Flash back: Ajeeb Daastan Hain Yeh
Playback singer Mohammed Irfan fondly recalls meeting India’s nightingale.
When I was 14 years old, I had the privilege of meeting Lataji (Lata Mangeshkar). It was an event to honour her and I was there to sing with my group of child singers.
My guruji, Ramachari was a music teacher in my school in Hyderabad. When I was six, he recognised a talent in me and approached my parents so they’d let me attend music classes. I studied there for more than 12 years. He taught us light music, stage presence and recording in studios.
At the end of the programme, all the kids lined up to meet Lataji and take her blessing. I was at the end of the line. But Lataji enquired about ‘the child who sang the solo’ and so guruji called out to me.
I ran to the front and that is when this picture was taken. It was a big moment for me to meet the legend.
We were told about how she would often record songs in a single take. This is impressive when I think about it even now, since we spend close to two hours on each song in the studio. She managed to consistently record impeccable melodies effortlessly.
Few singers have had such an impact on the music industry. Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafique and Lataji are among those epic musicians.
I met Lataji again in 2007, when I was a contestant on television show Voice of India. A few of us were invited to her Pedder Road home where she gave us pointers on singing.
We also met her brother Hridaynath who showed us the room where Lataji and Ashaji would do riyaz. It gave me goose bumps to stand in the room where two luminaries explored the beginnings of their art. - As told to Yolande D’Mello
When I was 14 years old, I had the privilege of meeting Lataji (Lata Mangeshkar). It was an event to honour her and I was there to sing with my group of child singers.
My guruji, Ramachari was a music teacher in my school in Hyderabad. When I was six, he recognised a talent in me and approached my parents so they’d let me attend music classes. I studied there for more than 12 years. He taught us light music, stage presence and recording in studios.
On this occasion, we were singing an original composition of my guru. I remember, I had a short solo which was a total of four lines.
At the end of the programme, all the kids lined up to meet Lataji and take her blessing. I was at the end of the line. But Lataji enquired about ‘the child who sang the solo’ and so guruji called out to me.
I ran to the front and that is when this picture was taken. It was a big moment for me to meet the legend.
We were told about how she would often record songs in a single take. This is impressive when I think about it even now, since we spend close to two hours on each song in the studio. She managed to consistently record impeccable melodies effortlessly.
Few singers have had such an impact on the music industry. Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafique and Lataji are among those epic musicians.
I met Lataji again in 2007, when I was a contestant on television show Voice of India. A few of us were invited to her Pedder Road home where she gave us pointers on singing.
We also met her brother Hridaynath who showed us the room where Lataji and Ashaji would do riyaz. It gave me goose bumps to stand in the room where two luminaries explored the beginnings of their art. - As told to Yolande D’Mello
