The army said the event witnessed an overwhelming response from locals, tourists as well as media houses and was a grand success…reports Asian Lite News
The first ever Ladakh International Music Festival (LIMF) concluded in Leh on Monday, officials said on Tuesday.
The army said that the event, which was conducted over three days from April 30 to May 2, saw performances by local as well as contemporary bands.
“The event was aimed at paying tribute to heroes who laid down their lives for the motherland as also to showcase local talent and music as part of ‘youth empowerment’,” the army said.
The event was organised at Col Sonam Wangchuk Stadium in Leh by two media houses, ‘Picture Time’ and ‘Sky2Ocean’, with support from Fire and Fury Corps, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Department of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
“Leading bands of the country, including ‘Indian Ocean’, ‘Tetseo Sisters Nagaland’, ‘Parashra Band’ and ‘Joi Barua Band’ participated in the festival along with six local bands from Leh,” the army said.
The event provided a platform to the local bands to participate alongside contemporary musicians from the rest of the country. In addition to the leading bands, Bollywood celebrities Darshan Kumar and Richa Chadha also attended the event.
The army said the event witnessed an overwhelming response from locals, tourists as well as media houses and was a grand success.
To pay tribute to the Bravehearts who laid down their lives in the defence of Ladakh, a new metaverse ready song composed by Joi Barua will be released at the Rezangla War Memorial on Wednesday.
Before schools reopened, teachers attended a training session and even paid door-to-door visits to persuade parents to send their children back to school, but the response was not satisfactory…reports Sreeja Ghosh
“I repeatedly say ‘shikhhai jatir merudanda’ (education is the spine of the nation) through my songs,” says kobiyaal, or folk singer, Ganesh Bhattacharya, on his unique way of encouraging students of rural West Bengal, who dropped out of school during the pandemic, to return to classes after their two-year gap.
“Village folk don’t understand formal languages, but they respond well to rural dialects and folklore. Since they also believe in mythological figures, I use a mythological theme in my songs that’s common in kobigaan. Through my poems, I convey how Kalidas was first insulted for not being educated but went on to gain knowledge,” adds Bhattacharya, who has spent the last three decades trying to revive kobigaan, which can be traced back to the 17th Century.
Kobigaan is a form of Bengali rural folk art that includes performances of songs and verbal duels among poets. It flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries, after which its popularity dwindled. Bhattacharya now uses its special connect with the rural population to raise awareness about social issues and highlight the importance of education among rural folk, in West Bengal’s Bankura district. The easy-to-follow poetry set to a rhythm makes it more appealing to his audiences, he said.
Getting students back a challenge
Kushnath Kundu, headmaster of Sree Chandanpur Prathamic Vidyalaya, a pre-primary school in Gangajalghati, Bankura said, “After the Covid-19 pandemic struck, many students from poor families became reluctant to attend school. A lot of parents also sent their children to work as labourers in nearby towns. And since the government sanction of paray pathshala (mohalla/neighbourhood classes), teachers have been finding it challenging to bring students back to school, as many of them are no longer interested in continuing with their education.”
Before schools reopened, teachers attended a training session and even paid door-to-door visits to persuade parents to send their children back to school, but the response was not satisfactory.
“We then decided to ask Ganesh Bhattacharya to raise awareness and encourage children to attend school once again, through his kobigaan. I believe it’s one of the easiest ways to communicate the value of education to rural people,” added Kundu.
The devoted kobiyaal was happy to oblige: “I strongly believe my kobigaan will instil the importance of education in students and their parents. So when Kushnath Kundu and other teachers requested me to perform, I agreed to the task without taking a single penny for such a good deed.”
Many found this tactic of encouraging students and parents in Gangajalghati quite unique and followed suit.
Biswanath Ghosh, headmaster of Dangapara Vidyalaya in Bankura, said, “I congratulate Ganesh Bhattacharya and Kushnath Kundu for this initiative. I really appreciate the way they presented the whole idea, and I now want kobiyaal Ganesh to perform at my school, too.”
‘Education seems to be a luxury’
Does kobigaan really raise awareness about the need for education? In a nutshell, yes.
“If we make such arrangements frequently, then it will definitely work,” Ghosh said. “In my school, there’s 100% attendance. But this scenario is not the same at every school.”
Ghosh further explained the reason behind the reluctance to return to school: “Most students here are so poor that they only attend school to have a mid-day meal. After Class 5, they are least interested in continuing with higher studies. There are many students who are the first generation of their family to even attend school. There’s no encouragement from the families either, which is why it’s more important to raise awareness among guardians. Many also lost their homes to heavy rain and flooding, so education seems to be a luxury for them.”
“The past two years completely distanced children from school and education,” the headmaster added. “Online classes are next to impossible as only one or two in 100 students can afford smartphones. Even then, there are connectivity problems. Parents would rather get their daughters married than send them to school. Kobiyaal Ganesh is taking the initiative to also spread awareness against child marriage and various related health issues.”
While schools appear to be receptive to this form of interaction, they were unable to share more information on the impact of Bhattacharya’s kobigaan initiative. Moreover, the overall sentiment was one that called for the need to improve students’ attendance further.
‘Storytelling has a long-lasting effect on learning’
Educationist Reetika Bhandari, a resource executive with the CBSE Centre of Excellence, believes that getting children excited about learning and teaching them is an accomplishment.
“The vision of the National Education Policy 2020 is to bring at least 2 crore students back to school to complete their studies and also to make education engaging and enjoyable for them,” said Bhandari, who is also a recipient of the Best Education Outreach 2021 Asia Pacific Excellence Award, the Mentor of the Year Award and the Guru Vashisht Utkrisht Samman.
“As an educationist, I’ve always believed that activities like dance, street plays, kobigaan and puppet shows, when integrated with the usual curriculum, can bring wonderful results,” she added. “Storytelling and dramatic techniques have a long-lasting effect on children’s learning, and this has been proven scientifically. Storytelling activates parts of the brain that allow the listener to turn the stories into their own ideas and experiences due to the release of certain hormones. This process is called neural coupling. So through such recitations of folktales and poetry, we can make education enjoyable.”
The kobigaan effect: more girls at school
On the impact of kobigaan on promoting education, headmaster Kundu said there’s been a mixed response from parents, as many of them are more eager to send their children to work rather than school.
“While many parents have shown gratitude towards the reopening of schools, and kobigaan did improve their response, teacher feel that attendance needs to be higher,” he said, adding that the attendance and academic performance of school girls was higher in comparison.
On the other hand, headmaster Ghosh said: “Attendance in my school has always been good. It was almost 100 per cent before the pandemic, and it hasn’t reduced since then.
Jagat Pathor, the father of a Class 3 student at Sree Chandanpur Prathamic Vidyalaya, appreciates the kobigaan initiative.
“I really like the way they chose to inspire students,” he said. “In these two years, we had no facilities for online classes. I have a small business, but I can’t afford the latest smartphones, and a strong internet connection in villages is not possible. So we are happy they are back to school.”
Kobiyaal Bhattarcharya is hopeful
“At least people are recognising my work and asking me to spread awareness. Results may take some time, but I believe my hard work will definitely help reform society. Due to the pandemic, our education system is suffering. So I perform at schools to boost attendance. Even parents are appreciating it.”
The government supports kobigaan through different awareness programmes like science fairs and Bishwa Bongo Sahitya O Sanskriti Mela but has allotted a nominal stipend of Rs 1000 for performers of this folk art. While there are many kobiyaal who continue to perform, Bhattacharya claims he’s the only one of them putting in the effort to revive its glory.
“No one is bothered to patronise this dying art form. It needs stronger support and more funds toward research,” he concluded.
As more songs become available online, more people are turning to platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, and others to listen to what is now known as “bedroom pop.”…reports Knox Artiste
The Indian music industry is undergoing a revolution, and Gen Z is driving the change. Gone are the days when people had to listen to a record, turn on the radio, or rely entirely on MTV to hear their favourite songs. Today, a slew of self-made superstars have risen to prominence with their own independent labels – written, produced, and streamed from the privacy of their own bedrooms.
The Impact of the Internet: Without a doubt, the Internet has had the greatest impact on the creation, distribution, and consumption of music content in India and around the world. In the last decade, terms like YouTuber, Tiktoker, and Social Media Influencer have become commonplace, as more and more people embrace the streaming era. As more songs become available online, more people are turning to platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, and others to listen to what is now known as “bedroom pop.”
Unconventional Genre: People were surprised that such a sound existed when I performed my first flashup in 2017. To be honest, I wouldn’t have been able to find those songs from all over the world if it hadn’t been for the shifting narratives in the global music space. I knew most people, especially the young, go to YouTube for music, so I had to launch the release there. I just released my second flashup, #MagicMomentsFlashup, and the response has been incredible, with 3.5 million views in just a week.
New ways of getting heard (and seen): Gone are the days when you had to wait in line with a slew of other aspiring artists for your big break. Today, there are many independent music producers who have risen to prominence simply by creating amazing covers of songs performed by well-known artists and posting them online. In the name of Gen Z, these singers do this because there is a ready audience online.
More Playlists, less albums: Playlists are made by combining a list of one’s favourite songs into a folder on a digital device, rather than having a CD with 10 or more songs by the same artist. This limitless list is created and best enjoyed with headphones using music apps and platforms.
Diversity is now the name of the game: This is due to the fact that you have unrestricted access to a wide range of sounds. According to Forbes’ 2018 Music Consumption Study, more than 90 per cent of Gen Z listen to more than five musical genres on a regular basis. And it doesn’t really matter where the song comes from; as long as it’s trendy, recommended in an online community, or shared by a “online” friend, it’s fine.
In the weekend he performed at the ‘Mahindra Open Drive 2022’ in Pune and according to Benny, performing live before such a cheerful audience is the best high…reports Asian Lite News
Making his Bollywood singing debut with ‘Pappu Can’t Dance Sala’ in 2008 for the film ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa’, singer Benny Dayal has sung songs in various film industries in more than eight languages as well as expanded his horizon as an indie-pop artiste.
The singer says finding the balance between film music and indie is not challenging for him as every genre finds its own audience and as an artiste, his focus is on creation only.
While the mainstream market of music is mostly ruled by the film music be it on radio, television channels, asked about the challenge, Benny told IANS: “I think it has everything to do with finding the balance. I love both the space. Especially now the way audio streaming platforms like Spotify, Ganna and many others are existing where we are listening to music all the time, indie music is flourishing. There is so much visibility that we have as artistes, we get to know every week about the reach of our songs and that is the instant validation for us.”
He went on adding, “When it comes to film music, I always have two versions of them. One, that I sing in the studio, the other that I perform live.”
In the weekend he performed at the ‘Mahindra Open Drive 2022’ in Pune and according to Benny, performing live before such a cheerful audience is the best high. Apart from him music groups like ‘When Chai Met Toast’, solo artistes like Kamakshi Khanna and Raghav Meattle also performed on stage.
“This is why I, along with my band, change the sound of a Bollywood song and create something new. I tend to change the instrumental arrangement of it in such a way that it sounds like a new song. You see, in a live gig, I want our audience to sing along with me. Since they know the lyrics of the song, they can sing along, the instrumental part of it is the surprise for them, that they dance on! This madness happens at a live gig,” Benny signed off.
Talk to her about how being Kumar Sanu’s daughter can be an enormous pressure and she smiles that she always has to think of the consequences of her actions — professionally and in personal life…writes Sukant Deepak
She studied music from the Royal Music Of London and acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in the US. Los Angeles based singer and actor Shannon K has also finished filming a movie ‘The Big Feed’ in the US and ‘Chaal Zindagi’ here. The fact that she is playback singer Kumar Sanu’s daughter can wait, for she insists — “I started my career by singing at cafes and restaurants. I remember getting rejected many times in auditions and coming back home crying from meetings by highly demeaning behaviour people in the industry.
“So, it hasn’t been easy for me. I didn’t get up one day and was offered projects. Time and again, I have had to prove myself,” she says.
Of course, being surrounded by music forever did warm her up to the art form as she remembers asking her father to take her along to the studio even as a child. “When I decided to make it my career, it was made clear that considering it was my decision, I would have to deal with all the hurdles and fetch work just like any other newcomer,” Shannon tells.
Believing that training may be instrumental for understanding the theory of music in-depth and grasping the technical side of it, she feels that it is not really imperative. “Now, dad is not classically trained, his passion for the art form has been the driving force. It depends on the kind of effort you put into your work, it is about that thirst for learning.”
Debuting as a playback singer with Himesh Reshammiya’s song ‘Duggi’ for the movie ‘Happy Hardy And Heer’, besides lending her voice for the scores of the movie ‘Khalibali’ and the web series ‘The Casino’, the actor-singer who has been collaborating across musical genres feels that it is a great way to merge various styles and create something novel.
“It is always beneficial for everybody involved to reach out to a newer audience who may have never heard of their music before. You get to learn and share a lot. Of course, when it comes to expressing one’s own personal thoughts, it makes sense that the song is solely yours,” she adds.
Talk to her about how being Kumar Sanu’s daughter can be an enormous pressure and she smiles that she always has to think of the consequences of her actions — professionally and in personal life.
“It certainly is a huge pressure of carrying forward your parent’s legacy ahead. Sometimes it’s to a disadvantage as people don’t value you or see you as an individual. You are somehow stuck under your parent’s shadow and to come out of that and make a name for yourself is a big deal. There surely was some discrimination which I had to face every time I went looking for work.”
Remembering her time at Lee Strasberg, one of the finest acting schools in the world where she learnt not just method acting but also other technical aspects of the craft, Shannon says: “Also, I have learnt a lot while filming in India.”
In her final year of studying business management and looking forward to graduating early next year, the artist is looking at finishing some fashion projects.
“I have sung multiple songs for different projects, they should be releasing next year,” she concludes.
Amazon Music is estimated to grow 5.3 per cent year over year, theforecast claims, while Pandora has continued to lose users since 2017…reports Asian Lite News
Amazon Music is likely to surpass Pandora this year to become the music streamer with the second most number of users in the US, says a report.
According to estimates from Insider Intelligence, this study includes users on both paid and ad-supported plans for these services, reports TechCrunch.
So, while Apple Music has an estimated 38.2 million subscribers, compared to Amazon Music’s 52.6 million or Pandora’s 49.1 million, none of Apple’s subscribers are on a free, ad-supported plan (though they could, of course, be on a free trial), the report said.
Amazon Music is estimated to grow 5.3 per cent year over year, the forecast claims, while Pandora has continued to lose users since 2017.
A representative from Pandora declined to comment on the new report, but said that Pandora is the leading ad-supported audio streaming service in the US.
According to its most recent report, Pandora currently has 52.3 million users, down from 58.9 million the prior year.
And when it comes to paid subscribers, Pandora lags far behind its competitors, per Insider Intelligence estimates from last year, the report said.
Spotify remains the number one US music streamer by a wide margin, with 180 million premium subscribers globally, and 406 million monthly active users across both paid and free plans.
One of India’s best-known violinists who has been giving solo performances since the age of six, he started learning violin from his father, the well-known Qawwali singer — Shambhu of ‘Shankar-Shambhu Qawwal’ fame…reports Sukant Deepak
Even as violinist Deepak Pandit and Hindustani vocalist Pratibha Singh Baghel recently launched their album ‘Inheritance’ in Mumbai as a tribute to late Lata Mangeshkar, Pandit says that it carries forward more than 100-years-old ‘Thumris’ to a new level.
Baghel lends her voice to selected thumris and one ghazal set on traditional Indian instruments and western ones, including the piano and synthesizer. All songs boast of an accompanying video available on Sufiscore’s YouTube channel.
“Our aim has been to introduce the new generation to some unique gems. I am elated for the opportunity to take forward Indian classical music to youngsters. As long as I am a part of singing or compositions with Budapest Symphony Orchestra, I would like to add a touch of Indian classical music in each upcoming song,” the violinist tells.
One of India’s best-known violinists who has been giving solo performances since the age of six, he started learning violin from his father, the well-known Qawwali singer — Shambhu of ‘Shankar-Shambhu Qawwal’ fame.
Someone surrounded by music from an early age, considering even his grandfather and great-grandfather were musicians, the violinist looks back at his journey.
“Believe it or not, every step has been a complete revelation. Time flew fast but every phase in my career made me evolve and fall in love with music consistently.”
Pandit, who has also learned Western classical music says that its knowledge has given him the opportunity to collaborate with different musicians.
“Knowledge of different systems always helps. Of course, while blending Indian classical and western classical music, it must be ensured that the union is effortless and not jarring.”
Despite multiple offers, he has stayed away from movies owing to the many “restrictions” one faces in the medium.
“I like to follow my instincts and do what gives me happiness. It’s impossible for me to give my best under restrictions. For me, music is my identity, and I would always like to show the real me to the audiences.”
The musician who was associated with the late Jagjit Singh for a long time remembers the ghazal maestro fondly.
“He would always tell me to follow my heart and not make music to please others. Believing that the audiences will like the music only if the musician enjoys making it, he insisted that it was important to impress myself first.”
For someone who also co-founded the Indian Music Academy decades back, she says that at that time she felt that a body for the musicians, of the musicians, and by the musicians would help the music industry…reports Sukant Deepak
While listening to music, how many of us think about what actually goes into making a career in music? What are the struggles, what is the kind of infrastructure does this field need? What needs to be done for instrument makers, and how can the music makers who enable the magic to reach us flourish?
These are questions posed by musician and actor Durga Jasraj, who recently launched the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation along with Neeraj Jaitley in memory of her late father.
Stressing that the core values of the foundation are the ones she imbibed from her late father Jasraj, Durga, who has been running her company ‘Arts & Artist India Private Limited’ for the past 25 years, says the foundation will help remember not just the late maestro’s contribution to music, but for what he did to the sector in totality.
“He was probably the only person of his generation who promoted the next generation in a manner that they didn’t need to be his disciples or belong to his gharana. Musicians across genres were encouraged by him in every way,” she says.
For someone who also co-founded the Indian Music Academy decades back, she says that at that time she felt that a body for the musicians, of the musicians, and by the musicians would help the music industry.
“But it was a very romantic idea that musicians will help each other. For everybody to flourish and prosper and penetrate deep into the masses, you need the rest of the world to help you out. The Indian Music Academy didn’t have any gate open for any CSR funds. With Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation, ATG exemption has already been received.
“We have people like NK Singh, Chairman, 15th Finance Commission, and President, Institute of Economic Growth; Mukul Mudgal, Former Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court; and bureaucrats like Jayesh Ranjan and Anjani Kumar onboard,” she says.
Durga feels that while there may be several festivals for the young, what is missing in the ecosystem is the presence of good curators — people actually qualified to design a festival.
“It is a completely different skill-set. And I think our company has contributed immensely. When we were on Doordarshan channels with ‘Jalsa’, it was not just about classical music, but Indian traditional music and folk music. You have to take the onus of sticking your neck out — hear the person for two minutes,” she adds.
Lamenting that unlike abroad, heritage and culture are never a priority for major corporates in India when it comes to philanthropy or CSR budgets, she says, “As per the data of last many years, the spend on this area is negligible. Major corporates need to understand their social responsibility and contribute towards arts in the form of scholarships and funding institutions etc. Sponsoring or supporting programmes which are related to training and education can have immense impact.”
Celebrated music composer Vanraj Bhatia always said, “Lata is a composers dream”, which no one will dispute. How many of the film music connoisseurs, however, know that Lata Mangeshkar was also a dream composer, writes Nivedita Khandekar
Celebrated music composer Vanraj Bhatia always said, “Lata is a composers dream”, which no one will dispute. How many of the film music connoisseurs, however, know that Lata Mangeshkar was also a dream composer?
Beyond Maharashtra and some parts of Karnataka, the world has hardly taken note of Lata Mangeshkar, the music composer on a par with any of the musical greats. She even had taken a pseudonym, Anandghan, literally, “a cloud of ananda (joy)”.
Lataji composed music for only Marathi films. The first was ‘Ram Ram Pahuna’ in 1950. For the next four whose music she scored, she masked her identity behind the pseudonym Anandghan. The films were ‘Mohityanchi Manjula’ (1963), ‘Maratha Tituka Melvava’ (1964), ‘Saadhi Manasa’ (1965) and ‘Tambdii Mati’ (1969).
The reason why she adopted an alias has been well-documented over the years by the Marathi-language media. The veteran director Bhalji Pendharkar doted on Lata as his daughter. When he was working on ‘Mohityanchi Manjula’, he realised none of the noted music directors were available at that point of time.
When he shared his concern with Lata, she quickly said, “I will do it.” Pendharkar warned her that the kind of music needed was very different because of the rustic background of the story. “No issues, I will do it,” a confident-sounding Lata reiterated.
He was worried and sounded her out about the possible damage to her image if she failed. Then came the idea of adopting a name for composing. Pendharkar suggested some names, but Lata zeroed in on Anandghan.
Not just ‘Mohityanchi Manjula’, the other films whose music Lataji scored also had excellent compositions that are etched in the collective memory of Marathi music connoisseurs and a listing of Marathi film music is incomplete without these. She even had the renowned flautist, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasiya, play for one of her songs.
Lataji wanted to keep her identity secret, but the film went on to receive the state government award for best music, among others. The announcer declared that Anandghan was none other than Lata and then she reluctantly agreed to go public.
But then, why did she not continue?
“Lata Didi was not a music composer in the conventional sense of the word,” Kushal Inamdar, a noted contemporary music director, pointed out.
“She may not have been inclined even when her songs as a composer would have been the best. She may have also felt that Lata as a music composer would possibly threaten other composers, which in turn, could have affected her work as a singer,” Inamdar added.
“Lata Mangeshkar no more.” But the one line that came to mind after hearing this news was – Anand Marte Nahin! What is the one sure proof of death? It is when the breath stops. But Lata ji, through countless songs, has left her melodious breath in the atmosphere of this planet. pic.twitter.com/wMCsZtOaQ2
“She is a one true genius. But one needs to produce something new and that too continually. Being a music composer needs a different kind of emotional investment into that craft and frankly, with that talent pool of so many versatile composers around, she did not even need to do it,” Inamdar explained.
Ideally, Lata Didi as a singer and Lata Didi as a music composer should not be compared as the skill needed for the two roles are different. As Inamdar put it, “She achieved her perfection in singing. She is a genius.”
Death has only removed her physically. The legacies she leaves behind will outlive her for decades, writes Quaid Najmi
Though anticipated, when it became official that the Melody Queen of India, Lata Mangeshkar, is no longer among us, it hit the collective consciousness of the nation like a sledgehammer.
The only consolation was that she may have passed on, but her voice, which moved our hearts and provided succour to our souls for more than seven decades, will forever be with us.
Like all inspirational stories, Lataji’s early struggle to establish herself in the 1940s is one that we cannot ever forget. In those days, she would take a BEST bus and travel from her south Mumbai home regularly to meet Naushad Ali at his Khar West bungalow or in the studios, hoping for a ‘singing break’ under the legendary music maker’s baton.
In the vicious Mumbai monsoon, she would come to Naushad’s home, wearing her trademark sari, carrying an umbrella but totally drenched, shivering and barely able to speak, let alone sing. The music director would offer her piping hot tea and cookies to soothe her, but no songs … yet … .
“I felt her voice was not yet ‘ripe’ for my style of music,” said Naushad, the perfectionist, in a conversation with this writer. He was trying to justify not giving her an early break. “To improve her diction and control over words, I advised her to learn and practice Urdu, which she did … and finally, she was ready to record for me.”
The first choices of Naushad were the reigning stalwarts — Noorjehan, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Zohra Ambalewali, to name a few.
With time, trained by her father, Dinananth Mangeshkar, Lataji grasped the maestro’s advice and got her first major hit — ‘Uthaye Ja Unke Sitam’ (‘Andaz’, 1949) — composed by her mentor Naushad. With it, she ‘arrived’ in the film industry.
Thereafter, top music directors of the era wooed her, and they included Sachin Dev Burman, Husan Lal-Bhagat Ram (brothers), Ghulam Haider, Sardar Malik, Ghulam Mohammed, Jaidev, Salil Chowdhary, C. Ramchandra, Shankar-Jaikishan (partners), Roshan, Madan Mohan, M. Zahur Khayyam, Kalyanji-Anandji (brothers), Laxmikant-Pyarelal (partners), Sonik-Omi (uncle-nephew), Ravi Kumar Sharma or ‘Ravi’, Sudhir Phadke, Sajjad Hussain, Usha Khanna, and even A.R. Rahman, Anu Malik, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind and Jatin-Lalit, among the younger crop of baton wielders.
Producers and directors vied for Lataji’s unique voice and style for their top heroines, especially because she could ‘mould’ her voice to suit most heroines. Without doubt, she had become the first among women singers, a position that Mohammed Rafi enjoyed among the men.
#WATCH Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar awarded the nation's highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in 2001
Yet, there was a music director who remained aloof from Lataji — with haughty pride — and yet rose to the top echelons of the music industry — the incomparable O.P. Nayyar.
“I found Lata’s voice too thin, too shrill, which did not suit my compositions,” Nayyar had once said, claiming he was “the only music director who succeeded in Bollywood without Lata’s voice”.
He added: “I needed a more vivacious, richer, healthier voice of, say, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Ghosh-Dutt, Asha Bhosale.” One woman singer, Suman Kalyanpur, was blessed with a voice rivalling that of Lataji’s, but she was content being in the shadows, yet she thrived on enduring masterpieces composed by some of the music directors.
As Lataji’s singing style matured under master music directors, her voice helped heroines who acted or danced to her tunes catapult to stardom, such as Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Ameeta, Beena Rai, Waheeda Rehman, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Tanuja, Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Nutan, Saira Bano, Sadhana Shivdasani, Babita Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, Hema Malini, Rekha, Sridevi, Neetu Singh, Madhuri Dixit, and many others in the post-1980s, right down to the youngsters, notably, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee and Karisma Kapoor.
After the exit of Noorjehan from India and the fading away of other stalwart female singers, by the late 1950s/early 1960s, Lataji was firmly perched on the top of the heap and brooked no nonsense from anyone — producers, directors, composers, siblings or contemporaries — attempting to clamber anywhere close to her roost.
Bollywood is full of stories of how Lataji ring-fenced her position till the very end, often raising the hackles of her female peers, although male singers, such as Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor and Manna Dey (all deceased) and others, chose to maintain a professional rapport with her.
Nevertheless, there were tales of how Rafi once bore the brunt of her “other side”, or certain composers quivering as she gently declined to sing for them after they allegedly dared to commission some other female singers, for whatever reason. Of course, powerful filmmakers such as Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Kamal Amrohi, Dev Anand, Shakti Samanta, B.R. Chopra, Yash Chopra and the likes had no time for tantrums.
Born on September 28, 1929, as the oldest child of a musically inclined family in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) — comprising father Dinanath, Lataji, Meena (Khadilkar), Asha (Bhosale), Usha and sole brother Hridaynath — she was tutored by her dad from the age of five and also acted in his musical stage plays, till death in 1942.
Helped by a close family friend, Master Vinayak D. Karnataki, she got a foothold in singing and acting that year with a first Marathi song and a maiden Hindi song in 1943 before shifting to the film industry capital in 1945.
In Bombay (now, Mumbai), she learnt classical music and continued singing the odd songs, till her big break with ‘Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahinka Na Chhoda’ (‘Majboor’, 1948), with full help from Ghulam Haider, whom she later described as her “godfather”.
#WATCH Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar awarded the nation's highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in 2001
With a colossus such as Noorjehan still around, Lataji continued her with a few more hits — ‘Aayega Aanewala’ (‘Mahal’, 1949) and ‘Uthaye Ja Unke Sitam’ (‘Andaz’, 1949), heralding her entry with a bang in big-time Bollywood.
Simultaneously, she sang in different Indian languages with aplomb, non-film songs, with her range encompassing classical, tragic, melodious, erotic, melancholic, light, mischievous, depending on the composer, or the heroine, or the song situation.
After the seniors passed away or faded out, Lataji sang expertly and easily with the gen next of male singers such as S.P. Balasubramaniam, Amit Kumar, Shabbir Kumar, Nitin Mukesh, Anwar, Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam, and astounded her listeners with the seemingly “undying” power and youthfulness of her golden voice.
Over the decades, she was decorated with a multitude of rewards and honours — three Padma awards, five Filmfare Awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award — capped by the Bharat Ratna in 2001. More than that, state governments named awards and institutions after her.
Lataji sang at prestigious live concerts or charitable events, enthralling global audiences, picked up more overseas accolades, such as France’s highest civilian honour, Officer of the Legion of Honour, in 2007, briefly dabbled in high-end merchandise, such as signature jewellery and perfumes, launched a production and music house, and entered into international music collaborations.
Death has only removed her physically. The legacies she leaves behind will outlive her for decades.
