Melody Queen

Music,they say,follows Lata Mangeshkar. From being recorded on a 78 rpm record to being downloaded from iTunes,this singer has seen so many changes in the music industry and withstood the test of time. The haunting melody Ayega Aanewala (1949) that played inside an entire nation’s head,Mangeshkar has sung over 25,000 other unforgettable songs that still echo everywhere,on the radio,and in various collections of greatest hits of all time. Mangeshkar turns 80 today,and the celebrations are going to be low key,at her home in Mumbai. “All the kids in the family will cut a cake at midnight . In the morning we will have our traditional aarti and make some prashad. She likes to spend the rest of the day quietly in her room with not much hoopla around,” says Radha,Mangeshkar’s niece and daughter of Pandit Hridayanath Mangeshkar.

But the celebrations weren’t so quiet until a few years ago. Sanjeev Kohli,Director and Senior Consultant at Yashraj Music,who is also music director Madan Mohan’s son says,“She used to host a small party at her home where a few close family friends were invited. I remember going to this party as a kid with my father and later with my wife. I always send her flowers on her birthday,” says Kohli. Mangeshkar is his godmother. Some of her biggest hits were composed by Madan Mohan.

Music director Khayyam gets misty eyed while reminiscing the time when rehearsals for Razia Sultan and Kabhi Kabhi were on. “The magic of her voice just livened up my songs immediately. When we came up with the tune for kabhi kabhi everybody started saying what a lovely song but Lataji sat there quietly. All I saw was a pink blush on her face,” says Khayyam. The songs are hardly over yet.