We would do well to revive and strengthen the inclusive India defined by the sweet sound of her music.
Lata Mangeshkar, our very own Koh-e-Noor (Mountain of Light), Indian Malika-e-Tarannum (Queen of Melody), will always be one of the brightest jewels in the crown adorning India's rich and diverse cultural landscape. He lent his voice to generations of actors in an illustrious and illustrious career spanning over six decades. His repertoire reflects almost every genre of Indian music, every major Indian language and all possible human emotions.
Lata Mangeshkar's singing is usually described in exaggerated terms, but the remarkable feature of her singing abilities is that none of the exaggerated adjectives adequately capture her musical virtuosity and talent. It shouldn't be dismissed as an expression of loving, non-critical fandom: it's as true for his millions of fans as it is for connoisseurs.
Masters of Hindustani classical music have commented on his completeness of sura (pitch and tone), mastery over laya (rhythm) and his ability to produce grand harkas and murkis (quick short variations) very finely and subtly, possibly Takes music to heights. Beyond what the music director had imagined.
A unique legend
As singers attempt to reproduce even a fraction of those subtle touches, they will know that these movements that seem so easy and effortless in their voices are impossibly difficult. The only singer to match this talent is his sister Asha Bhosle.
His personal life story closely resembles the scripts of several films sung by him. The tragic and untimely death of her father made her start working at the age of 13, when most girls are still playing with dolls. She did not attend regular school but learned to read and write at home. His focus on language and his perfectionism can be seen in the way he presents the lyrics of the language he sings.
She initially tried her hand at acting, but did not succeed, probably because her appearance did not conform to the standards of traditional feminine beauty of the time. Despite his prodigious talent, his entry into playback singing was not an easy one. But after Mahal's super-success (for which he sang "Aayega Aane Wala") in 1949, there was no looking back. There have been excellent obituaries capturing various aspects of his life and career as it soars to the heights of the stratosphere.
Lata understood the exact emotion behind each song and transmitted that very precise feeling to her listeners, who felt that the song was being sung personally to her, narrating her personal story: the first of being in love. intoxicating sensation, the pleasure of the first kiss, longing, waiting, desire, romantic joke, rebellion against authority, heartbreak, dizzy heights of happiness, depth of despair, patriotic pride, spirituality and appeal to the divine, love for nature, philosophical contemplation Rejecting inequality and injustice - is a creeper song that expresses all these feelings and states of existence.
Close to power
Her life has been under intense scrutiny both during her lifetime and after her death. The Internet is full of all kinds of half-truths and false information. He busted many of those myths in conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir.
Many of his post-death commentaries were in fact bizarre because they had nothing to do with his music (his most defining characteristic), and because of his excessive self-righteousness which was substituted for factual correctness. She was attacked for being a symbol of Brahminical privilege, which was strange, to say the least, as she did not come from a Brahmin family.
Much ink has been spilled on his monopoly power. She was a superstar whose career was tied to that of all-male film superstars, some of whom outlived her: from Raj Kapoor to Dilip Kumar to Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. Can one seriously argue that his outstanding musical talent played no part in making his films super successful?
Many of us adore our male superstars but are in a hurry to bring Lata down. During her active years, she stood like a superhero in the male-dominated world. If we are determined not to discuss her music but other aspects of her personality, why not discuss how she managed to negotiate the very harsh and difficult world of Bombay cinema?
She, like other superstars of sports, industry and Bombay cinema, was friendly with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. The factors that made Shiv Sena so powerful in Mumbai and Maharashtra can (and should be) discussed that it ended up developing alliances with many prominent figures.
The question to ask about Lata would be: Did her proximity to the Shiv Sena prevent her from forming deep friendships and bonds with Muslims? Some of his best outputs have been collaborations with Muslim artists – actors, music directors, lyricists and poets.
Voice of inclusive india
To her, they were artists, human beings and her natural allies whom she deeply respected. She never shied away from publicly expressing her respect and love for him. They were as much a part of his personal life as it was of him and his families.
His universal appeal was evident in the mass ejection of the mourning and mourning that the nation plunged into after he left this earth. It didn't matter that his death was predicted by his recent poor health. The shock was heartwarming and felt when it actually happened. It was not just Indians who were grieving as if they had lost a family member. Grief crossed national boundaries.
Lata Mangeshkar sang the song of harmony and love and her personality united India across different sections - class, caste, religion, gender and linguistic. A blatant attempt to stir up controversy over Shah Rukh Khan's prayer at his funeral was largely rejected. This shows that there are a large number of people who refuse to tarnish Lata's memory with shoddy and ugly gimmicks, and I daresay with uninformed analyses.
When we bow our heads collectively in his memory, we will do well to revive and strengthen an inclusive India, defined by the melodious sound of his music.
Ashwini Deshpande is Professor of Economics at Ashoka University and Founding Director, Center for Economic Data and Analysis. He is passionate about Hindi film music and has occasionally written about it, including a lengthy essay on Lata Mangeshkar as part of a debate.