A letter for Lata from Pakistan

Sumit Paul

Since I’m quite au fait with Pakistan and have a legion of friends there, a few days ago, I got a hand-written letter from an elderly Pakistani friend, requesting me to hand over a letter to Lata Mangeshkar, who’s currently admitted to a hospital in Mumbai. I handed over the letter to the person concerned at Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune and assured the gentleman that it would eventually reach her. He wrote to me in Urdu, ‘Main barson se Lata ji ki aawaaz ka paristaar hoon aur Pakistan ke log un ki salamati ki dua kar rahe hain’ (I’ve been an admirer of Lata ji’s singing for many years and the people of Pakistan are praying for her speedy recovery).

This moved me. Music indeed has no religion and is not limited by geographical barriers and boundaries. Despite the ostensible bitterness and bad blood (mostly concocted by the overzealous and partisan media and politicians) between India and Pakistan, the masses have no such prejudices. Mehdi Hasan and Ghulam Ali have far greater fan following in India than in Pakistan, the country both maestros hailed from. I remember a Pakistani lady telling me in chaste Urdu, ‘Baade-taqseem Noorjahan ne Pakistan ka intikhaab kar ke daanishmandi dikhai, vagarna ve agar Hindustan mein rah jaateen, toh Lata ke saamne feeki pad jaateen’ (singer Noorjahan showed prudence by opting for Pakistan following the Partition; had she stayed back in India, Lata would have eclipsed her).

Whether or not the legendary Lata would have eclipsed the great Noorjahan is inconsequential, the point is, artistes of both countries are equally adored in India and Pakistan. Once I met a retired Air Commodore from the Pakistan air force in England. He admired Manna Dey and didn’t consider any other singer, not even Rafi, worthy of holding a candle to Dey. Till he breathed his last, every day he’d listen to Dey’s ‘Hasne ki chaah ne itna mujhe rulaya hai’ from Aavishkaar (1974).

Not just in the realm of music and performing arts, even in sports, players of India and Pakistan showed respect and admiration for each other. Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja once said Imran Khan would continuously urge him on the field to observe how Sunil Gavaskar batted and left the deliveries outside his off-stump!

Until 70-odd years ago, we were one nation. Politics can create fissures but it cannot create friction among people in the two countries. If Pakistanis go gaga over Lata’s ‘Aayega aane wala’, Indians still go bananas over Noorjahan and Surendra’s ‘Aawaaz de kahan hai’. The differences are geopolitical constructs. We, the masses of both countries, have no truck with these shenanigans and shibboleths. Remember the words of Jigar Muradabadi, ‘Unka jo farz hai vo ahle-siyasat jaanein/mera paighaam muhabbat hai, jahan tak pahunche.’

Yes, spread the message of love as far as it can go.