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Published: 16 October 2023

Last Updated: 16 October 2023

February 24, 1984

Har Mandir Singh 'Hamraaz', Nalin Shah and Dr Prakash Joshi meet Lata Mangehskar.

From the Listeners' Bulletin issue of May 1984.

He writes:

Around 10:13 [AM], all three of us entered Lata's flat without any problem and seconds later we were graced with the presence of the Koyal-voiced world famous singer Lata. She said, please come, I have been waiting for you. Explaining my tardiness, I said, Lata ji, I had gone to invite Rajindar Krishan, but he became busy with looking at Volume 2, and he was reluctant to stop. Because I wanted to show you this volume also, I had to wait for him to finish, so we are late. [Note: In this Bombay visit, 'Hamraaz' went around inviting celebrities to the Volume 2 public release function that took place on February 25, 1984, at Jai Hind College, Churchgate, compered by Manohar Mahajan.] Then I showed Lata ji Volumes 2 and 3. (Actually about 4-5 days ago, Jhaveri Bhai, secretary to Asha Bhosle, had already shown Lata ji Volume 3, which they had discussed for half an hour.) After casually looking at the book, Lata ji surprised me with a question, So, Har Mandir ji, please tell me, how many songs have I sung? I had not expected this question, least of all from Lata ji, nor was this question in my list of items to discuss with her. After due respect and after apologizing again and again, I humbly said, Lata ji, I could be wrong, but having compiled the Geet Kosh, I surmise that the total number of all songs (all languages, film/non-film) would be between 10,000 and 15,000. Perhaps she was disappointed by my reply because her name had already been mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records, as the singer with the maximum number of songs (approximately 35,000).

Note: After 35 years of hard work, Snehasis Chatterjee estimates the number to be about 7,500. Photo from his Facebook  page.

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New 28. Misc.

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Published: 27 August 2023

Last Updated: 27 August 2023

Suresh Puri. Never heard of him.

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New T68

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Published: 25 November 2023

Last Updated: 27 November 2023

For the first time like in forever, a book published by professor toofaanii publishers, East Lansing, MI USA has been reviewed by a princess.

A review of the book by Dhiru Mistry.

By Rajeshwari Devi Chauhan, who belongs to the royal family of Chhota Udaipur, a former princely state of Gujarat.

This book is an eventful journey down the memory lane of a man most uncommon. Dhiru Misty is a swiss knife version of a man who is a filmmaker, a dancer, a TT player, a whisteler, a social worker, a philanthropist....this list is endless. In this slim, beautiful and reader friendly book he takes us to the lanes and bylanes of his much cherished life. Relevant turns and bumps are gleefully pointed and so are the multi hued signboards and graffiti ...a dark one too. His notable encounters with people including celebrities, the princes, the paupers et al are shared with photographs. There is nothing mundane for him...every memory is exquisite. Once the emotional web is unleashed and we try to get sneak a peek ...we get sucked in the wefts and warps of anecdotes aplenty..it gets participatory reading as we can play a guessing game about famous names before he enlightens us. One can profit by the valuable life lessons from his swim or sink situations and maneuvers he learnt along the way. His rash ride fuelled by adolescent hormones can be an eye opener for teenagers taking a direct road to the dumpsters. How he swerved, shifted gears, and got back on the track is action packed...thriller drama of slashed wrists and fisty cuffs! This friendship of the royal and the loyal is awe inspiring, vibrant and throbbing with creative ferment. sometimes we have to connect dots to get a complete picture..seems like some juicy details are withheld to avoid hurting sentiments or ruffled feathers...or for decency's sake. May be he doesn't want to show his kaleidoscope to colourblind society ... as he has suffered a path breaker's bruises in supporting unconventional causes.
His memories move back and forth with repeated flashbacks..may be to underline significant moments which inspire and re inspire. Also he warns..what appears all shipshape can be dangerously shaky and flaky.
How this wayward youth began to get direction, shifting goalposts, packing meaning and purpose as crossed milestones...one after the other from that quicksand is very motivational. His stint in hindi film and bollywood titbits show us the star studed chandeliers...the glamour, glitter, nuts and bolts...but what he himself found endearing was the tightly woven tapestry of communal harmony and what was worth emulating was humanity ,human dignity, non discrimination and love for life. Hobnobbing with the elits and connecting with the downtrodden, he made thought provoking films that won him awards and also solid actions among power corridors and change plus awareness in society...a true mover and shaker thing.
He is an atheist...yep..he doesn't believe in 'cop in the sky' concept of god. He responds to the silent drumroll of his tender emotions..............whispers of his inner voice that urge him to shower fellow beings with love, care compassion and goodwill. There are examples of happy coincidences in this book..many instances of getting a foothold on desired train by giving someone else a leg up, but his rational mind does not allow room for miracle or karma. He simply calls them favourable accidents.
This is a life of a thinking man..he appeals his friends not to forward hate messages...and urges them to ponder over euthanasia...wow..goodness and happiness need not be mutually exclusive..cheerfulness and social cause can coexist...attaboy Dhiru Mistry...may your tribe increase.

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