'Lata Mangeshkar learnt Urdu from a maulana on Dilip Kumar's advice': Autobiography

The legendary singer, Lata Mangeshkar, who breathed her last on Sunday, had once been advised by late actor Dilip Kumar to work on her Urdu accent, news agency PTI reported citing Kumar's autobiography. According to the autobiography, the actor had asked, "How did a Marathi speaking singer not conversant with Urdu perfect her diction in the language? Recalling her old days, Mangeshkar narrated that the question was asked by Kumar when they met for the first time in 1947. According to Mangeshkar, it was then that the actor suggested to the singer to learn all the nuances of the Urdu language from a maulana (Muslim scholar). As per Kumar's autobiography "The Substance and the Shadow", Kumar gave her a gift unknowingly and unhesitatingly" in their first meeting itself. Mangeshkar revealed that she was introduced to the legendary actor by noted composer Anil Biswas on a local train.

Recounting the meeting sometime in 1947, Mangeshkar wrote that Biswas introduced her to Kumar saying, "Lata hai, bahut achcha gaati hai. (This is Lata, she sings very well.)" "The remark that Yousuf Bhai (Dilip Kumar) made when he found out that I am a Maharashtrian is something that I cherish because it made me seek the perfection I then lacked in my Hindi and Urdu diction. He said very truthfully that singers who were not conversant with the Urdu language invariably tripped in the pronunciation of words derived from the language and that jarred and spoiled the listening pleasure for those who enjoyed the lyric as much as the melody," Mangeshkar said, as per the autobiography. "Then, I thought over the remark and I realised he was right and he had said it with the intention of improving my diction if it needed the improvement." 

Dilip Kumar was like an elder brother to me: Lata Mangeshkar

According to Mangeshkar, she was taught by a family friend who was an Urdu expert. "A learned maulana was arranged by Shafi Imam, our family friend who was like an elder brother to me. As I continued my Urdu lessons, I found myself being appreciated and admired more and more. We did not meet too often those days. However, whenever there was a recording of a song at Mehboob Studios and Yousuf Bhai was shooting there, I never missed the opportunity to call on him," Mangeshkar said.
"He was a superstar and I was rising on the horizon as a playback singer, but, when we met, he held me close to his heart like an elder brother and gave me the love and respect that only someone as pure as he could," she said. 

Lata Mangeshkar dies due to multiple organ failure

'Nightingale of India' Lata Mangeshkar was born on September 28, 1929, and was widely acclaimed as one of the greatest playback singers. She was also called the 'Queen of Melody' and 'Lata Didi'. The singer has recorded songs in over 36 Indian and foreign languages. On Sunday, she breathed her last at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. According to the statement released by the hospital authorities, the 'Queen of Melody' passed away after 28 days of hospitalisation while undergoing treatment against COVID-19. Mangeshkar tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalised on January 11. According to her doctor, Dr Pratit Samdani, the veteran died due to multi-organ failure. The government has announced two-day national mourning during which the National flag will fly at half-mast. The singer is survived by her siblings - Meena, Asha, Usha, and Hridaynath.

Image: Twitter/@mangeshkarlata