Many stages of Lata

Not many know that way back in 1974, when, for the first time, Lata Mangeshkar was to perform live at London’s Royal Albert Hall, she was so nervous that she couldn’t even utter a word. From then to 1998, when she gave her last stage performance, Lata Mangeshkar had come a long way as a stage artiste. The new book, On Stage With Lata, covers the life of the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar as a stage performer and not as a playback singer. Penned together by Rachana Shah, daughter of Meena Mangeshkar, and Mohan Deora, the man who spearheaded Lata’s international concerts in USA, Canada, the Caribbean and the Fiji Island; and edited by Nasreen Munni Kabir, the book includes several stories from her tours.

The idea of writing this book initially came to Mohan Deora, after he retired as a nuclear scientist in Detroit, in 2013. “I had numerous stories about Lata didi’s international tours. Whenever I would sit with my friends, I would share the stories with them. They were the ones who asked me to write a book and share all these stories with her fans,” said Mohan Deora. He further adds, “Although Didi encouraged me, I wasn’t very sure about writing a book, because I am not a writer. This was when Lataji asked me to approach her niece Rachana to write the book.”

Having organised all of Lataji’s international shows, Mohan Deora has seen the journey of Lata from a nervous stage artiste to a performer who chatted with the audience and sometimes even became the Master of Ceremony for them. Reminiscing about one of her first events, Mohan says, “The hall was packed with audience and after Lata didi finished one of the songs, the audience started shouting her name. She got a little nervous and asked me what they were asking for, and I told her, ‘Inhone aaj tak aapke gaane sune hain, aawaz nahi suni.’ She is very reserved as a person, and had to reinvent herself as a performer. It wasn’t a cakewalk for her.”

Lata Mangeshkar with Kishore Kumar, Usha Mangeshkar and their team of musicians at Madison Square Garden, New York, 22 June 1985.

Co-writer of the book, Rachana Shah is not just Lata’s niece, but also one of her closest friends. Speaking about the book, Rachana says, “We all are Lata Mangeshkar’s fans and listen to the tracks sung by her. She is not just a legend, but a phenomenon. But it was very important to introduce her fans to this part of her life too.” Talking to us about the kind of relationship she and Lata shared, she has lots of anecdotes to narrate. One such story is of the time when Lata Mangeshkar took Rachana and her brother Yogesh to Disneyland. “We were in the US for one of her tours, when she took us to Disneyland. Everyone knows that Lataji is an amazing singer, but not many know that she is a very good photographer too. She clicked many pictures of us with various Disney characters. In fact, she even accompanied us on some of the rides,” she says, and adds that Lata was very disciplined about her work and would not leave her room for at least two days before her performance to take care of her voice.

Ask Rachana which is her favourite song of Lata, and she says, “All! It depends on my mood. There is a song by Lataji to suit every mood, and I am sure that there are many like me who can listen to one or the other track of Lataji every time. Through her voice, she has become a constant companion for all of us.” Lata is known for her humbleness. Only recently the Bharat Ratna awardee appealed to her fans and well-wishers to remember and donate for the brave Indian soldiers guarding our borders instead of sending her anything. “The most beautiful thing about Lataji is she herself doesn’t realise that she is a legend and many worship her. She is very down to earth and even after earning so much fame and so many awards, leads a very simple life,” says Rachana.

On stage with lata by Mohan Deora and Rachana Shah Edited by Nasreen Munni Kabir Rs 299, pp 163 HarperCollins India

Nasreen Munni Kabir, who has edited the book, also shares a very special bond with Lata. “In 1990, I made a three-hour documentary series on Lataji, called Lata in her own voice, for a channel in the UK, which was later developed into a book with the same name. She is very intelligent and what is most endearing about her is that she wears her stardom and fame very lightly. All the adulation has not let her forget her sense of values,” she says. Speaking about the book, she adds, “Editing this book was a pleasure. What I particularly loved about the book was the introduction by Lataji herself, and the natural ease with which she sees her own journey.”