“LOSE YOURSELF AND PERFORM”

Lata Mangeshkar has performed to packed auditoriums around the world. In On Stage with Lata, authors Mohan Deora and Mangeskhar’s niece Rachana Shah revisit her international tours. Here, Mangeshkar, 87, talks about her favourite concerts and her fondness for green chillies.

Have you ever been nervous before performing?

My first international performance, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, in March 1974. I used to begin each show with a shlok from the Bhagavad Gita—I was a bit scared initially wondering if the audience would like it. I relaxed after two minutes when the audience instantly responded.

Which songs did you enjoy performing the most?

Madhumati’s Aaja Re Pardesi, Kahin Deep Jale and Ayega Aane Wala, to name a few.

We were surpised to learn you like frozen cola drinks. Any other surprises?

I really like green chillies. I once ate 11 chillies at one go. I also eat a lot of pickle; my food is incomplete without it. But with age I have cut down on both.

From this generation, who would you say performs well on stage?

I have seen very few. Sonu Nigam performed at my father’s barsi concert, but he has a different way of performing. He sang a line and then would ask the audience to sing the other. I believe if you lose yourself to the song entirely and perform, the effect is something else altogether.

The most memorable concert you have attended?

There are so many, especially those of my father. The shows of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan saheb; concerts of Pt Ravi Shankar also stand out. Then there was Ustad Amir Khan, whose singing was divine. Pt Jasraj and Pt Bhimsen Joshi also come to mind.