HYDERABAD: She gave Bollywood some of its most iconic numbers such as Lag Jaa Gale, Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh, Pardesia, Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein, Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya and Didi Tera Devar Deewana. Her song Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon, which made former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru tear up decades ago, still makes our eyes moist. Legendary songstress Lata Mangeshkar bid the world goodbye on Sunday morning after spending over 20 days at a hospital in Mumbai.
The Bharat Ratna awardee had been to Hyderabad very few times. However, those moments were enough to fill people’s hearts for a lifetime.
Mohan Hemmadi, one of the founding members of Surmandal, a Hyderabad-based group of music lovers established in 1969, had worked closely with Mangeshkar for two of the three times she had visited the city. “Lata ji was like an older sister to me. She came here in 1962 for the first time. She sought my help to organise a fundraiser for families of the defence personnel who were fighting the Chinese troops back then. I remember it had rained heavily the day she was to perform. We had to delay the event by a week, but she was patient and was focused on making the event a fruitful one,” he says.
Jaywant Naidu, a renowned musician from the city, was enamoured by the singer’s dignified presence when he met her in Mumbai. “She was a woman of very few words. It felt like she couldn’t think of anything other than music. Her mind and soul were sold out to it,” he says.
Naidu counts himself blessed to have been able to spend a few minutes with her. “When she visited the city in 2009, I was fortunate enough to give her a copy of my CD. She accepted it graciously and that was a beautiful memory,” he recalls.
Renowned Kathak dancer Raghav Raj Bhatt says he met Mangeshkar many times as he always accompanied Pandit Birju Maharaj, his guru, who was friends with the singer. “In 1985, I met her at an event where Maharaj ji sang a shloka and Lata ji told him that he would have made as good of a singer as he is a dancer,” he says.
Bhatt adds, “Lata ma’am was calm, generous and used to spread charm not only with her exceptional voice but gestures, speech and humility. She sang in so many languages. From Bollywood to bhajans to patriotic songs, she was everywhere and her voice will echo forever.”
Theatre artiste Mohammad Ali Baig was introduced to the songstress by friend and music composer Karthik Raaja (maestro Illaiyaraja’s son) when they were composing music for his first play Taramati - The Legend Of An Artiste. “The play was opening at Taramati Baradari in 2005. Karthik wanted her to sing our title song Piya baaj pyaala which we were recording in Mumbai, but because she was travelling out of Mumbai, it couldn’t happen. She always appreciated the energy of our work and our compositions on a mere laptop, which wasn’t available during her early career days.
Those were the days of a multiple-piece orchestra ensemble. Years later, when Karthik and I were recording again for one of my ad films in a studio in Mumbai, she was singing for a movie in the same studio. When she was told that we were on the adjacent floor, she left a CD of her bhajans at the front desk with a personal note. It said that she didn’t want to disturb us during our recording. Her voice and versatility will inspire generations to come,” says Baig.
History enthusiast and INTACH convenor for the Hyderabad chapter Anuradha Reddy says it was Lata Mangeshkar who had introduced her and many Indians to classical music. “Back then, not many people were exposed to, or knew what Indian classical music was. She introduced us to it without us even knowing it. She brought to Bollywood the goodness of classical vocals.”