired them all.

Following Mangeshkar's death in February 2022, Khanna shared heartfelt tributes on social media, expressing the profound personal loss he felt. He called it the "end of an era" and said it was an honor to have known her personally. He fondly recalled her calling him after he missed visiting her during Ganesh Pooja in 2017.

Vikas Khanna's memories of Lata Mangeshkar paint a picture of a warm, compassionate, and deeply spiritual woman. Their bond, built on mutual respect and admiration, serves as a reminder of the power of human connection and the enduring legacy of the "Nightingale of India".