'No award more priceless than Hridaynath Award'

For the last six-and- a- half decades, Lata Mangeshkar has crooned thousands of songs in all the major Indian languages, taking her art to a level when it can be called a miracle, a sublime experience and even divine. Moreover, her voice never loses its mesmerising touch. Inundated with all the major awards, came a time came when she declined these honours to give younger singers a chance to shine in numbers. Ali Peter John enjoys a tete-a-tete with the singing legend of India...

The only award she received in the last thirty five years was the highest award given to a citizen of India by the government of India, the Bharat Ratna. It was therefore a very big surprise when she agreed to receive the 'Hridaynath Award' which was instituted by her only brother, Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar. She was mightily pleased to receive the award amidst a huge crowd of her admirers by an actor she hugely admires- Amitabh Bachchan.

Lata Mangeshkar was in her usual spotless white and had all her diamonds and gold in the place they have always been in the highlight of her jewellery. But the most striking thing about the diminutive woman was her hair done in a single plait reaching her waist which made one imagine her as the ten-year old girl who started her career almost seventy years ago. She was in her element, disturbed only by the crowd of the photographers clicking along till eternity as if there was no tomorrow.

Excerpts from the conversation…

How does an elder sister feel when she receives an award started by her younger brother (Hridaynath)?

Frankly, I would not have accepted this award if it was presented to me by any other individual or institution. I must tell you that my "bal" (that's how she calls her brother) never asked me even for a few rupees during his entire life. He has not been a very successful music director, even though I consider him to be one of the most talented composers. I could have done anything for him, but I am very happy that he never even hinted that he was in trouble at anytime. And now, I am over whelmed to see him present his elder sister with an award which consists of a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh, a citation and a very beautiful memento. I had tears of joy in my eyes when he told me about the award and now that I have received the award from India's greatest actor, Amitabh Bachchan, I can say with all honesty that this is the most priceless award of my career.

How would you rate your brother as a composer?

I have said it in the past and I will always say that he is one of the most gifted composers we have. He is the 'Guru' of all of us in the Mangeshkar family. His command over Indian music is awesome! Listen to the music he has composed in the films like 'Jait Re Jait' or 'Lekin' which was my only film as a producer and Yash Chopra's 'Mashaal'. Listen to his private albums in which he has composed classical, traditional, modern and all other forms of music and you will know the range of his talent. I sometimes think he should have been there right on top, but he is a very humble man who will not change his traditions and values. He is happy the way he is.

Your singing career is still going strong....

It is very simple. I have been singing all these years only because of the blessings of God and the love of the people. I cannot sing as much as I used to, but I will sing till the power above wants me to. I have thought of retiring several times, but it is that power which keeps inspiring me to go on singing and I dare not disobey its order.

Your eighty second birthday was celebrated in a unique way by some of your fans in Mumbai. They spent the entire night of September 27 listening to your songs and all those who were in the gathering were in their twenties and thirties and they knew all your songs, even the songs which you sang when you were just a girl of six or eight. I was surprised when they mentioned a song from one of your collection called 'kiti hasaal' and the first song you sang for a feature film called 'aapki seva mein'. How do you react to this kind of admiration from an entirely new generation?

It is a great feeling for any artiste to be recognised by people of all ages during the last sixty years. I am very overwhelmed when I hear such stories and I feel my life and work has been worth it. I sometime stop my car at some remote place in a village where I see people sitting together and holding their radios close to their ears taking great pleasure in the songs I have sung more than forty years ago.

I am very interested in that title 'kiti hasaal'. This title makes me ask you about much you have laughed and how much carried in your life?

Laughing and caring are a part of life and I learned this lesson very early in my life. I don't have to repeat my whole story as I think everyone knows about it, but I know how I struggled during the early days of my life when I lost my father at a young age and started making a living not only for myself, but for my three sisters, brother and my mother. I had very few opportunities to laugh, but I never cried. I was a fighter and had to fight if I had to survive in a world where there was so much of cut-throat competition. I had to wait a long time to find reasons to laugh and I must say that the day when I first started laughing was the day when I realised that laughter was really the cure for all ailments and I have followed the system all my life and it has really made my life a life richer than anything else. What can be more precious than happiness and laughter in my life, tell me…

Today, when you look back who are the people you are grateful to?

I am a great believer in God and I feel that I am whatever I am today only because of Him. He has been my greatest support and I don't know if I would be anything without His blessings. I wonder how people live without belief in the power of God who shows His power and presence in our lives at every stage.

Who are the people who have played a very important part in your life?

I am not being philosophical at my age, but believe me… I owe my success to every person who has come into my life at different stages. I have always tried to forget the negative influences that have crossed my life because they can be very harmful. I did not learn this from any great book, but from life which is the greatest book, which can guide you in every aspect of your life.

What are the major differences in the manner in which you worked in your times and today?

There are so many differences, but I don't want to say anything that will hurt the new generation of people who are working in the field of music today. To cite only one example, I have to still see the kind of passion and devotion towards our work. We all worked as one team when we worked on a song during those days. All of us, the writer, the composer, the singer, the musicians and above all, the director of the films we sang for took a very active interest at every stage of creating a song. That is why we could get the best songs which are remembered even after all these years. Today, I have heard that a writer writes a song on the way from his house to the studio. How can a good song be written in this way? I have also heard about how songs are written, composed, sung and recorded within just two days. I cannot imagine working in a situation like this. That's why it is not so shocking to see the standard of music falling to such low levels. I feel sad at this state of affairs, but I am nobody to bring about or demand any changes. The change will come automatically because people are not going to accept such bad music for a long time. I am sure the change will come because anything that is not good has to make way and the good things have to take their rightful place. That is the rule of life.

To divert a little, do you know that on your birthday there were twenty groups with different groups of amateur singers and bad singers with equally bad musicians paying their tribute to you. What do you have to say about this new business in the name of paying tributes to artistes?

I am entirely against this kind of entertainment, but I cannot do anything about it. Let them have their shows and make their money, but they must have a conscience and see that they don't humiliate us by singing our songs in a bad way and make good money out of it. But, we are leaving in a democracy and everyone has a right to make his or her living in whatever way they can.

What do you think about some of the successful play back singers?

Some are good and some are bad, but I think they can't help it because they don't get the opportunity to sing the way that can brings out the best of the talent in them. I feel sorry when I see some very good talent being wasted because there are no people who can see the talent in them and have the patience to draw their talent out.

Do you watch any of the singing competitions on television?

Not really, but some times when I am just lying around and doing nothing, I watch some shows for a few minutes and then switch off the TV. These shows are growing into a big racket, I am tempted to believe.

What do all the titles like 'Bharat Ratna' and 'Sur Samagri' mean to you?

Any honour done to an artiste leads to better work and that is what I believe, but it is very said to see how most of the awards are also taking all kinds of political colors.

How is your hospital in Pune faring ?

I am quite satisfied with the way it is progressing. It has all the facilities that any of the best hospitals in the country has and it is also serving the basic purpose of helping the poor and the needy.

What about Lata Mangeshkar, the singer?

I have cut down on the number of singing assignments and am singing only the songs that appeal to me. The last time I song was for Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Jail' because I liked the theme of the song. I have sung a song for Zeenat Aman in a film with which she is making a comeback. I have also sung a song for a film whose title I just can't understand. I have done it only as a favor to Raam Laxman with whom I have done some good work in the past. But the song that really excited me is the one I sang for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Guzaarish' with which the talented young director also make his debut as music director. Why doesn't Yash Chopra make a film? I would like to sing my last and best songs for a film directed by him.

What do you think about the future of music in Hindi films?

It is passing through a bad phase now, but this bad time will not last, because music has never accepted defeat and will always be back on track. Music and melody are like the heart and soul of life. There can't be life without music and melody.