Lata Mangeshkar turns 91, talks about life that has given her much to be grateful for

It is very sad to have one of your colleagues go away. Balaji and I sang many hits in Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Main Pyar Kiya., Hum Aapke Hain Koun and many others. He was a wonderful singer and an even better human being. I believe to be a good artiste you must have a pure soul .

Mujhe ashcharya hota hai  ke logon ne  mujhe itne  dino tak kaise bardasht kiya hai!  I can’t believe  I’ve been tolerated by music lovers  for  75 years.Without their love and  loyalty I’d be nothing.I’ve never allowed success to go to my head. I’ve seen  many  artistes fall because  of their pride. I’ve  persuaded  myself to stay  humble and grounded.  God  has been very kind to me. Even  my  substandard  songs have been accepted by my  listeners. The  blessings  of my parents  and the love of my listeners are what has  kept me going.

I have to disagree with you. There  have been  many  talented  singers before and after me.

Yes, whynot? Noor Jehan ji, Shamshad Begum ji , Geeta Dutt ji before me, and my sister Asha were all  extremely talented. Among the  current voices I  like Alka Yagnik, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan.

That’s a tough one. Because each heroine  from Madhubala and Meena Kumari to Sridevi and Madhuri brought something special to my songs.  But if you insist on one heroine I’d have to go with Nutan. She was  a singer herself. When she emoted  to  my songs on screen she actually sang along. The way she has  performed my  song Mann mohana bade Jhoothe (Seema)is exemplary. Jaya Bachchan ji is  also one of my favourites. I think  the way she emoted to my song Bahon mein chale aao(Anamika) added a  lot to the song’s abiding  popularity

Hema Malini has always been a favourite. Among the older lot I was very close to Nargis and Meena Kumari. Meenaji and I would chat endlessly when we met. She loved the length of my hair. It used to reach to floor back then.I also used to like Pooja Bhatt a lot. Does she act any more?

After my illness, the doctors have severely curtailed all my activities, including movie-watching. Nowadays I don’t watch much television except CID and Adaalat which have been my favourites for years

Never! I never listen to my songs. If I did,I’d find a hundred mistakes in my singing. Even in the past, once I finished recording a song I was done with it.

Aayega aanewala in Mahal (1949) was the turning point in my career. Then I’d say Pyar kiya toh darna kya in Mughal-e-Azam. Audiences would throw coins on the screen when that song came on. There have been many important songs in my career. Too many to mention.I am very fond of my album of Meera Bhajans Chale Vahe Des for which my brother Hridaynath composed the music.And the album Sajda for which I teamed up with Jagjit Singh .

Sajjad Husain. Sajjad Saab’s songs would often make me very apprehensive. I’d wonder if I’d be able to sing them the way he wanted me to. There were other composers whose compositions I didn’t fear singing at all because of my rapport with them. Like Madan (Mohan) Bhaiyya. Not that Sajjad Saab took me to task, but he would compose such complex numbers and would be so particular about the way they were rendered, that I would become very conscious.

Salil Chaudhary. I shared a great rapport with him. He knew which of his creations suited me. I was never scared of singing his tunes. Instead, I would be very keen to sing his songs. I love his music. I haven’t met a composer quite like him. Look at the tunes he thought up! And the sources of his composition! He used to write fluently in Bengali. His poems in Bengali were superb. You know, he used to write his own lyrics for some of the Bengali songs he composed for me. His grasp of the North-Eastern folk music was tremendous. Being a Communist he was an agnostic. So we never agreed on his views on God. Lekin woh kamaal ke music director tthe.

(Promptly) Madan Mohan, of course. He had a unique style. And Shankar-Jaikishan. Jaikishan was very talented. Very creative. Even Shankar ji’s songs were a treat. They did borrow from the West whenever they felt like it. But it was Salilda who was deeply influenced by Western music. He used to listen to Western symphonies and incorporate them in his compositions. And he could tell which symphony had been incorporated into which song.

(Laughs loudly) I wouldn’t know about that. He must have had his reasons. Pancham (RD) used to interact a lot with me. He used to call me Didi, and loved me like a sister. He used to pour his heart out to me. He did compose in a special style for me. He knew instinctively which song suited (my sister) Asha and which suited me.I loved the songs Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed for me too. They were also special. For about 10-12 years they composed some really great numbers.

We are going through the worst possible phase in the history of civilization. Be kind and generous to those who are less privileged than you. Give generously. Do not hold back your love for fellow human beings. Now is the time to stop being tight-fisted about feelings. Jyot se jyot jalate chalo prem ki ganga bahaate chalo.