In this conversation with television producer-author Nasreen Munni Kabir, Lata Mangeshkar had opened up on her interests beyond music. Edited excerpts:
Nasreen Munni Kabir (NMK): I believe you enjoy cooking very much. Who taught you?
Lata Mangeshkar (LM): It was my maternal grandmother and mother who taught me how to cook. I started cooking when I was very young and often made lunch and dinner at home. In later years, Mrs Bhalji Pendharkar, whom we called Bakula Mausi, taught me how to cook some dishes. She was a dear and close family friend. I called her ‘Ma.’ I was very close to her and often stayed with her. She used to wash my hair and taught me how to make pulao and mutton. And many vegetarian dishes too. Mrs Majrooh Sultanpuri showed me how to make pasanda and chicken curry.
I cook quickly and the kitchen is always left neat and tidy after I have finished. The pleasure of cooking isn’t in cooking, but seeing people enjoy the meal and say they have liked what I made for them — that makes me happy. Earlier, when I used to spend time in London, I always used to cook there.
NMK: And what about your love for photography?
LM: That started in 1946. I was on an outdoor shoot and took a picture of someone who was standing by a river. I became intrigued by photography. I told Madhavrao Shinde, the film editor, about my interest and he taught me the basics: how to load film and the kind of camera I should buy.
The first stills camera I ever owned was a Rolleiflex. I bought it for 1200 rupees.
NMK: Did you enjoy photographing landscapes?
LM: I couldn’t really. Because every time I stepped out of the car to take a picture, someone or other would recognise me and start talking to me. Soon a crowd would gather and I could barely see the landscape beyond the wall of fans. So no more landscapes!
I took many pictures of my family, and when I travelled abroad as well. Few people outside India recognised or bothered me in the early days. Now there’s digital photography. It doesn’t interest me.
NMK: What kind of things do you enjoy doing in your free time?
LM: This may sound strange but when I used to visit America on holiday, I loved spending time in Las Vegas. It’s an exciting city. I really enjoyed playing the slot machines. [both laugh] I never played roulette or cards — but I used to spend the whole night at a slot machine. I was very lucky and won many times. Meena and Usha and sometimes my nieces and nephews would accompany me. I would drink Coca-Cola all through the night and play. The next morning, we would have breakfast: fried eggs and a glass of milk. This was our Las Vegas routine. These little escapes were enjoyable and relaxing.
NMK: You are a most unpredictable person! The image frequently projected of you is quite different from the real Lata Mangeshkar! You are so open to learning and have such a zest for life. There is also your great interest in cricket.
LM: The first Test match I saw was with my sister Meena at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay in 1945 or maybe 1946 — it was a match between Australia and India. We sat in the stands. The Indian captain was Vijay Merchant and the Australian captain, Lindsey Hassett.
My love for cricket dates back to the time when Baba had his theatre company in the ‘30s and early ‘40s. We had a cricket team and the actors and workers played together. Vijay Samuel Hazare, the famous cricketer, would come to see my father when we were touring with the theatre troupe. Hazare led India to win the first ever Test match in 1951-52 against England.
So we grew up with cricket. My mother loved it too. Hridaynath and Meena are great cricket experts. Whenever there was a five-day Test match, I would take a break from recording and the whole family would go together.
It was a picnic for us, a family day out. We’d take something to eat and thoroughly enjoy the game.
In those days, cricket fans were the quiet sort, not like now! Many royal families came to watch too. They sat in the pavilions, and the middle and lower middle classes sat in the stands.
This was the time when there was no television and we could only follow the match on the radio. There were many players I liked and have seen play, including Gary Sobers and Rohan Kanhai who were in the West Indies team; Richie Benaud, Ray Lindwall, Alan Davidson and Neil Harvey from Australia. And from India, Mushtaq Ali, Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Merchant, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. I was too young to see C.K. Nayudu play.
I even have a signed photograph of Don Bradman. He wrote: ‘To Lata!’ When I visited London, I went to Lord’s and the Oval. I once watched a Test Match between Pakistan and England at the Oval. But as time passed, I began watching cricket on television.
NMK: I am curious to know if you have friends among the cricketers?
LM: Vijay Hazare was a family friend. I have also been close to Vinoo Mankad, Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar.
NMK: It is rumoured you have a permanent gallery reserved for you at Lord’s ‘…where she enjoys watching her favourite game.’ Is it true?
LM: No! It’s not true. [laughs] I sit in the stands like any other cricket fan.
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This excerpt from Lata Mangeshkar… in Her Own Voice, Conversations with Nasreen Munni Kabir has been published with the permission of Niyogi Books.
