LATAJI KA NAAM EK DIN MANTRA BANEGA JO CRORO LOG HAATH MEI MAALA LEKE JAPENGE.. BY ALI PETER JOHN

In a few years from now or even 1000's of years from now the name Lata Mangeskar will be taken as a prayer and sung as mantra and chalisa and abhangs and even in every place of worship anywhere in the world - Ali Peter John

I am not saying this as a fancy of my imagination or just because of my admiration of her, I have all the reasons to say this and much more because of her passion and dedication to her singing, which was almost divine.

Lataji had hardly gone to school for a few days and the fee she had to pay those days was aath aana which her father couldn't pay and who later died when he was just 42 and Lata had to leave school because she had the responsibility of looking after her family and she had to take to acting as a child artist in plays and later took to singing after which she never had to look back.

But, if the little Lata could go to school for only a few days and had to learn whatever she learnt in her own mother tongue, how in heaven's name which she earn doctorate from fix of the best universities of the world and in six different languages?

Perhaps, the only language she had to take pain to learn a language was Urdu and that was because Naushad, one of her first mentors told her that Urdu was a delicate and difficult language to learn and that she would have to learn it if she wanted to be a good singer.

Lata ji took Naushad very seriously and learnt Urdu from one of the best maulvis from Bombay and she learnt Urdu till she excelled in it.

It was this passion to learn that made Lata learn at least basics of every language she sang in.

And it is beyond my understanding to know that Dr Lata Mangeskar sang songs in 36 languages of the world and sang all of them with the same perfection and ease.She made sure that she understood not only the language,but every word, every emotion and every moment experienced by the singer or the singers in the songs.

It is Lata's total surrender to the emotions in the song that will keep the songs she had sung in the 36 languages alive and breathing as long as life,love and every other human emotion lasts and even till the Creator lasts.

Lata was beyond being immortal. She was and she will be.That is all I can say about her and generations to come say whatever they want to say about her and her singing.