Mumbai, Aug 17 (IANS) Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar has for the first time recorded the 'Hanuman Chalisa' for an album, dedicating her prayers for the betterment of the country, which is seeing 'tough times' due to a drought, a recession and the swine flu virus.

'We are going through tough times and Hanumanji is known as 'Sankatmochan'. In my 60-year career, I have not sung his praises. It just occurred to me now to sing the 'Hanuman Chalisa'... the time is right for me to seek his blessings,' she said in a statement.

The singing legend has recorded the song for for T-Series and the album is expected to hit the stalls soon. In her six-decade career, Lata has sung many devotional songs like 'Payoji maine Ram Ratan dhan payo' and 'Jai Jagadish Hare'.