After Lata Mangeshkar's sad demise, very many anecdotes are surfacing, like a sheer, re-emergent history, that tell 'her-story'. Let me discuss a few of these here, of course, with the implied moral.
The first one is the smart repartee by Sunil Gavaskar to Noorjahan. When he was introduced to her, she said that she knew only Imran Khan. So, in turn when she was introduced to him, he said, he knew only Latadi. The anecdote reveals both his smart presence of mind and her uniqueness that even a mallika-e-tarannum had to accept. That is what excellence in a field does. So never give in, discouraged by vicious criticism or conscious opposition. They cannot cloud the rising sun of your uniqueness, albeit it might reach the zenith a tad later.
The second one is by Waheeda Rahman. She talks of how Latadi personally helped her. Not only did Latadi share the bathroom allotted to her, but when water ran out while Waheedaji was showering, Latadi personally carried two buckets of water for Waheedaji. It shows how grounded she was, how success never went to her head, and how she helped in simple but meaningful ways.
The third one I found absolutely unique was about her run-in with Raj Kapoor over the royalty issue. When she rightfully demanded her royalty as a singer, a very brave mo(ve)ment those days, he apparently said, "This is unheard of. We do not give any such royalty. We are here for business."
Apparently, her answer was," nor am I here as if I am here for a stroll in a park". Her answer shows not only her self confidence but more importantly her self respect and integrity, a refusal to compromise with principles, with readiness to face the consequences. When stalwart men were ready to lick Raj Kapoor's feet, both her grit and her professionalism stand out (apparently she chose not to work with him, till he rendered an apology) thus making her the phenomenon, the legend that she was.
Pratima@to thy own self, be true!
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