I USED TO listen to Lata Mangeshkar from a very young age. As I was a radio freak, that was my doorway to her, as it was for millions of others. Lata ji’s voice reached even remote corners of India. I do not think there is an Indian soul who does not know about her.
The news that Lata ji had left us was devastating for me. [February 6] started off as a normal day. I got up at 5am and prayed. At around 7am, I turned on the television and saw Asha Bhosle saying that her sister’s condition had improved. It felt so good to hear that. But, in the next two hours, we came to know about the death.
I have always admired, respected and loved Lata ji. The amount of work she did is truly unreal. I have not heard even a fraction of her 30,000-plus songs. Lata ji was 100 per cent a playback singer; she was not seen much on the stage shows. And, she was the voice behind the faces of so many beautiful actors from different generations. Her voice was precise for the emotions enacted by the actors on screen.
She was the voice of India. And, I coined the phrase “the first lady of songs in India” [to describe her]. I wonder whether any other singers had given voice to so many artistes.
One of her best songs is Aa Mere Watan Ke Logon. I was in school when I first heard this song. The lyrics were beautiful. Besides being an amazing talent, look at the luck that followed Lata ji. She got the best songs to sing. She got the best lyricists. And the best music directors.
Lata ji liked my voice and style of singing. When she told me this, it felt so nice and comforting. I was privileged to get such a compliment from her. I used to tell her often: “You are so precious to me. So please be careful. Do not get sick.” She would laugh it away.
I got an opportunity to sing for Lata ji on her 75th birthday. I sang two songs, and after the show, I went running down [the stage] to meet her and seek her blessings. She had already got up to meet me. After touching her feet and saying thanks, I requested her to give me something from her little purse. “Give me something that would help me to sing a little better,” I said. Then she opened her purse and offered me a packet of mishri (sugar candy)—which is considered very good for the throat. Then I told her: “Didi, this will not last me a week.” She replied: “Don’t worry, I will send you some more.” Within a week, I got 1kg of mishri from her. Unfortunately, that mishri got over, and so now is Lata ji’s life. But the song is bigger than the singer. Even though she is gone, her legacy and her songs will live on forever. I cannot imagine a single day when people might not listen to a Lata Mangeshkar song. So, her legacy will carry on and will last forever, through the generations.