By Elsa Lycias Joel
Born as Hema to Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, (a theatre actor and classical singer) and Shevanti in 1929, this icon we call Lata Mangeshkar started singing at the age of 5 and honed her skills under the able guidance of Aman Ali Khan Sahib and Amanat Khan, established and famous singers of that time. There’s something about a voice that’s personal, and the nightingale that just flew away had a voice that touches us in a place that’s as personal as the place from which that voice has issued. The ecstasy of surrender that she inspired even as a five year old influenced and mentored a wide generation of younger female singers. Having recorded songs in over 36 Indian languages and a few foreign languages, Lata Mangeshkar’s voice came to be known as an irresistible force that combines a love of Indian soul music with an undeniable depth of feeling. Imitating the acclaimed singer Noor Jehan, then later developed her own style of singing this ‘Queen of Melody’ transformed into an embodiment of breaking through and keeping our spirit.
Today morning, after coping with the sad news of her demise, I listened to a few Tamil songs sung by her and they did trigger some pretty intense memories. To me, her songs can induce nostalgia faster and easier than almost anything else because she made lyrics come alive. A name in herself and second to none, she moved India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears when she sang the song Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon, Zara Aankh Me Bhar Lo Pani, for the jawans of our country in 1962, when India lost the war to China. Not just in India, Lata didi earned honours and fans from across the world. After France conferred on her its highest civilian award, Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, in 2007, famous french singers yearned to meet this legendary singer we proudly call our own.
The music industry has never had a shortage of new and upcoming talents, but this Queen’s nerve vocals keep getting more precise and more powerful with every passing day. In Spite of being born with a gift of a naturally beautiful voice, film industry rejected this soothing voice as it was considered too thin for that time. Nothing could stop this finest artist of our generation. Ever since the movie Majboor (1948) became her first big breakthrough film hit, she has moved at lightning speed singing songs composed by renowned music directors of the period, such as Anil Biswas, Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali, S. D. Burman, Sardul Singh Kwatra, Amarnath, Husanlal, and Bhagatram. A mildly disapproving remark about Lata’s Maharashtrian accent while singing Urdu songs did not deter her. Instead, she took lessons in Urdu from an Urdu teacher named Shafi and continued to excel. From her first song ‘Naachu Yaa Gade’ for the Marathi movie, ‘Kiti Hasaal’ in 1942 being dropped from the final movie cut to holding the distinction of being the first Indian artist ever to perform live at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall, Lata Mangeshkar had everything in her to help people aspire for the best.
In addition to her glorious achievements in the field of music, Lata Didi doubled up as a philanthropist. When the singing artist launched her own designer diamond jewelry collection named Swaranjali, five pieces that were auctioned at Christies raked in £105,000, which was donated for the 2005 Kashmir earthquake relief.
As the most recorded voice in history, this epitome of success decorated The Book of Guinness World Record with more than 25,000 songs in many Indian languages. There really is no one like Lata Didi, also because her singing blends lyricism with a remarkable ease of delivery. The whole world acknowledges she brought sweetness and wonder to her devotional classic harmonies too. Countless peppy numbers and chirpy duets with brilliant artists, mainly with legendary vocalist Mohammed Rafi brought out the best in this avatar of Goddess Saraswati. Lata Mangeshkar lived for music and loved it. Her steadiness as a singer allowed her to handle filmi, classical, ghazals, bhajans, folk and Bengali Music with equal ease.
No matter how my consumption of music changes, it will never change the impact her tamil songs have on me, an emotional being. I enjoy Lata Didi’s childlike quaver, other times a soulful delivery as effervescent, joyful, heartbreaking and many a time all in the same song. She is a wonder and we still get lost in wonder listening to her immortal songs made of soft, lilting, melodious voice. Each song is a gem. Her voice encompassed such a deep range of emotions, especially when she sang the blues. Pain, defiance and anger were intense in her voice.
I place on record my heartfelt condolences to this titan’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. The voice of the nation will echo forever and our Queen will continue to hold that note for us to feel it. Looks like the whole of heaven- including God awaited to hear Lata Mangeshkar and they were in a hurry.
