Miracle Mangeshkar, At 80 The Nightingale Records Hanuman Chalisa In Less Than 4 Hours

By Subhash K Jha, This could qualify as a full-blown miracle.

On Tuesday a melody miracle happened when Lata Mangeshkar who will be 80 this year walked into young composer Mayuresh Pai’s studio and recorded the entire Hanuman Chalisa in four hours flat. An endeavor that has taken other far younger singers days, if not weeks to complete.

And that too after undergoing major knee surgery just two months ago.

The nightingale’s niece and a singer in her own right Rachna Shah says, “She had gone only to rehearse and not record the Hanuman Chalisa. But we don’t know what happened. Within half an hour she was doing the final take and she finished singing the entire Hanuman Chalisa in just a few hours. Where did the energy come from? We don’t know. But when it comes to Lata Didi miracles are only to be expected.

” When asked about the miracle recording the Nightingale laughs off the compliments. “I don’t know how it happened. The Hanuman Chalisa has been done so many times. We’ve done it in a different softer way. I always enjoy devotional singing much more than any other form of singing. And I’m so glad I returned to recording after my surgery with the Hanuman Chalisa.”

--SAMPURN