Writer Yatindra Mishra on 7 year long conversation with Lata Mangeshkar

In the world of Indian music, Lata Mangeshkar is so big a star that it comes as a shock to realise that we actually know little about the nightingale of India. For instance, how many know the name of her father? Or which was the first raga she learnt? Yatindra Mishra's book, Lata: Sur-gatha (Vani Prakashan), the winner of the 2016 Swarna Kamal at the National Film Awards, answers all these questions and more. Excerpts:

You spoke to Lataji for four long years, from 2010 to 2014, for this book. But how did the idea of doing such a book arise?

I spent seven years in a long association with the legendary Lataji and spoke with her not only about her long musical journey, but also about the changing scenario of playback singing in the Hindi film industry. Like teeming billions across the globe, I am an ardent admirer of Lata Mangeshkar's singing. I wanted to write a long, researched account on her life.
Earlier, I had penned a book on thumri singer Girija Devi and an account on Bharatnatyam and Odissi dance exponent Sonal Mansingh. Ever since, I wished to review music in cinema in a literary and serious manner. I am fortunate to have Lataji as my project.

She's said to be a very private person - what was her reaction when you went to her with the proposal?

She was very generous and positive about the book proposal. She has known our family for a long time and has seen me grow as a writer from Girija to Hamsafar. She read my two compilations on Gulzar and Sur ki Baradari on Ustad Bismillah Khan, and felt that it would be nice to see me write the book. As it was a musical journey, she was not apprehensive about speaking of her private life.

You asked her everything, including what hair oil she uses when she has a headache, but there was very little about her love life. Did she decline to answer the question?

I was trying to explore her image as an artist. So whatever mundane details crept in were in the course of the conversation, and they were made a part of the book to add a humane touch and also for comic relief. And we are continually talking about the greatest love of her life, to which she has dedicated her life—music.

Despite how big she is, and how important to the history of Indian music, very few have looked at her critically. Why do you think this is so? Does your book try to fill this gap?

The gap exists because people, writers and readers alike, try to undermine an artist for her human shortcomings instead of glorifying her artistic achievements. I am fortunate that my publisher, Arun Maheshwari, never pushed me to talk about Lataji's private life to make this book for sensational reasons.