The Diva as Devi

I don`t know how one could call her `failed`; as a playback singer there`s nothing left to say about her success, and there`s no reason to suppose she ever aspired to be anything more than that - a mother India or a social reformer... whatever.

As for promoting other singers, she didn`t even promote her own sisters, so why should she do it for others, who in terms of talent were nothing compared to her...

And regressive lyrics, you`re talking of movies (and songs) made a long time ago, and no one used that word in those days... the screen was stiff with self sacrificing heroines and weeping doormats... remember that scene from Patita where Dev Anand tells (not asks!) the heroine (Usha?) that he has `decided` to marry her and she immediately falls at his feet saying `aapke charanon mein jagah chahiye` ... both amusing and disgusting to watch nowadays but presumably did not raise any hackles back then...

and btw, what about Sadhana... what a combination that was... of Lata and Sadhana and Madanmohan... Woh Kaun Thi, Mera Saaya... `Lag Jaa Gale` ... `Nainon Mein Badra Chaaye` to mention only two... delicious.

re: t

{exquisitely woven}

...how corny can you get?...like a high school freshman exerting too hard to sound eloquent....

bund ba`her say m’ri zaat ka da’r hay mujh maiN
maiN nahiN khood maiN, yeh ik aam khabar hay mujh maiN

ik a’jub aamad o shood hay kay naa maazi hay naa haal hay
Jon, barpa kai nas’louN ka safar hay mujh main

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Jon Elia (1920? -2003)

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ferzi:

…a exquisitely woven tribute to the all time diva of popular Hindustani music in truly ferzana fashion …

…we grew up listening to the mellifluousness of lata, rafi and asha...not questioning them…

...being an activist or nurturning social conscience was not the norm then…nor is it perhaps now…despite shabana azmi, sunil dutt, imran khan, abrar ul haque…

...jaisa kay aap nay ar’z kiya hay zindagi kay her mOR per humaiN lataji ka koi na koi gana apnay husbay haal mil jata hay…aur youN woh humari khooshi aur fasurdgi ki humshareek hojati haiN…

...if I were a `dj` I would play her didi Noor JehaN’s haunting rendering of “tum joog joog jiyo hazaaroN saal…” for her 75th birthday today...

bbspnd,

t

Farzana

Isn`t it true--and quite ironic--that all those songs you attribute ``as the voice of women`` were written by males? Isn`t it hypocrisy to give credit to a person for moving her lips to sound emotions expressed by someone else?

PS: For the record, I do think that Lata has a most wonderful voice.

Farzana

Do I detect a tinge of jealousy in your crticism, although I do not know why. Were you ever a budding singer?

You critcise her by the wording of the songs she sang. Why? Would you take Amzad Khan`s role in `Sholey` and critcise him for the role he played.

Yes, Lata ruled the film industry for decades and not many female singers were able to compete, but that is the way things happen. None of the names you mentioned come to any where close to her talent.

She is not a social reformer or a leader. She is a playback singer and she is peerless in that.

Dear Farzana:
This is a masterpiece: irreverent, provocative, iconoclastic!
Behind the honeyed voice and a cultivated personnae of humility, modesty, grace and elegance lies a ruthless personality which paid put to many a budding career.
But Lata is only a voice, howsoever sweet and melodious - she gave voice to the lips of beautiful heroines singing songs written by talented lyricists and put to music by gifted musicians. When this didn`t happen, she failed. An example was a tributary album brought out with great fanfare during Ghalib`s centenary in 1967. Ghalib`s ghazals, set to music by her brother Hridaynath, sounded more like bhajans than ghazals and fell totally flat.

You are right about Lata not being the best at Qawaalis, Asha is better (Jee chaahata hai choom loon apni nazar ko main/Nigahen milaane ko jee chaahata hai!) as was Noor Jehan (Aahen naan bahrin shikawe naa kiye!). But in films it is the hero/heroine who has to win. Thus, Mohammad Rafi won over Manna Day (Naa to kaarvaan ki talaash hai) and even Aamir Khan (O` duniya ke rakhwaale:Baiju Baawra).

You made a small error wrt Lata`s shradhanjali, it was not restricted to male singers and have included Zora Bai Ambalvi and Geeta Dutt (my all time favourite!).

But I do not agree with your basic premise that an artist owes it to the society to do more than give his/her best to the art. If they can, sone pay suhaaga, but not everyone can do it. Some can and did, like Sunil Dutt and Shabana Aazmi; others tried and failed, like Amitabh Bachan. And how do we know that Lata even believes in the empowerment of women?

`Diva as Devi` by Farzana Versey in Chowk of 28 September,2003made me puzzled.I could not figure out whose side Farzana is on?Some time she praises Lata and some time she criticizes her.Beyond doubt there has never been nor will there be any singer like Lata again.
I am,like millions,one of her ardent fan and to a certain point,I tend to agree with farzana that Lata did,perhaps,discourage other singers like Suman Kalyanpur,Sulakshana,Vani etc to get further in their careers.I have met Lata and found her very modest.I interviewed Sulakshana Pandit who was naturally disappointed at not achieving what she deserved yet she was not critical of Lata.I could, however,sense that she was carefully avoiding a direct reference to Lata.

I said to Lata that I only admire three people in the Indian Film Industry-yourself,Naushad and Dilip Kumar.Of -course I have great regard to top class indian actresses like Meena Kumari,Nutan,Nargis etc but I regard Lata as my most favourite artiste.