Lata Mangeshkar says she 'still feels young.' (Image courtesy :Lata Mangeshkar)
Highlights
- Lata Mangeshkar celebrates her 88th birthday today
- Lata Mangeshkar said that age doesn't dampen her spirit
- Lata Mangeshkar talked about her initial struggling days
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who is celebrating her 88th birthday today, is definitely a proof that age is just a number. With new hopes and high spirit, Lata Mangeshkar said that age doesn't dampen her spirit and that she has always lived with a hope for a better tomorrow, reports news agency IANS. Feeling young and energetic at 88, Lata Mangeshkar told IANS:
"Bahut ho gaya...apko kaisa lagta hai, aap gaati kyun nahin hain, aapke favourite naye singers kaun hai, aap apni behen (Asha Bhosle) se kyun nahin milti? Arrey bhai, sab ho chuka hai." "Let's talk about the fun times," said Lata Mangeshkar, reports IANS.
Lata Mangeshkar told IANS: "Should I tell you the truth? I don't feel my age at all. I still feel young. I've never been weighed down by my troubles. Everyone has her share of problems in life. Even when I was young and struggling, and I was happy hopping from studio to studio bumping into other strugglers like Kishore Da and Mukesh
bhaiya."
Talking about her struggling days, she added, "Those were fun times even when I had to go hungry for the entire day. There was no money in my purse. But there was only hope in my heart. And the belief that no matter how tough the future looked there was always hope for a better tomorrow," reports IANS.
She shared an incident when she fainted at one of her recordings. Lata Mangeshkar told IANS: "It happened with Naushad
saab. We were recording a song on a long hot summer afternoon. You know how Mumbai gets in summer. During those days, there was no air conditioning in the recording studios. And even the ceiling fan was switched off during the final recording. I just fainted."
Lata Mangeshkar remembered her fun times and said, "I had some really fun times. I remember I was recording a duet with Uma Devi who later became the comedienne Tun Tun. Uma Devi was as
khati-peeti back then as a singer as she was later as an actress, so there we were, the two of us singing into the same mic. Back then, duets were recorded on one mic. Me, a frail reed-like pint-sized girl, she quite formidable in her physical appearance. I was given a stool to stand on, as I had a problem reaching the mic. I sang my lines and then when Uma Devi moved forward to sing into the mic and nudged my shoulder, I fell right to the ground," reports IANS.
When asked about her heart-breaking songs and that the whole congregation at the recording wept when she sang Madan Mohan's
Heer in
Heer Ranjha and Sachin Dev Burman's
Tum Mujhse Dur Chale Jana Na in
Ishq Par Zor Nahin, Lata Mangeshkar told IANS: "Except for me, they were all crying. I've never been a weeper even when singing the most somber songs. I've always preferred laughter to tears. God has always been kind. I've never been given any reason for tears. I think I cried the most when I lost my father and my mother."
At the end, Lata Mangeshkar gave us all a reason to feel happy with her positive thoughts. Of her happy years in music industry and her life, she said, "I can't thank the listeners enough for bearing with me for 70 years. I didn't even how the time flew by. If I had a chance to live it all again I wouldn't change a thing."
Lata Mangeshkar has recorded songs for thousands of Bollywood films and has sung in over 36 languages. She is known for her soulful melodies including
Aayega Aanewala,
Lag Jaa Gale and
Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye.
On Lata Mangeshkar's 88th birthday, Shraddha Kapoor, Asha Bhosle and other celebrities posted their birthday wishes for her.
Shraddha Kapoor Instagrammed a picture featuring herself and Lata Mangeshkar, who is also Shraddha's grandmother. She wrote: "Happiest birthday to my lovely Lata
aaji."
Here's what Lata Mangeshkar's sister Asha Bhosle posted for her
didi:
"The woman with the golden voice and evergreen melodies," wrote Anil Kapoor
Here are some other tweets for Lata Mangeshkar: We too wish Lata Mangeshkar a very Happy Birthday.
(With inputs from IANS)