Tracing back Lata Mangeshkar's inextricable bond and possible cross-border friendship with Noor Jehan

Lata Mangeshkar left behind a complicated legacy. On the one hand, she is worshipped as the goddess of music. On the other hand, she is reviled as a woman who engaged in cutthroat competition, and sabotaged the careers of other singers. How do we respond to these extreme views? Is one false, and the other true? Do we have to cherry-pick? One approach is to say: what we see is what we get. We weave our own patchwork quilts of  perception based on what we read, hear, imagine, and choose to believe. We filter out quite  conveniently those pieces that stick out as inconvenient or implausible. Is this a disservice to the person who has died, or to our own intellect? We need to answer this for ourselves. Critics of the “nightingale of India” often compare her to Noor Jehan, and say that Lata Mangeshkar lucked out because Noor Jehan – the reigning diva – migrated to Pakistan at the time of Partition. Is this mischievous propaganda or a well-informed assessment of their music?  

There is no objective way of knowing what could have happened because that possibility lies only in the realm of conjecture. It is a bit like dreaming about a joint India-Pakistan cricket team.

Is it necessary to assume that talented and successful women are likely to get into a catfight? Can they not feel secure in their own space, have a healthy respect for each other? Is it not possible that they wish to think of each other as colleagues rather than arch rivals? In the book A Journey down Melody Lane  [2010], journalist Raju Bharatan writes, “Malka-e-Tarannum Noorjehan’s own mentor, Master Ghulam Haider, had singled out Lata Mangeshkar, by mid-1947, as the voice destined to rule India by the sheer power of her vocal magnetism. Earlier, ruling Hindustani songdom, as Lata cut through, was another Ghulam Haider find – Shamshad Begum.” Haider composed music for Indian and Pakistani films.     Lata Mangeshkar recounts her first meeting with Noor Jehan in an interview with Dawn News, which is archived on Inaam Nadeem’s YouTube channel. Lata Mangeshkar was 14 or 15 years old when they met in 1944. She says, “I used to work with a film company called Praful Pictures in Kolhapur. They were making a film called Badi Maa, in which Noor Hehan was acting. She was called to Kolhapur, and two songs were shot there. Her son Akbar and her husband also joined her.” Arrangements for Noor Jehan’s accommodation were made at the studio itself. Lata Mangeshkar used to be there every day, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. One day, the producer introduced her to Noor Jehan, and said that Lata Mangeshkar sang well. Noor Jehan, who was only three years older than Lata Mangeshkar, said, “Sunaao beta” [Sing, child]. Lata Mangeshkar sang a Hindustani classical song. Noor Jehan listened carefully, and said, “Achhha, koi film ka sunaao.” [Now sing something from a film.] Lata Mangeshkar did as she was instructed. Noor Jehan liked her singing, and said, “Tum bahut achchha gati ho beta par koshish karo ki tum classical seekho aur riyaaz karo. Riyaaz karna bahut zaroori hai.” [You sing very well, my child, but try to learn classical music and practise. Practice is essential.] This incident had a lasting impression on Lata Mangeshkar’s mind and career.   The song ‘Tod Diya Dil Mera’ from Mehboob Khan’s film Andaz  [1949] is often cited as evidence of this influence. In an article titled The singer, the star and the chorus  [2009] written for Seminar, a cinema studies scholar Shikha Jhingan writes, “Lata sings at a much lower pitch in ‘Tod Diya Dil Mera,’ which made critics comment that she was greatly influenced by Noor Jehan in the early part of her career till she developed her own style. She started singing at a much higher pitch in later films with composers like Shankar-Jaikishan and Lakshmikant-Pyarelal.” Lata Mangeshkar has a slightly different explanation to offer. In the interview for Dawn News mentioned earlier, she recalls that Naushad – the music director who worked on that song with her – said, “Zara aap apni saheli ko yaad karke gaaiye.” [Try to think of your friend as you sing.] At first, Lata Mangeshkar was not sure what he meant but she eventually realised that Naushad wanted her to sing like Noor Jehan. Lata Mangeshkar admits humbly that she is not sure if she did a good job with it.