IANS Obituary: India's Melody Queen, a beacon of inspiration, attains immortality

Mumbai, Feb 6 Though anticipated, when it became official that the Melody Queen of India, Lata Mangeshkar, is no longer among us, it hit the collective consciousness of the nation like a sledgehammer.

The only consolation was that she may have passed on, but her voice, which moved our hearts and provided succour to our souls for more than seven decades, will forever be with us.

Like all inspirational stories, Lataji's early struggle to establish herself in the 1940s is one that we cannot ever forget. In those days, she would take a BEST bus and travel from her south Mumbai home regularly to meet Naushad Ali at his Khar West bungalow or in the studios, hoping for a 'singing break' under the legendary music maker's baton.

In the vicious Mumbai monsoon, she would come to Naushad's home, wearing her trademark sari, carrying an umbrella but totally drenched, shivering and barely able to speak, let alone sing. The music director would offer her piping hot tea and cookies to soothe her, but no songs ... yet ... .

"I felt her voice was not yet 'ripe' for my style of music," said Naushad, the perfectionist, in a conversation with this writer. He was trying to justify not giving her an early break. "To improve her diction and control over words, I advised her to learn and practice Urdu, which she did ... and finally, she was ready to record for me."

The first choices of Naushad were the reigning stalwarts Noorjehan, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Zohra Ambalewali, to name a few.

With time, trained by her father, Dinananth Mangeshkar, Lataji grasped the maestro's advice and got her first major hit 'Uthaye Ja Unke Sitam'