Drawing inspiration from Lata didi
An evening of Lata Mangeshkar songs inspires weary corporate warriors
A typical after-work party was underway at Kaveri’s house. Kaveri, Anish, Sujoy, Asmita and Nirav had joined together as freshers in a technology startup. As the startup blitz scaled, they grew rapidly through the ranks over the last 15 years and now occupied plum postings. Their camaraderie had remained untainted through those periods of intense growth.
Like most weekends, the five colleagues gathered to chat over snacks and beverages at the lush green terrace on the 18th floor of a posh high rise. The lights were dim, a cool breeze flowed through the terrace as old Lata Mangeshkar songs played on the Bluetooth stereo. It was a year since the ‘Queen of Melody’, often called Lata didi, left for her heavenly abode.
After few songs, the conversation veered towards the current situation where job layoffs were looming over the horizon. Some of them had been given targets while others were asked to reorganize their structures. Either way, all five were handling stressed employees at work. On top of that, they were weary of the sustainability of their own roles. There was a tinge of helplessness in the air.
Kavita sensed the dip in the mood and interjected to switch topics.
“Let’s talk about something else guys. I know all of you adore Lata Mangeshkar songs. Shall we pick and play our favorite songs?”
Others were caught off guard hearing this topic but agreed to Kavita’s request.
Asmita took the first shot and picked ‘Aaj fir jeene ki tamanna hain’ from the movie Guide (1965). As the song played, she reminisced about how this song often lifted her spirits when she was in college and then in the early days of her career.
“Even today, when I hear this song, I can sense the feeling of joy of making choices and overcoming obstacles in life. Lataji’s voice conveys that feeling so effortlessly… ”
Kavita hugged Asmita. Being the first few females to join a startup from their batch, only they knew their struggles. Kavita then prodded Nirav to pick his favorite song.
“My favorite playlist is 1942 - A love story (1994). While I love every song in that movie, the one close to my heart are the two renditions - happy and sad of ‘Kuch na kaho’. Can we play them please?”
Nirav continued as the soulful melody chugged along.
“I love the first more as it reminds me of the idea of falling in love, but as experiences have molded me, the sad version resonates more with me these days. It is soulful like a ghazal, but the musical arrangement makes it lighter. Coupled with Lata didi’s voice, the song touches a chord every time…”
Anish stepped in -
“Beautiful choices Nirav! Lataji’s work has spanned almost 70 years and her voice has graced every genre across the spectrum. How her voice brings out the resignation in Manisha’s character from Kuch Na Kaho which is 1994 which is almost 30 years later than the zeal she conveyed in Waheeda Rehman’s song ‘Aaj fir jeene ki tamanna hain’ is beyond me.
Sujoy added to Anish’ wonder -
“Totally with you Anish. My favorite is ‘tujhe dekha toh ye jaana sanam’. Didi had been singing for more than 50 years by the time of DDLJ(Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge - 1995), but we still believed her as the naive voice of Simran prancing around in the valleys of Switzerland. My wife and I met when this movie was running and this song retains a special place in our hearts.”
The group paused for a moment to let that sink in. They were weary corporate warriors with just about 15 years of experience and here was a lady singing passionately for almost 5 times their experience. How did she do it?
Kavita broke the pause again -
“Coming from an army background, the song I heard the most is ‘Ae mere watan ke logo’. It brings me goosebumps to this day. What is amazing for me to see is how even today’s generation feel the same when the situation is different, yet they have barely felt the vagaries of war.”
She continued -
“.. the song that sears through my heart though is ‘Luka Chupi’ from Rang De Basanti (2006). It reminds me of the pain we saw during my father’s posting in Kashmir in the early 90s. Lataji’s voice resonates with the anguish of a mother looking for her son playing hide and seek…”
She could not speak more. Her eyes welled with tears. Asmita held her hand to soothe her.
After couple of hours, the gathering ended. As Nirav was driving back, the traffic was thin, the moon was shining a cool light and there was a nip in the air. Nirav put on a playlist of Lata didi and recollected the conversations earlier. He wondered how the iconic singer remained a force-to-reckon-with for such a long time. Was there something he could take away that could help him in these uncertain times?
This too is Lata didi’s voice? Adaptability
Lata Mangeshkar has recorded thousands of songs across many languages over her seven-decade career. How did she do it?
She had honed her ability to observe the nuances of the actress she sang for, meld it into the character and context the song was written for. As the cinema genres evolved, she too swiftly evolved alongside these genres.
She became one with the character so much so that even the younger generation, who has not watched the movie or the actress, feels drawn into the emotion just by her voice.
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change – Charles Darwin
For the VUCA economy, change is the only constant and to survive this change, changing oneself continuously is the only way. As one set of opportunities wither away, another set emerges. It needs flexibility of the mind to see and flourish under these opportunities.
This is Lata didi’s voice, but this is not her! Steadfastness
While she sang for the character on the screen, Lata did not lose herself to become that character. Lata - the singer evolved but Lata - the character always retained its simplicity.
Also, she sang many genres, but she did not sing all the genres. As bad elements plagued the film and music industry, she retreated to her principles and stuck steadfastly to them. She did have her fair share of challenges and controversies which dimmed her light, but never eclipsed her glow. Her flame flickered but never disappeared.
“It’s only by saying NO that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.” – Steve Jobs
Knowing who you are could be a lifelong puzzle, but knowing who you are not becomes apparent soon enough. The discomfort of doing something or being someone, which one is not, is the sharpest pain at work. It is the biggest killer of creativity, energy and efforts. Be strong on what you do not want and be flexible to experiment with what could work.
Lata didi is beyond all this… Humility
Lata didi never let the adulation get to her head. Simplicity in dresses coupled with purity in speech and mannerisms is how everyone would picture her. The word ‘didi’ stands for elder sister and this was what everyone, irrespective of age, referred her lovingly. After a certain stage in her career, she had amassed heaps of awards and she publicly declined to be nominated anymore for her songs. She wanted to promote the newer generations and encouraged the industry to pick them over her. Perhaps, it was this humility that enshrined her in everyone’s minds.
The taller the bamboo grows, the more it bends
In the workplace, it is easy to get swayed and swept by the rising tide of growth and recognition. But, it does not take much time for the tide to reverse. What was elevated yesterday suddenly gets cast by the wayside.
Being humble and grateful is the best way to avoid hubris. While adaptability enables growth, steadfastness helps apply brakes to runaway growth, but it is humility that keeps the growth going in the right direction. In a contradictory way, humility opens our eyes to the changing world and therefore highlights the need to adapt, before it is too late.
Nirav felt a different sense of peace descending on him as he realized how he had felt inspired by Lata didi – the human more than Lata didi the singer.