Padmaja Fenani Joglekar: Today the golden page of the music industry has fallen. We have lost our musical base. Refreshing the memories of Bharat Ratna Lata Didi, I am sharing again with you an article written a few years ago.. Heartfelt tribute to her !!
Come on, not ‘that’…
In the year 1982… one day suddenly a call came from Bhagandharva Pandit Hridaynathji Mangeshkar… “I am doing a Diwali morning special for Mumbai Doordarshan… ‘Shabdne Palikadale’. Me and didi are singing. We want That you become a village in it. This is….” Hearing this on the phone, my feet filled with tears and my hands trembled with joy. It was all ‘beyond belief’. Even today many such incidents in my life testify to the existence of God.
It is true that Didi and Balasaheb had invited me to sing ‘Tarun Hai Raat Ajuni’, but the night before the recording, when I returned home with Balasaheb’s song, I kept getting anonymous calls saying, ” Your recording has been canceled for tomorrow.” “. I was bitter thinking that such a great golden opportunity would be missed.
After calling Balasaheb he said, “Talk to Didi.” I immediately called Didi, and explained everything… to her she said in a hoarse voice, “Take this as the first step to your success. The same thing happened to me early in my career!”…
I consider it my good fortune that Didi’s soothing tune ‘Ha Asa’ stayed with me like ‘Pichde Mangesh Forward Mangesh’ at the beginning of my music career.
Pujya Mai Mangeshkar’s greed for me and her blessings is my eternal destiny!
Hearing my first song ‘Dhund Maand Hi Ichi Sanj Uttali’ on Doordarshan, which I sang in 1981 in the musical duo of Anil-Arun’s ‘Shabdne Palikadale’, I thought, “Who is this girl? She ate the whole show and I I want to sing to him…” I couldn’t believe my ears hearing this spontaneous reaction of Didi from Anil Mohilen.
The name ‘Lata Mangeshkar’ is so magical that every memory with her, every moment takes me to the cave of Alibaba. I have kept the LP record which didi gifted me after listening to my song ‘Dhund Maand…’.
“I want to sing from him,” said Didi while singing Balasaheb’s directorial songs ‘Kenwa Tari Pehte’ and ‘Lavlav Kari Patan’ for the film ‘Nivadung’.
Didi loved the priests of Dadar, the white pedas soaked in fine sugar, so I took them for her. At that time while watching cartoons of Mickey Mouse on TV in my room, I was surprised to see the sisters smiling and happy to see the child they cared for. At that time didi used to feed me straw first and then eat it herself. What a great joy in that little generation!
Sometimes while chatting, Didi imitates the singing of old singers in her introduction. At that time I was curious that how all the sisters of 25-30 years ago remember everything… mine.
Once Didi dressed me in her own clothes and took me to the kitchen, “Let’s see how I make stuffed brinjal”. Who am I happy! It’s as if their melody travels through my body like lightning through their veins…. what’s the fun? That’s exactly what I thought.
The pan, oil, spices, finely chopped onions, small eggplants with holes, everything is prepared in advance. It’s like a music director composing a song with an orchestra! Then Didi measured all the spices and took them out in a plate and filled them with peeled brinjals, left the brinjals separately in boiling oil. The whole process sounded like Didi’s song to me… In every song composed by the composer, the shades of emotion are blended in the right places, in the right proportions, like how Didi presents the fans so fluidly! It’s all fun! Everything is spicy, delicious and delicious!
Didi taught generations from childhood what good ‘quality music’ was. He gave a clear conscience to know the bad from the good. Master Dinanath is the sparkling voice of Hindustani music. She is the daughter of this bright and radiant Dinanath! Wonder if it doesn’t land in Tej and Oz didi!
As Acharya Atre said, ‘Saffron dissolves in butter’ Didi’s voice! Didi was the one who taught us fans Hindi and Urdu pronunciation. Didi’s voice ruled for many years under one umbrella, regardless of religion, language, caste, caste, country, continent or subcontinent.
This love of fans will remain like this. Sometimes on a faraway journey, alone in the journey, when Didi’s song falls on someone’s ear, how much support it feels and loneliness runs away. where and how to speak, where and how to pronounce, how to express feelings fluently and fluently, where to stop, where to breathe, where to object, where not to object and where not to take, also sung in a song. There is a voice appropriate for each character in the film… A no two… The ‘object’ of accuracy of such immeasurable things is the real Didi! He is the best of Saraswati! Such a confluence of speech, heart and intellect that cannot be learned even in a university!
Even if you study their ghostly vocals every day! Didi is great as a talented musician (Anandaghan) too! His specialty as a musician is the composition which gives a picture and proper justice to the words, which is easy and beautiful! eg. Lord of Ernie to you…, this is your last tribute to you…!
This sister came to me in my dream one morning. He and I were sitting in his dargah. Mr. I could clearly see the pictures of Mangesh, Master Dinanath, all the deities even in my dreams. Tanpura was going on. Didi Dnyaneshwari was singing. His golden, silky and smooth, clear voice thrilled me. The divine sound of Didi chirping in romance was like incense sticks in the temple and listening to this I dreamed of a poem in English…..
Divine Spirit…..
Divine Spirit, I heard in my dream,
Divine voice, out of this world,
The divine spirit still resides in my mind,
I’ve never heard such a ‘ghostly’;
We were both worshiping God in the dream,
My Goddess, whom I worship, is the cream of the Supreme;
Our soul ‘Lata’ is the ‘Queen’ of Nightingale,
There is no limit to measuring his qualities with scales;
My eyes were dripping as I listened to his music.
I bathed with rose petals,
The experience was thrilling
I requested him to bless me with his soul,
I am sure, one day, I will achieve my ‘Laksh’…
I wrote this poem with great joy awakened from the dream. The dream didn’t want to end. I was in that overwhelmed state trying to interpret the dream. As if in a dream the ‘feel’ of that ‘happy wave’ becomes a reality! ‘Dreams do come true’… that’s the truth!
Soon… within a few days i.e. 26 January 2001 simultaneously it was announced that Didi was honored with the highest civilian honor ‘Bharat Ratna’ and I with ‘Padma Shri’ by the Government of India, and a beautiful greeting to me Got the letter from Didi. I was very fortunate that Didi received the Bharat Ratna from the President at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.
When my name was called, I came forward and bowed down to Ganasaraswati. At that time he lovingly wrapped his arms around my back and blessed me with “best wishes to all of you” and then I accepted the ‘Padma Shri’ from the hands of the President. Meaning of ‘that’ dream that seemed mysterious to me a few days ago……(One day, I will achieve my ‘goal’…) Revealed while experiencing the moment of highest honor in the life of the President was happening. Building. All these moments are precious to me.
In 1984, when I was in the US on my first overseas tour for my independent shows, Didi’s tour coincidentally was also going on in the US. He was surrounded by reporters at the New York airport at the time and asked, “Do you have any other voice rankings with you?” At that point, Didi said, “Yes, I see a spark, a young girl Padmaja Fenney. She is extremely talented with an excellent voice and she is my hope…”
Of course it was a great honor for me. … just like ‘Padma Shri’!
Once during a tour of America, I went to Los Angeles to listen to Didi’s show. Took chocolate for fun. Giving the gift Didi’s cold hand felt the touch… just like snow! I thought, why should she be stressed when Didi is at the peak of this music? But then I realized immediately….she might be worried about being ‘Lata Mangeshkar’! This is a very rare example of consistently maintaining the same high quality for decades!
At that time my Guruji, ‘Padmashree’ Pandit Hridaynathji lived with her in every round of Didi, that too in the control room! It is also very important for an artist to have the support of such scholars at home. Balasaheb’s presence in Didi’s life is unique.
With the encouragement of my mentor, Venerable Balasaheb, at the insistence of the musicians, I started the program ‘Tere Sur Aur Mere Geet’ as a tribute to Didi on her seventy-fifth birthday. These songs sung by Didi are so amazing, apart from her, no one else would have thought that Sangchu Bai, that’s why I was refusing this program for almost 2 years. But “Actually, Didi has praised you, so you must give her a human salute through your songs.” Due to the loving insistence of these players, I finally decided to sing all the songs in my own style without changing the original aesthetic.
I chose Didi’s songs that I was accustomed to as a child, as well as songs that weren’t usually sung in an orchestral setting. eg. ‘Jaane kaise sapne mein, na jiya lage na, aji ruthkar,…. Balasaheb loves to sing ‘Kahin Yeh Woh To Nahi’, so he always takes it from me and says, ‘Woh’ means real God . I’ll see
Why was it named ‘Tere Sur Aur Mere Geet’ at the beginning of the program by taking Didi’s blessings? Sister asked. At that moment I took his little pink, tender hand and said, “As expressed in your own song….” Ko horrified …. sad with melodious melodies.”
Hearing the song ‘Prabhu Tero Naam’ by Didi, tears come to my ears, God in my heart, God in my heart and only in my eyes. These divine hymns have the power to take you to the Lord in an instant, so it seems……” ‘Is it He (God) somewhere?’…….
An exclusive blog written by singer and composer Padmaja Fenani Joglekar
