When Bade Ghulam Ali Khan said Lata Mangeshkar was God’s gift
India Today
It was in 1952 that Lata Mangeshkar performed live alongside Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Lata Mangeshkar sang a classical composition, Baandh Preeti Phool Dor, from the 1951 film Malti Madhav. Her singing left the audience clapping in frenzy.
Bharat Ratna singer Lata Mangeshkar idolised Bade Ghulam Ali Khan as a singer. Even after having established herself as a singer par excellence, Lata Mangeshkar went public with her longing to learn the finest nuances of vocalism from Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. As luck would have it, Lata Mangeshkar earned perhaps the best-ever critical acclaim from Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who was born in Pakistan and stayed there during the Partition in 1947 but shifted to India 10 years later.
It was in 1952 when Lata Mangeshkar performed live alongside Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. It was a musical concert organised in Kolkata, then called Calcutta, where she stayed at legendary singer Hemant Kumar's home.
On the musical night, Lata Mangeshkar was scheduled to sing just before Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. In the tradition of music, such two performances are seen as competition to decide who is better.
Lata Mangeshkar was aghast at the scheduling. She refused to sing just before Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. How could she be seen as throwing a gauntlet to her idol, she told the organisers. But organisers were insistent.
She spoke to Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who advised Lata Mangeshkar to "do what they are saying and don’t worry about these little things".
Lata Mangeshkar sang a classical composition, Baandh Preeti Phool Dor, from the 1951 film Malti Madhav. Her singing left the audience clapping in frenzy.
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sang a khayal and then sent one of the musicians to call Lata Mangeshkar on to stage, and made her sit behind him. Sharing the stage with him was an "uncomfortable experience" for Lata Mangeshkar, akin to committing blasphemy in music.
