Lata Mangeshkar, the golden voice of Indian Film Industry has been singing for more than 60 years with same spirit and passion. She has entertained and fascinated millions & millions of people with her heavenly voice across the world for almost 6 decades.  Her father Pt. Dinanath Mangeshkar was an outstanding classical singer and a theatre artist and was her guru, her inspiration. I don’t intend to write a story here about Lata bai but would like to express my thoughts as a music lover. Lata bai is one of the most talented singers of all times in the history of Indian music. Her melodious voice, purity of the notes, variations in singing, everything is so perfect that there can’t be anything better in the world of music. If you really want to become a good singer, then you better listen to lata bai’s songs daily for an hour.  The songs that I adore the most are ‘Mana Mohana bade jhootey’, ‘Rasik bulama’, ‘Dhire se aaja re akhiyan mein nindiya’, ‘Tu jahan jahan chalega..mera saya’, ‘Agar mujhase muhabbat hai’, ‘Ye zindagi usi ki hai’, ‘Bainya na dharo o bulama’, ‘Jaago Mohan pyare’ …and many more..the list is too long. Whoever composed these songs..Lata bai has made them into master pieces by her golden voice.  The Meera bhajans & some non-filmi gazals sung by her are also wonderful to listen to. I think if you want to make your life more meaningful and happy then you should have collection of Lata bai’s songs in your home. She is the best singer ever and I wish her songs are preserved & listened by generations & generations in future to keep the real music alive.

The title line is from a song composed by one of the greatest music directors in Indian film industry – Shri Madan Mohan. When I  listen to his songs today I really feel..Aaj socha to aasoo bhar aaye…tears come into my eyes instantly. Madan Mohan was one of the greatest composers we had during the time when there were plenty of good music composers around. All of his songs are of rich quality music and with very intense emotions. Ofcourse, the lyrics are as great as the music, but the gazal form of presentation has been outstanding in his compositions. Most of the songs composed by him are of sad mood, yet there is a beauty and innocence in the sadness and songs are so melodious that they go straight into your heart. Madan Mohan is an inspiration for musicians like me and I feel very small when I listen to his compositions. Some of his compositions which I like the most are ‘Ruke Ruke se kadam from film Mausam, Hai isi mein pyar ki aabaroo, Aapki najaron ne samajha, tumhari julpha ke saye mein shaam, Rasame ulfat ko nibhaye kaise. Each of his songs contribute to a great learning experience & inspiration for a music composer like me.  The starting piece of the song is the most difficult composition and the way it is carried till the beginning of mukhada is just amazing! There is so much variety in the interludes & overall use of instruments that I realise how much efforts & time this man has put behind each song.  During those days, there were limitations as far as technology & recording techniques used yet the quality of songs was very high. All credit goes to the musicians & the director for creating master pieces. Today’s music appears & feels so inferior in front of these compositions that we really need to preserve these melodies for generations to come.  I salute to Madan Mohan ji for his contributions to Indian Film Music. This Post is incomplete without the mention of Lata ji who has sung most of Madan ji’s compositions with great perfection. My next post will be on Lataji, the greatest singers of all times…keep reading.