Lata Mangeshkar - not just a singer but a phenomenon

Recently (September 28) Lata Mangeshkar, one of the most respected and celebrated singers of Hindi and Marathi cinema celebrated her 83rd birthday. She is one of my favorite singers. I don't even remember when I listened to her voice for the first time, but I do remember that I have been her fan since I started listening to songs on the radio, I just love her voice. For me and I am sure for many people in the world who love to listen to Hindi film songs voice of Lata didi (people address her with love and respect as Lata didi) is part of their life. Lata Mangeshkar is not just a person or a singer, she is a phenomenon, which happens once in centuries. 

My aim here is not to discuss her work (which is discussed in detail in many books and articles) or not even mention her songs which I like but I just want to discuss the impact her voice and those songs had on my life. This is sort of my personal tribute to her voice. I neither met Lata Mangeshkar personally nor attended any of her concerts. I am not the type of fan who will do whatever it takes to see or meet the personality they love. I never met personally most of the people I admire, P. L. Deshpande (PuLa) or Sunita Deshpande used to live in Pune not very far from the place where I used to live but I never tried to meet them. I didn't feel the need to do it till now and I don't think I will go anything out of my way to try to meet her or any other celebrities unless it happens without much effort (which I don't think will happen). Her voice was and is always with me in some form, sometimes in the form of radio, then a tape recorder, then a Walkman, CD player, MP3, and so on. No matter what instrument I am using to listen to songs I always have a collection of Lata's songs with me. For me, her voice has some divine aspect in it, whenever I listen to her songs it's an altogether different feeling. If I am sad it makes me feel happy (or at least reduces sadness), if I am restless, it makes me calm, it always helps. Her songs along with songs of other singers (like Kishore, Rafi, Mukesh, Jagjeet, and many others) are like an energy-boosting tonic for me.

I didn't have any formal music training. I don't understand classical music or know anything about different ragas or technical aspects of music and songs but I love to listen to music and I am sure there are many music illiterate like me who just love music just because of the pleasure it gives to us. I totally respect people who know about all these things and can tell which song belongs to which raga and can analyze the music in detail, but I am not capable of doing this, but this doesn't stop me and many others from enjoying the music. Many times it happens that whenever I mention music as one of my hobbies or passions people assume that I know about the technical aspects of music, but my interest is not at all in studying music. I tried to learn a couple of musical instruments but never managed to master any of them but I love to listen to music. 

Lata Mangeshkar's life is also very interesting and there are many theories, controversies, and gossip about her personal and professional life. This all has resulted in many speculations about why she didn't marry and how she sabotaged the careers of many upcoming singers when she was at the peak of her career. Recently there was a big controversy because of her interview in TOI where she mentioned her famous and very controversial fight with another legend of Hindi cinema music Mohammad Rafi. For me, Lata as a singer is a separate person from Lata as a person. I don't care about her (or Rafi's) personal life or fights. I like and respect her because of her talent. For me, Lata Mangeshkar is not just some person, it's that divine voice and there are no stories or controversies associated with that voice. I am not a fan of the person called Lata Mangeshkar but I am a big fan of her voice and that is true for all my icons like Amitabh or Sachin or Roger Federer, etc. I just like them for their specific talent but that doesn't mean I worship them and act like a fanatic fan who feels as if they must defend each and everything they do or I am also not a fan who gets upset or angry because of any criticism directed towards people I like. I accept all these people as they are with all their qualities and defects. I do criticize them for many things when they fail as a person. Lata's voice has helped me on numerous occasions in my life, and that is what is important to me. There might be many controversies associated with her or many other people who follow and that is a separate subject, but those things don't stop me from appreciating their good work. Even the name of Mother Theresa is associated with some controversies but her social work and kindness are indisputable things for me and I love and respect her for that, no matter what others say about her, and the same is true for all people I admire.

I wish all the very best to Lata didi, I wish her a long and healthy life, I am sure her voice and songs will keep on mesmerizing generations to come. No matter where I go her voice will always remain with me.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)