Was She Created  By God Or A Goddess?  Some More Thoughts About The Goddess Of Melody, On Her Ninety -First Birthday  

As I grow  older  ,my belief  that  the  world  in  which we  live  would  have  been  a much more beautiful  place  if it was  created by a Goddess and not by a male God  grows stronger . Why have  we  been brought  up with  the  idea that  God could  only be a man and not a woman ? Why  has there  been some kind  of a bias or a conspiracy  to establish the  reign of  a God who  is the  supreme being with women  at best being this God's hand-maids and even their  women  who  are far less powerful than  the  God's  ?Wasn't  there the  rule of  women  always  being subservient  to men ?And  wouldn't  some creations be much better  than  the ones created  by an omnipotent ,

omnipresent and omniscient  male God   ?

I could  have  gone  on and on  discussing  and asking questions  about  my doubts about  God ,but  on this  day ,the birthday  of one of the  greatest  gifts recieved  by us and the  world ,Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar,I agree to  disagree and believe  that this amazing  and astounding  little  woman  in white must have  been created  by a Goddess  who had taken over from  the established  God and  proved how she could  be a better  God than the God people  had accepted  as a way of life  from the  time there  was life ......

Lata Mangeshkar  perhaps  one of the most magnificent  creations  in the  history  of creations  .Do you  think I am going  mad describing  a woman who has gone  beyond all description ?

Tell me,what do I  say about  a woman  who has been  singing  her way into  the  hearts and  souls  of people  for more  than  eighty -two  years ?

What does one  say about  a woman  who has been  giving  life to feelings  ,moods and the changing  attitudes  and moods of human beings ? What does one  say about  a singer who can sing about  the  plight  of a nautch girl and still sound divine  ?

What does one  say about a singer  who can sing  like a child singing  about his mother and  bring tears to the  eyes  of mothers  and their  children  down  the  years ?What  does one  say about  a woman  who can sing  about  love  like no lover or beloved  has ever  sung or even imagined  singing  ?And what  does one  say about  a singer  who can  bring the Gods down and listen  to  her singing and not wanting  to  go back  to their thrones

whereever they have them ? And what does one  say about  a singer  who can sing  to satisfy  those in power  ,those living  in utter poverty  ,those slogging in factories and  fields  and  those fighting  on the borders without  worrying about  their  own lives and the  lives of their  near and dear  ones and a singer who could  make a prime minister  cry and a singer  who  can transform  the  most  dangerous  and diabolical  monsters into  saints  and holy men and women?

Words ,poems and even doctorates  have been used to  describe  her  talent  and greatness  ,but I would  like to point out things which very few know and  only  add up to  the greatness  of the  most ordinary  and simple  woman I have  ever  met  .....

She has sung more  songs than any other  singer in the  world  ,a fact  which now  can not be  denied  or debated about  .She has sung  in almost  every  major  and minor language  all around the  globe  .She has won  some  of the  most prestigious  awards  both in the  country  and the  highest  awards  in the  world ,including  "The Legion of Honour"  ,the  highest  civilian  award presented  by the French  Government .She has now  reached  a time  in her  life when she herself  has grown  into  the most prestigious  award the world has ever  recieved  .

Listen  to what some of  the  greatest  legends  of India have  to say about  the "Sangeet Samragni" .The  well known vocalist  Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan never  referred  to her singing as a song ,but an" ibaadat " (prayer).The renowned  actress Nargis once  said ,"Lataji jab gaati hai toh saara ka saara kaaenaat khamosh ho jaati hai aur sab ibaadat mein kho jaate hai ".Mohammad  Rafi was once singing  a duet with her and couldn't  control  his emotions  and stood  before  a wall and burst into  tears  and  when  someone  asked  him  what had happened  ,he had  said  in between  sobbing uncontrollably  , "woh awaaz sun rahe hai aap ,woh  Allah ki sabse badi amaanat hai " .Her contemporary  Mukesh  once said , 'Jis manch par sangeet ki  devi gaa rahi ho ,uss manch par kisi  aur ko jaane ki jurrat nahi karni  chaahiye ".And the  best thing  I heard about her singing was when a Catholic  Priest  once told  me , "I have  to listen  to Lataji only once  in a  day to believe that there  is a god ".

I had an editor who always had her head in some unknown sky who once told me ,"Ali ,I have met all the stars but I never had the opportunity of meeting Lataji . Will you please take me to her ?"She was my editor ,after all and I took her request as an order and during my next meeting with Lataji ,I mentioned the editor's request to her and Lataji shocked me when she said in Marathi ,"naahi re baba , teela majhyakade nako gehoon ye "(no please don't bring that woman to me).It was strange how even when I mentioned the same editor and her request to Diljp Kumar ,he instantly shook his head and said he didn't want to meet her. The editor held the decisions of the two legends against me ,I still don't know why And yet this  almost  divine being  has all the  qualities  of being human intact .

Lataji is one of the  most  proficient  photographers I have  known. She  has  the  best collection  of cameras and lenses and  was a  regular  photographer  till she was eighty and had discussions  about  photography  with the  best  people  in the  business .She was one of  the  best golfers and was an expert in rifle shooter and  could  shoot a one naya paise coin from a distance  at the  very first  shot .Her knowledge  about  international  ,Indian  and even state level  cricket  could  beat some  of the  best players  ,experts  and commentators  of the  game.

She  has always worn a white sari ,and sometimes  with a colourful  border and when  she once wore a green sari ,it became  an event  and the  delight  of the  photographer  .She has no great preferences  ,but  she loves good and well-designed gold jewellery  and  it was  Rekha ,the  gorgeous at sixty  plus actress who is one of  her devoted fans who  once told  a large audience  about Lataji's weakness for gold  paayals and a gajra  made of mogra flowers  ,the  same flowers  with which  she decorates  the  image and frames of  her Gods ,Lord Ganesha and Lord Vitthal.

If there  is one  human being who  has baffled  both  God and  human beings ,it is without  any doubt it is  simply  this  absolutely  above  humans  and even  the heavens  woman  ,a woman  who walks and sings in this  world once in many billion years