Happy B’day Lataji
Aah, it’s that auspicious day again - the day Goddess Saraswati blessed the eldest daughter of Master Dinanath Mangeshkar with a voice so sweet that it defies the shackles of vocabulary and language.
The little girl, who undertook immense hardships in her early days - often walking miles on hot Bombay roads - chose her profession in the film industry, and since then the film music was never same again.
There is no discussion, no anthology, no film history, no musical mention that ever goes without a reverred mention of her name. She re-defined the Hindi film heroine voice, changed the rules of the game, set her own standards - and today, she is a living legend, a lady second to none!
For me, she is embodiment of mellifluity- the initial and the culminating word in music. She is the balm that soothes my frayed nerves, the antidote to all tensions and the tinkling charm that brings sunshine. Year on year, my love for her voice strengthens and deepens as I continuously delve deep into the ocean of her gargantuan and limitless repertoire. Invariably, I come out enriched with yet one more unknown gem that will glitter and shine and provide lustre to my otherwise dreary life. Often I sit pensively, with wonder and fear in my heart. Wonder at the outstanding ouvre that she has created; fear, that someday there will be no more such gems to extract. But I guess I fear unwisely, because her songs are still aplenty to discover; and when she sings, she is always better than the best.
For the world she is Lata Mangeshkar- the Legend. In my own world, she is my Latadi; even without meeting her ever, she is an inseparable part of my life.
Lataji, today on your birthday I am not just going to wish you. Because my wishes for your health, life and happiness are there constantly. But today, I want to do more - I want to kneel before you in gratitude for providing me countless moments of pleasure. I want to thank you for singing all those songs in your fabulous voice. I want to express my gratefulness for all those majestically magnificent melodies that you graced your voice with. Thank you Latadi - you are the best…
To end, I will paraphrase one of Lataji’s lesser known but outstanding RDBurman creation:
“Tumko sunnke zindagi ko yun laga
Jaise humko saari duniya mil gayi
O Dil mein jaagi sur ki raagini
Har tamanna phool banke khil gayi…”*
Tumko hamari umar lag jaaye…**
*Original song goes ‘Tumse milke zindagi ko yun laga…’from the film Chor Police
**This line is from the song ‘Tumhe aur kya doon mai dil ke sivaye’ from Aayi Milan Ki Bela, Music Shankar Jaikishan.
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September 28th, 2006 at 7:46 am
Wow! Let me read now.
September 28th, 2006 at 8:02 am
I am wordless…! While reading I felt that I am reading my own expressions and I could feel wetness in my eyes….
A very very Happy Birthday to Lataji. I prayed to God today for her, prayed that He should reduce my hours of life and add into Hers…Isse jyada kuch nahi keh sakti..
September 28th, 2006 at 8:49 am
I was expecting this post today…..
Happy Birthday Lataji…..second to none….true…very true.
September 28th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Came again to read!!! In the morning I wasnt in a position to say anything more..U can imagine. because its Lataji and secondly, Ur writing! As I always say its Ur usage of PERFECT words which justify one’s emotions so well. While reading second para the whole picture was in front of my eyes, whatever I have read, heard so far about her…walking bare feet, sometimes even with high fever for her recordings in earlier days.
Deepak, though the whole post is excellent, the last para touched me a lot!
September 28th, 2006 at 2:37 pm
Hi,Deepak…nice tribute…I came here expecting it,naturally.:)
September 29th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
i knew that even in your busy schedule u will post a tribute. btw this year there was a programme in Matunga for Lataji and she actually graced the occasion. Sadly though obviously I cud not get passes. another reason for not going was that I feared your reaction if I had managed to see her in person before you.
So now with all this travelling iss taraf bhi zara rukh kar dijiye. There are a dozen places with wierd names in Mumbai as well.
September 29th, 2006 at 5:01 pm
Thanks to TV that we got to hear and see lataji whole day on her birthday. U too must hv watched those programs where she’d talked abt the topics like why she didn’t sing with Rafi for 3 yrs and never sang for OP nayyar (??)
After reading ‘random expressions’ only I cd appreciate lataji more…really
and I filled this subscription form but I don’t get a mail when there is a new post out here.
October 1st, 2006 at 8:58 pm
May sound funny but i had this habit of trying to imitate the voice of Latadi and also sing along with her songs for as long as i can remember…it was fun…it still is!!! However, the truth is never can i get anywhere close to her style of singing or her voice..the terrible singer i am! Wish her a very very long life!!!!
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:21 pm
Wishing you a very happy Dussehra
Will read the post later …
October 5th, 2006 at 8:27 am
Do you by any chane have her Shraddhanjali series on mp3’s? I have been hunting for a CD of that and it seems to have disappeared.
October 7th, 2006 at 10:56 am
Hi All, Many thanks for the wishes. Awfully tied up these days… But as ever, I promise to be back very very soon …
October 7th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
very very soon…acha dheekti hu…..apun ko story mangta hai…but yeah kaam yeh puja hai ….so appy workin !!!
October 8th, 2006 at 9:52 am
Nice tribute
October 10th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
hi deepak, thanks for making everybody recall brilliant ‘tumse milke zindagi…’ track from RD and Lataji…..
do u know any site wherefrom this can downloaded or listened to…… ? i am dying to listen to it now…..
October 19th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
Deepak ,
Came acroos this post today (Oct 19) …
Noticed that your post starts with ‘Aah’ , and a coincidence that that is one film where
Lata has so many wonderful songs in different moods … excellent emoting by Lata in the songs to match nargis/Vijaylakshmi’s characters on screen .. and ofc eleveated tremendously by
the talented SJ-HJ-S team ..
There’s the ‘coming to terms with the unhappy situation’ song raajaa kii aa_egii baaraat …
The playful sunate the naam ham jinakaa bahaar se … the longing in ‘ye shaam kii tanahaaiyaa.N’ … the happiness of a new found love in ‘jo mai.n jaanatii unake li_e’ … the typical romantic duet in ‘jaane naa nazar’ and the melancholy ‘aajaa re ab meraa dil pukaaraa’ .
Aah ! What a film for Lata !
Cheers !
Amarendra
November 22nd, 2006 at 2:49 pm
I knew you would make a post on this day…… How can I forget that as I always use to wait for that….. but I could not visit as I was going though something very different phase of life then…..
But I wished for her by my heart and here again I’m wishing her as you know my principle about making wishes - it’s never late for making wishes….
“Happy Birthday to Lata Di.”
You have written a post on her and for her birthday.. I have no words to say…. If I say anything then it would be “Chhoti muNh badi baat…”
So you understand.
.