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Author: Pandit
Shiv Dayal Batish
Pictured from left to right
: G. M. Durani, C. Ramchandra, Lata Mangeshkar, Mr. S. D. Batish
It was around the
year 1945, when I had the oportunity of meeting Lata Mangeshkar, also addressed
among her admirers and fans
in Maharashtra province
and among the music community of Bombay (presently called Mumbai), as "Latabai."
The late Pandit Amarnath,
his brother-in-law Shri Kashmiri Laal, and myself, had recently come from
Lahore in connection with a
"Music Direction"
assignment for the film "Shaam Saveraa." This movie was being produced
by Mr. Mohanlal Kapoor, a wealthy
person with a lucrative
diamond business.
Also in our company
at that time was Bhagat Nigaahi Raam, one of the prominent preachers of
Punjab. He was a great friend of
Pandit Amarnath's
father, Pandit Devi Chand. He was on a visit to Bombay.
I remember Pandit
Hussan Laal, the youngest brother of Pandit Amarnaath, bringing his car
and driving all of us to an old temple in a
suburb located between
Tardeo and Grant Road.
This temple had some
adjoining living rooms in which Miss Lata, along with her mother, sisters,
their younger brother and other
family members used
to live.
On reaching there,
we were received by someone on behalf of Miss Latabai. He took hold of
a couple of Khatias (cots made with jute
rope) on which he
spread some dhurries (heavy hand woven mats) and requested us to sit there
while Miss Lata was getting ready
to meet us.
After a short time,
we were ushered into her room, where we had a nice long meeting. Pandit
Amarnath, Hussan Laal and Bhagat
Nigahi, were the
main speakers and active participants at this meeting, whereas, I and Kashmiri
Laal were the almost silent listeners.
I found that Lata
had a very charming girlish personality. She had a quiet and gentle disposition.
She was extremely elegant in
talking, and very
intelligent in providing prompt and accurate answers to any question. Every
now and then, during our talks, a family
member would barge
in and without asking for any excuse, would directly speak to Latabai in
Marathi dialect. This I could not
understand. All
I remember was her sweet sparrow like voice when she replied back.
Her very first song
of the film "Mahal" - "Aaegaa Aane Waalaa", was composed by the late Khemraaj
Prakaash, a permanently
employed music director
of Ranjeet Movitone. This film was created for "Bombay Talkies", and was
directed by "Kamal Amarohi" of
"Pakheezaa" fame.
This song had already swept over the whole of India and made her a celebrated
playback songstress. With this,
she had toppled
almost all her contemporary female vocalists.
Our meeting went
on very nicely. We were there for almost an hour. Upon conclusion of our
meeting we all took leave and she
smilingly bid us
farewell. This episode, started a good friendship between us.
We didn't get a chance
to meet again until a few years latter. A lot had happened in India and
with me. In 1947 a civil war had broken
out. The formation
of Pakistan prompted my move from Lahore to Delhi. Latter, I moved to Bombay
to be closer to the music and the
movie industry.
By this time Lataji
had shifted to her new apartment on Malabar Road, near Chowpaty, Bombay.
She sent me a personal invitation for
a house warming
tea party. Many of the film industry's playback singers, including a few
specially invited music directors, assembled
on this occasion.
The party was quite pleasant and it gave further opportunity for a better
mutual understanding between us. Lata,
her sisters, mother
and youger brother were all there and we had an enjoyable time.
Over the years, I
had the privilege and pleasure of acquiring her smart, sweet and unique
voice for my compositions in the films
"Haar jeet" where
she sang "Bahota Dina Beeta Gaye Baalmaa", Betaab where she sang "Abhi
Kucha Raata Baaki Hai", Toofan
where she sang the
song "Khwaab Men Ham Ko Bulaate Ho, Ye Kyaa Karte Ho" and a few more. All
of them have been hit songs
and have ever since
won praise in the industry and our fans and admirers, not only for their
musical content but also for their
renditions by this
great songstress.
I am happy to see
that in these past 50 years since we first met, Lataji has not only acquired
fame but an unprecedented recognition
by the Guiness Book
of Records for bringing her voice to a huge number of hit songs. Her life
and times are well documented. May
god bless her with
many more years of activity and good fortune.
Lata
Mangeshkar : A living legend...
