A Full Life

I have got so much during my lifetime that I have no wish to be reborn, said Lata Mangeshkar at the launch of the book Lata Mangeshkar... in Her Own Voice in Mumbai on Friday.

I have got so much during my lifetime that I have no wish to be reborn, said Lata Mangeshkar at the launch of the book Lata Mangeshkar… in Her Own Voice in Mumbai on Friday. The Bharat Ratnas wish is understandable. For the last 80 years,she has led a life which every Indian can only aspire for.

The book not only sheds light on a career spanning a glorious six-and-half decades,it also gives her fans and followers a chance to know about their idol in her own words. The book unfolds through a series of conversations with writer Nasreen Munni Kabir on a variety of topics. There are also 135 photographs most of them black-and-white gems revealing the person behind thousands of soundtracks.

One can call the book an extension of a documentary by the same name that Kabir had made in 1991. The London-based filmmaker approached her again recently for an extensive documentation of her life. Despite the gap of nearly two decades,I was surprised to find Lata didi the same as before, Kabir recalls. A lot of their conversations took place over hours-long telephone calls that Kabir made from London.

During the launch,as Mangeshkar fielded questions regarding the state of music,her dislike for the current trends once again became clear. However,she sounded optimistic when she said,Music before us used to be very different. May be it will undergo a change in future too.

The cricket-loving singer played it safe when asked about the IPL. I dont support any team. I just watch the matches, she declared. This was followed by the revelation that she doesnt like the present Twenty20 format. I enjoy watching one-day and Test matches, she added. Among those who picked up copies of the book early and lined up for Mangeshkars autograph were singers Hariharan,Sonali and Roop Kumar Rathod,Nitin Mukesh and Alka Yagnik,musician Anu Malik and lyricist Javed Akhtar.

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