Lata Mangeshkar: A bridge that connected India with Indians

Is there a thread that binds a pluralistic and unwieldy India?

Yes. Lata Mangeshkar.

Unanimously accepted as India’s awaaz (voice), she passed away at 92 due to complications of Covid-19 but Lata will never ever go away from our lives.

As the noted columnist Santosh Desai said, “Lata was an omnipresent fact of life of Indians. In her case, there can be no passing. Lata's music will continue to cast spell as it always has. She had transcended mortality quite a while ago.”

Even the millennial generation reinvented Lata’s timeless music. Her famed rendition of “lag ja gale” continues to have several innovative adaptations. 

On Feb. 6 legions of her fans and movie veterans were scrambling for words to give her a fitting tribute. But, most ended up saying that any expression would be a gross understatement.

Before interviewing her on her 80th birthday, the poet Javed Akhtar had beautifully said that once in a century someone grows so colossal in stature that they can’t be introduced. It is simply so because there are not enough words to introduce them and it’s not even necessary to introduce them.

No one ever says Shakespeare was a good writer or Michelangelo painted so well or Beethoven played fine music, the poet noted. “Lata’s name is her identity.”

Her mesmerising voice, her simplicity, her grace and dignity, her sadhana (spiritual, disciplined practise), her consistency of being Lata for more than seven decades, her quest for excellence, her penchant for perfect diction, her genuine respect for expectations of music composers, her deep understanding of swara (notes), beats and mood behind the lyrics made her a truly gifted artist, a living legend.

Pride in being an Indian

This was not all. She possessed a ruthless attitude to get what she deserved, her measured words in public, her confidence of being a Maharashtrian and her pride in being an Indian was well known. Lata refused to play an aggrieved woman and her humility even after achieving greatness was exceptional.

Perhaps what strikes the most is her super talent to not only attain success but to maintain her position for more than half a century. Lata did so by keeping her voice neutral and adaptable for all age groups. Her life story of grit and conviction — to uplift her family of three sisters and a brother from hardships — is the stuff of legend.

Lata had to leave school halfway to educate her younger sister as she couldn’t afford to pay 50 paisa fees for both. She was a shy Indian woman, who wore white saris and diamonds, but she wasn’t what we can call a shy artist.

Born in Indore to Sevanti and Deenanath Mangeshkar, Lata inherited the talent of music from her father. Deenanath was a musician and theatre personality. His second wife Sevanti, Lata’s mother, was a Gujarati, daughter of Jamnadas Lad. Lata’s father died when Lata was 13 so she became a lone bread-earner for the family of six.

Single-handedly she broke barriers of languages, class, region and caste to touch the hearts of so many ordinary Indians. Lata Mangeshkar’s significance lies in the fact that after independence she was one celebrity whose work resonated with the private moments of the maximum number of Indians. She was a bridge that connected India with Indians.

The generation born in 80s and 90s heard her first, mostly when their mothers hummed Lata’s songs. Harish Bhimani, who wrote Lata’s life story in 1995 and has a 44 year association with her says, “Lataji’s most favourite song was her rendition of Narsinh Mehta’s Vaishnav Jan to tene kahiye re.”

Immensely blessed artist

She could connect with the great Indian Hindustani classical vocalist Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who hearing her sing a classical raga (melodic structures with musical motif), famously told a visitor, “Kambakht kabhi besuri nahin hoti, kya Allah ki den hai.” (She never goes out of tune. This is God’s gift)

In every corner of India, one finds Lata fans. Suman Chaurasia is a paanwala (betel leaf seller) in Indore and a bit of a local celebrity, known for his devotion to Lata’s music. He has collection of 7600 records of her songs in 32 languages and opened a museum of Lata’s songs too.

Manish Gaikwad, author, who is writing The Last Courtesan based on his mother’s memoirs. Gaikwad’s mom was a tawaif (courtesan) in Mumbai’s Foras Road (known for night outing vibe and where classical singers sang).

Manish told Gulf News, “I cant imagine my mother Rekha’s life without Lata’s song Bindiya Chamkegi (from the movie Do Raste). When she sang it in a bordello, she was showered with cash during those evenings.”

A few days ago when he told his retired and ailing mother about the demise of Lata, she started sobbing.

Manish asked her, “Are you crying for Lata?”

She replied, “No. I am crying for myself.”

As Pratap Bhanu Mehta, one of India’s most respected public intellectuals wrote in his tribute, “She could represent each one of us in our singularity: in every role we can imagine.”

While Lata enjoyed an enormous nationwide respect, she had her share of sorrows too but she never let it on. The singer remained young at heart and often cracked jokes before and after recording.

Lata claimed she didn’t marry because of family responsibilities. She wanted her fans to believe that she is not the brooding type. But, her inner feelings came out often when she shared that she believed in rebirth but given a choice, she would not want to be born again. And if at all she is born again, she wouldn’t like to be a Lata Mangeshkar!

When the journalist asked the reason, she coyly said, “Badi mushkil hai. Isme bahut sehan karna padta hai ... Bhagwan ek araam ki zindgi de!” (It is very difficult to be Lata Mangeshkar. One has to go through a lot. God should grant one a peaceful life.)

Imagine this coming from someone whose voice offered both peace and solace to millions and millions of people.