MUMBAI: Lata Mangeshkar has achieved almost every feat in her very successful career, including a Bharat Ratna award. And now, the songstress’ one unfulfilled dream of singing a Sufi song has been fulfilled by her nephew Baijnath.
Reports say that he offered the 84 year old the opportunity to sing a Sufi song on his latest album ‘Ya Rabba’, which will be released by HMV. Mangeskar has sung two Sufi songs on the album- ‘Rabba mera haal da mehram tu’ and ‘Ranjha rawaal mange’. The lyrics of the song have been penned by legendary Sufi poet Hazrat Shah Hussain.
Speaking to a website about her passion for Sufi music Mangeshkar said, “I have had the pleasure of singing ‘Meera bhajans, shloks from the Bhagwad Gita, Kabir’s dohas and Surdas’s poetry but alas I never got the opportunity to sing a chaste Sufi song. Hence when my younger sister Meena informed me that Baiju has composed two Sufi songs but is hesitant to approach me, I called him and cajoled him to do the album.”
Baijnath, son of Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, reacting to Lata Mangeshkar singing to his composition said, “I had been secretly dreaming to rope in my aunty Lata Mangeshkar to sing but did not had the courage to approach her so I told Meena aunty. I am obliged that Lata aunty agreed and honoured me.”