The Pehla nasha pehla khumar singer has been feeling extremely low ever since the Nightingale passed away. Sadhana Sargam, the popular playback singer, poured her heart out to The Telegraph about her “inspiration” — Lata Mangeshkar — and the moments she shared with her.
When did you first meet Lataji? How did the first interaction go?
Honestly, I can’t recall when I first met her because I must have been very small. But, whenever I met her, those moments were always valuable. I always thought of her as Goddess Saraswati. Her very presence was so hypnotising. If I ever met her or touched her feet, she would pat me and ask about my riyaz or songs. Later, we spoke on the phone at times, and it was always the same sweet voice that was just magical. In hindsight, all these conversations remain very special to me.
The fact that you were singing melodious Kalyanji-Anandji songs in the late ’80s-’90s, did it affect her?
Lataji as a person was never bothered with who was singing what. The fact that I was singing Kalyanji-Anandji’s key songs did not bother her at all. She was never influenced by what others were doing. She had such a stature that she didn’t have to do that (be bothered).
I had never had the privilege of singing a duet with her though we did sing the same song on a track from 'Lagaan' called 'O palanhare'
Did you ever sing a duet with her? Or even a concert?
No, I had never had the privilege of singing a duet with her though we did sing the same song on a track from Lagaan called O palanhare. I think it was not shown fully in the film but I’m happy to know that somewhere we have been credited together (with Udit Narayan). While we never sang together, I was always part of her concerts, like the A.R. Rahman-Lata Mangeshkar concert in Hyderabad where I sang Chupke se (from Saathiya). Then there was this huge golden jubilee of Maharashtra Day concert where the Mangeshkar sisters sang and I too shared the stage.
What did she think of you as a singer? Did she personally offer any feedback about your singing?
She was a huge figure and an absolute treasure of our country. She was Bharat Ratna, of course. Lata didi has always encouraged me. She said I was singing well. If she said that, I always took it as an award and encouragement. I considered her words as the benchmark.
When you sang her Bengali songs, what were your thoughts?
Her Bengali songs were so melodious. When I first heard them, I thought: “Oh my God, she has reached such heights, something I can never reach.” Still, I recorded them for the sheer experience. And what songs they are — just amazing. (Some of the songs recorded by Sadhana are Prem ek baar eshechilo nirobe, Akash pradip jwole, Ja re ja re ure ja and so on).
What did you like most about her?
As a person, her simplicity always touched me. Despite seeing so much success, she still aspired for perfection. Her approach was always for precision. There was so much to learn from her and she was so inspiring.
Sadhna’s top 5 Lata Mangeshkar favourites
1. Na jeyo na /O sajana
2. Aap ki nazron ne samjha
3. Yun hasraton ke daag
4. Baiyan na dharo
5. Na jiya lage na
