Book that honours Lata Mangeshkar

The Jaipur LitFest, among the most popular literary events worldwide, was kicked off on January 19. Among the many celebrities participating this year and the works being featured are two that interest me most. One, naturally, is our Geetanjali Shree. Her ‘Tomb of Sand’ (translated by Daisy Rockwell) won the International Booker Prize 2022, placing Indian writing up there. The other is a book that I have translated from Hindi into English. Yatindra Mishra’s biography of Lata Mangeshkar is titled ‘Sur Gatha’ in Hindi and ‘A Life in Music’ in English.

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The Hindi title was awarded the National Award for the best book on Indian cinema for 2016, if memory serves me right, but since many readers do not read Hindi, Yatindra asked me to translate it into English. Flattered by the offer, and also because I admire his knowledge of Indian music (both classical and film music), I agreed. Penguin Random House, who commissioned the book, then asked me to do it in three months! This was a mammoth task but I did manage to submit the first draft in time and Yatindra and I sat down to work out some problems. I found to my delight that he had no disagreements over the basic style and content of my translation when I explained to him how the readers who will hear his voice in English may find it difficult to accept a word-for-word translation, and how certain bits may sound clunky and over-sweet if done so. He had already captured the sweetness of Lataji’s voice and personality in the telling of his saga; any additional flourishes would only damage the purity of his devotion and research. He was more than generous in seeing my point and, barring some requests to include a few episodes he considered vital to his narrative, left it to me to make any editorial and language decisions I felt were needed.

The next problem was that the original Hindi version of this book was published when Lataji was still alive and so written in the present tense. To change the tenses from present to past throughout the translation was not an option to be even considered, for even a

single oversight could derail it. Again, since both Yatindra and I had dealt at length with the copy I had given him more than three years ago, I had almost forgotten why I had taken certain liberties with editing out those bits that seemed repetitive in Yatindra’s two-part script. Finally, the English language itself gave me some questions to ponder over as it is bereft of those registers that make Hindi (and most Indian languages) musical in a way that is really difficult to capture in the clipped and clinical vocabulary of English.

We both agreed to speak of Lataji in the present tense: for one, that was the mode in the original book. Moreover, speaking of her as someone who is dead and gone killed something vital in conveying her extraordinary hold over the millions of her admirers who consider her a Gandharva-kanya (someone who is divine and so indestructible). I think we all agree that as long as her voice is heard by her countless admirers, she will be among us. ‘Meri aawaz hi pehchan hai…’ (My voice is my identity) is a song that was played on a loop at her funeral, if you remember. I think she invested something so important in that line that she will continue to stay among us as a living legend for a very long time.

For personal reasons, I will not be able to attend the launch of this version of Mishra’s book but I do hope that some of you, especially those readers who are of my generation, will find it interesting. Lata Mangeshkar’s life is extraordinary in so many ways for she represents what is most admirable in our culture: rigorous training, devotion to her art (sadhana) and a humility that is truly the hallmark of great artistes. Few singers sang for as long as she did, and in so many languages. Not just that, her respect for her gift and her simplicity in her personal life are rare to find in someone who was worshipped by young and old alike, sophisticated socialites and humble villagers. I recall Khushwant Singh saying that since her songs were played at all the paan shops and on transistors by vendors along his route to office in Bombay, it was like a baton passed from one end to another. You will find several anecdotes that will amuse you, others that move you to tears and those that have a personal history for you or your family. How many can claim to have touched every Indian’s heart in one song or another?

As a translator, I am delighted that our publishers have awoken to the vast literary treasure that lies, almost forgotten, in our Indian languages. Some outstanding writers and poets are waiting for good translations to make them available to a wider readership. Mind you, there are also some horrendous translators who have ruined the field for others and probably put off readers from picking up a translated work. As a translator, I can tell you that entering a writer’s mind and language to venture into those crevices and folds that hold a drop of nectar is really a challenge. Lata Mangeshkar’s voice reminds us that music is the noblest art of all.