DO PAL KE JEEVAN SE
“Kuch
paakar khona hai, Kuch khokar paana hai
Jeevan
ka matlab toh aana aur jaana hai
Do
pal ke Jeevan se ek umr churaani hai.”
From
the song ‘Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai’
(Lyrics
by Santosh Anand. Music by Laxmikant Pyarelal.
Sung
by Lata Mangeshkar.)
Today
Lata Mangeshkarji turns 91. Early in the morning, Soumya, the college-going daughter of our neighbors
and family-friends, Sanjeev and Sandya Nair, had sent to me and my wife a
lovely-old Lata-song. Soumya is passionate about singing, particularly Lataji’s
classics. She uploads them, regularly, on her YouTube channel. “Hello Uncle,
hope you enjoy this song… I have dedicated this to my idol, Lataji,” she wrote.
I smiled looking
at the distinct two-plaits specially donned, today, by our 18-19-year-old,
Soumya… I remembered the eventful, inspiring and one-of-a-kind journey, close
to a century, of the legend of Lata Mangeshkar!
I, also, remembered
my dad, in the sixties… when he was in his thirties and I was not even 10. He had
hardly been to school and worked as a mechanic at a local workshop. He drank
like a fish and smoked like a chimney. But, with his meager income, he could only
afford to drink the desi stuff… and, he drank it raw! This, coupled with
relentless smoking of beedies, brought his early death, at 57. His liver,
heart and lungs – you can imagine – had gone for a toss!
I am not remembering
my dad, today, for his ‘vices’. Let me confess: he was a loving and caring dad
despite his huge flaws. He seldom turned violent after drinking… Instead, he
turned into a Mohammed Rafi and sang, as a possessed man, the songs of ‘Baiju
Bawra’ (1951) – ‘O Duniyak Ke Rakhwale' and ‘Tu Ganga Ki Mauj me’ … When, my dad
sang these songs, I would run into hidings… I hated to see him sing like that,
even though the people around (mostly at local wedding functions) loved to see
him sing. I went into my shy shell and took a long time to come out of it…
I, also, took a
long time to really appreciate, value and respect the raw passion and the wild dreams
my dad must’ve suppressed under the toxic layer of desi stuff…
It’s Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and our Konkani folk-songs, which we called ‘Mando’, that kept my dad’s life going… He sang them, as I said, like a possessed man at every available place…
So, today, as
our darling Soumya shared Lataji’s song, looking at her ‘madness’ and playfulness,
I remembered the madness and playfulness of my own dad… Those were the
difficult times… No money, electricity or a radio at home, leave alone what is available, today, to us and our children who are passionate about singing.
My younger
brother, Rony, had inherited my dad’s madness, minus drinking and smoking. He started
singing from his school days and, through his dedication, persistence and
passion, carved a name for himself in Konkani music-circle. Presently, he is
settled in Kuwait; but, his singing has made him a celebrity in every Mangalorean
Konkani-speaking household.
Last night I heard
Rony, as a Judge, telling a young semi-finalist of a popular Konkani reality-show
(telecast from Kuwait) this: “Remember, the lyrics of a song are like the backbone
and the skeleton of our body; the music and the arrangements are like the flesh around it…
and, the singer is the face!”
Well, not because my brother said this, but, because it was a sensible analogy, I realized how important it was for a singer to get into the lyrics… and feel them in his/her bones before voicing them out…
Baiju (insane) Bawra sang
like that…
Rafi saab sang
like that…
Lataji sang like
that…
As I wish Lataji
good health and peace of mind on her 91st birthday, I, also, bend my
backbone to thank her for inspiring my dad, brother and our darling Soumya…
What else can I wish,
today?
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.: movies.ndtv.com
Videos: 1.Soumya Nair 2 & 3 Shemaroo Filmi Gaane
4. Lath Mangeshkar/Nakul1988in 5. Santosh Anand/Harsha BK
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