The Nightingale took a deep breath and recounted the true story of how her career started. “There are many versions and stories of who discovered me and who was instrumental in giving me my first big break. Let me tell you the true story. When I came to Mumbai I worked for Master Vinayak. My sister Meena and I stayed with Master Vinayak’s father while the rest of my family lived in my mother’s parents’ home. In 1946 I told Master Vinayak that I needed to live with my family. That’s when we all started living in one home. In 1947 Master Vinayak passed away.”This is where the story of Lataji’s unparalleled success actually begins. “Ten days after Master Vinayak’s death a photographer who worked in his company took me to a music director Harishchandra Vade. He heard me sing and recorded two songs in my voice for a film called Love Is Blind. That film got shelved. However, a junior-artiste supplier, a Pathan, heard me sing. He recommended me to Master Ghulam Haider who has just come from Pakistan. I really respected him for his music in Khazanchi, Shahid, Khandaan, etc.”Lataji remembered every detail of her meeting with the composer who set her on the trail of her unparalleled success. “I went to meet Master Ghulam Haider. This was 1947 and I was merely 18. I remember he was recording. He kept me waiting till evening. My cousin-sister was with me. He finally called me to sing at around 5 pm. When I went in he was playing the piano. I got frightened when I saw him. I wondered what a music composer who had worked with Noor Jehan would think of me. He asked me to sing. I sang one of his songs from the film Humayun. Then he said to sing one more song. I sang a Noor Jehan number. Then he wanted to record my voice. During those days songs were recorded on film. There was no tape. He asked me who my guru was. When I told him it was Amanat Ali Khan Saab, he said they were friends.” Then Master Ghulam Haider played that voice which was destined to conquer unparalleled peaks to the very successful producer Sashadhar Mukherjee.
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