Lata belonged to all

0
902

The driver of the Uber that took me from my home to Shivaji Park in Mumbai, the place of Lata Mangeshkar’s cremation on Sunday, was playing her songs. One was from Bobby, the biggest hit of the 1970s. Then a mélange of other songs followed – devotional, patriotic, melancholic, joyful, each reviving emotions I have deeply felt since my childhood, as have millions in India and around the globe.
In our troubled times, when we have erected walls of bigotry and prejudice, her music will keep reminding us about our own civilisational pehchaan.
The taxi was stopped by the cops before the destination. An endless human stream was moving towards the park. With PM Modi’s convoy about to reach the place, all entry points had been blocked. I paid my respects to Lata Didi from a distance and walked towards Dadar beach. The late winter sun was about to set behind the Arabian Sea, and I asked myself, with a lump of sadness suddenly choking my throat, ‘What is the meaning of the words “Lata Mangeshkar amar rahe”?’
As I walked back, I found a part of the answer on the faces of thousands of common Mumbaikars standing patiently in a queue to pay their respects. It was a look of silent gratefulness. Her songs had touched them all – in their time of love and happiness, in their moments of pain and suffering, in their hour of prayer and patriotic pride, and in their experience of elation and wonder at all the beauty in the world and its mysterious impermanence. In their days of despair, her songs had also comforted them like a mother comforts her weeping child. To have thus impacted countless lives of people belonging to different religions, castes, classes and languages in lands near and far, is an achievement reserved only for the rarest of rare personalities. And most of them represent that highest calling of life – art. Politicians, businessmen, intellectuals, even the greatest among them, do not receive such love and gratitude, in life or in death.
When 76-year-old Umm Kulthum, the nightingale of Egypt and the entire Arab world, died in 1976, the New York Times wrote that ‘she may well have been the most famous woman of Egypt since Cleopatra’ and ‘Today, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians and visitors from other Arab countries moved like a river through Cairo in a funeral procession.’
When 79-year-old Amalia Rodrigues, the Queen of Fado (the Portuguese music of sorrow, loss and fate), passed away in 1999, Lisbon witnessed a funeral procession, the biggest ever in the country’s history. PM Antonio Guterres (now the UN Secretary-General) spoke for many when he said: ‘Amalia was the voice of the Portuguese soul.’
The funeral of Lata Mangeshkar, who was the voice of the soul of the Indian subcontinent, was not on that scale, mainly because Mumbai has not fully come out of Covid restrictions. Yet, the moment was equally historic. All of India bid an emotional farewell to her most beloved singer who had begun singing eight decades ago.
In death, Lata created history in another unique way. From Pakistan’s Imran Khan to Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina to Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa to Nepal’s Bidya Devi Bhandari… all conveyed the feelings of their people in their message of condolences. Saberi Ibrahimi, a fan from Afghanistan, said on Twitter, ‘During the 1990s uncivil war in #Afghanistan, with little food & entertainment, the love songs of #LataMangeshkar & Mohammad Rafi kept my family going. They even had religious songs together. As a kid, I couldn’t tell which one was Hindu & which one was Muslim.’
Most heart-warming were the Twitter tributes from cricketers, musicians, politicians and the common people of Pakistan. Not surprising since she sang as mellifluously in Urdu as in Hindi and Marathi, her mother tongue. This reminded me of what a young friend of mine in Islamabad had told me a few years ago, ‘If Lata Mangeshkar were to come to give a concert in our country, the biggest of stadiums would not be able to accommodate fans wanting to listen to her live. That’s how popular she is.’
I also remembered an interesting episode from the early 1980s. Pakistan was under the military dictatorship of Gen Zia-ul-Haq, and Islamisation of its society was in full swing. Lata was on a visit to a Gulf country, and the Pakistani embassy there invited her to give a concert, which she accepted. The embassy later received a show-cause notice from the authorities in Islamabad, demanding an explanation for inviting ‘a singer from an enemy country’. This received a strong rebuke from a popular columnist called ‘Lahori’ in Dawn, Pakistan’s biggest newspaper. ‘Can music be confined within national boundaries?’ he asked. ‘Do Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi belong only to India? Does Mehdi Hassan belong only to Pakistan?’
Mehdi Hassan, the shahenshah of ghazals, had once said, ‘I belong as much to India as to Pakistan. The love I have received from Indians is no less than what I have received from my own people.’ When he was on a tour of India in the late 1970s, Vajpayee, the then external affairs minister, had hosted the maestro’s mehfil at his official residence. When Hassan was ill, Vajpayee as PM had sent him a heartfelt ‘get-well-soon’ letter, which was hugely appreciated in Pakistan.
I think it will take a long time, and a lot of reflection and soul-searching, for many of us in India and the rest of the subcontinent, to know what Lata meant to us. In our troubled times, when we have erected so many ‘narrow domestic walls’ of bigotry and prejudice separating us from ourselves, her music will keep reminding us that we all belong to one united subcontinental family. Her body has been consigned to the flames. But her deathless voice, which sang ‘Meri awaaz hi meri pehchaan hai’, will keep telling us about our own civilisational pehchaan.-Courtesy: Tribune India

xosotin chelseathông tin chuyển nhượngcâu lạc bộ bóng đá arsenalbóng đá atalantabundesligacầu thủ haalandUEFAevertonfutebol ao vivofutemaxmulticanaisonbetbóng đá world cupbóng đá inter milantin juventusbenzemala ligaclb leicester cityMUman citymessi lionelsalahnapolineymarpsgronaldoserie atottenhamvalenciaAS ROMALeverkusenac milanmbappenapolinewcastleaston villaliverpoolfa cupreal madridpremier leagueAjaxbao bong da247EPLbarcelonabournemouthaff cupasean footballbên lề sân cỏbáo bóng đá mớibóng đá cúp thế giớitin bóng đá ViệtUEFAbáo bóng đá việt namHuyền thoại bóng đágiải ngoại hạng anhSeagametap chi bong da the gioitin bong da lutrận đấu hôm nayviệt nam bóng đátin nong bong daBóng đá nữthể thao 7m24h bóng đábóng đá hôm naythe thao ngoai hang anhtin nhanh bóng đáphòng thay đồ bóng đábóng đá phủikèo nhà cái onbetbóng đá lu 2thông tin phòng thay đồthe thao vuaapp đánh lô đềdudoanxosoxổ số giải đặc biệthôm nay xổ sốkèo đẹp hôm nayketquaxosokq xskqxsmnsoi cầu ba miềnsoi cau thong kesxkt hôm naythế giới xổ sốxổ số 24hxo.soxoso3mienxo so ba mienxoso dac bietxosodientoanxổ số dự đoánvé số chiều xổxoso ket quaxosokienthietxoso kq hôm nayxoso ktxổ số megaxổ số mới nhất hôm nayxoso truc tiepxoso ViệtSX3MIENxs dự đoánxs mien bac hom nayxs miên namxsmientrungxsmn thu 7con số may mắn hôm nayKQXS 3 miền Bắc Trung Nam Nhanhdự đoán xổ số 3 miềndò vé sốdu doan xo so hom nayket qua xo xoket qua xo so.vntrúng thưởng xo sokq xoso trực tiếpket qua xskqxs 247số miền nams0x0 mienbacxosobamien hôm naysố đẹp hôm naysố đẹp trực tuyếnnuôi số đẹpxo so hom quaxoso ketquaxstruc tiep hom nayxổ số kiến thiết trực tiếpxổ số kq hôm nayso xo kq trực tuyenkết quả xổ số miền bắc trực tiếpxo so miền namxổ số miền nam trực tiếptrực tiếp xổ số hôm nayket wa xsKQ XOSOxoso onlinexo so truc tiep hom nayxsttso mien bac trong ngàyKQXS3Msố so mien bacdu doan xo so onlinedu doan cau loxổ số kenokqxs vnKQXOSOKQXS hôm naytrực tiếp kết quả xổ số ba miềncap lo dep nhat hom naysoi cầu chuẩn hôm nayso ket qua xo soXem kết quả xổ số nhanh nhấtSX3MIENXSMB chủ nhậtKQXSMNkết quả mở giải trực tuyếnGiờ vàng chốt số OnlineĐánh Đề Con Gìdò số miền namdò vé số hôm nayso mo so debach thủ lô đẹp nhất hôm naycầu đề hôm naykết quả xổ số kiến thiết toàn quốccau dep 88xsmb rong bach kimket qua xs 2023dự đoán xổ số hàng ngàyBạch thủ đề miền BắcSoi Cầu MB thần tàisoi cau vip 247soi cầu tốtsoi cầu miễn phísoi cau mb vipxsmb hom nayxs vietlottxsmn hôm naycầu lô đẹpthống kê lô kép xổ số miền Bắcquay thử xsmnxổ số thần tàiQuay thử XSMTxổ số chiều nayxo so mien nam hom nayweb đánh lô đề trực tuyến uy tínKQXS hôm nayxsmb ngày hôm nayXSMT chủ nhậtxổ số Power 6/55KQXS A trúng roycao thủ chốt sốbảng xổ số đặc biệtsoi cầu 247 vipsoi cầu wap 666Soi cầu miễn phí 888 VIPSoi Cau Chuan MBđộc thủ desố miền bắcthần tài cho sốKết quả xổ số thần tàiXem trực tiếp xổ sốXIN SỐ THẦN TÀI THỔ ĐỊACầu lô số đẹplô đẹp vip 24hsoi cầu miễn phí 888xổ số kiến thiết chiều nayXSMN thứ 7 hàng tuầnKết quả Xổ số Hồ Chí Minhnhà cái xổ số Việt NamXổ Số Đại PhátXổ số mới nhất Hôm Nayso xo mb hom nayxxmb88quay thu mbXo so Minh ChinhXS Minh Ngọc trực tiếp hôm nayXSMN 88XSTDxs than taixổ số UY TIN NHẤTxs vietlott 88SOI CẦU SIÊU CHUẨNSoiCauVietlô đẹp hôm nay vipket qua so xo hom naykqxsmb 30 ngàydự đoán xổ số 3 miềnSoi cầu 3 càng chuẩn xácbạch thủ lônuoi lo chuanbắt lô chuẩn theo ngàykq xo-solô 3 càngnuôi lô đề siêu vipcầu Lô Xiên XSMBđề về bao nhiêuSoi cầu x3xổ số kiến thiết ngày hôm nayquay thử xsmttruc tiep kết quả sxmntrực tiếp miền bắckết quả xổ số chấm vnbảng xs đặc biệt năm 2023soi cau xsmbxổ số hà nội hôm naysxmtxsmt hôm nayxs truc tiep mbketqua xo so onlinekqxs onlinexo số hôm nayXS3MTin xs hôm nayxsmn thu2XSMN hom nayxổ số miền bắc trực tiếp hôm naySO XOxsmbsxmn hôm nay188betlink188 xo sosoi cầu vip 88lô tô việtsoi lô việtXS247xs ba miềnchốt lô đẹp nhất hôm naychốt số xsmbCHƠI LÔ TÔsoi cau mn hom naychốt lô chuẩndu doan sxmtdự đoán xổ số onlinerồng bạch kim chốt 3 càng miễn phí hôm naythống kê lô gan miền bắcdàn đề lôCầu Kèo Đặc Biệtchốt cầu may mắnkết quả xổ số miền bắc hômSoi cầu vàng 777thẻ bài onlinedu doan mn 888soi cầu miền nam vipsoi cầu mt vipdàn de hôm nay7 cao thủ chốt sốsoi cau mien phi 7777 cao thủ chốt số nức tiếng3 càng miền bắcrồng bạch kim 777dàn de bất bạion newsddxsmn188betw88w88789bettf88sin88suvipsunwintf88five8812betsv88vn88Top 10 nhà cái uy tínsky88iwinlucky88nhacaisin88oxbetm88vn88w88789betiwinf8betrio66rio66lucky88oxbetvn88188bet789betMay-88five88one88sin88bk88xbetoxbetMU88188BETSV88RIO66ONBET88188betM88M88SV88Jun-68Jun-88one88iwinv9betw388OXBETw388w388onbetonbetonbetonbet88onbet88onbet88onbet88onbetonbetonbetonbetqh88mu88Nhà cái uy tínpog79vp777vp777vipbetvipbetuk88uk88typhu88typhu88tk88tk88sm66sm66me88me888live8live8livesm66me88win798livesm66me88win79pog79pog79vp777vp777uk88uk88tk88tk88luck8luck8kingbet86kingbet86k188k188hr99hr99123b8xbetvnvipbetsv66zbettaisunwin-vntyphu88vn138vwinvwinvi68ee881xbetrio66zbetvn138i9betvipfi88clubcf68onbet88ee88typhu88onbetonbetkhuyenmai12bet-moblie12betmoblietaimienphi247vi68clupcf68clupvipbeti9betqh88onb123onbefsoi cầunổ hũbắn cáđá gàđá gàgame bàicasinosoi cầuxóc đĩagame bàigiải mã giấc mơbầu cuaslot gamecasinonổ hủdàn đềBắn cácasinodàn đềnổ hũtài xỉuslot gamecasinobắn cáđá gàgame bàithể thaogame bàisoi cầukqsssoi cầucờ tướngbắn cágame bàixóc đĩaAG百家乐AG百家乐AG真人AG真人爱游戏华体会华体会im体育kok体育开云体育开云体育开云体育乐鱼体育乐鱼体育欧宝体育ob体育亚博体育亚博体育亚博体育亚博体育亚博体育亚博体育开云体育开云体育棋牌棋牌沙巴体育买球平台新葡京娱乐开云体育mu88qh88