Dubai Diaries: College days with Lata Mangeshkar

When I left Dubai in the early 90s to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in India, I had no idea what the future held. From a small and rather cosy bubble of school friends (who I’d known for ages) and family (who tended to spoil me), I was transplanted to surroundings that were completely alien.

Who knew if I would ever make friends as good as the ones I’d left behind? Would I be able to adjust with strangers as roommates in a hostel, and tackle the real world on my own?

As I lay back on bed in my new shared space, feeling just a little forlorn, I heard a voice calling my name — a group of girls from the adjoining rooms were inviting me to have tea with them. As they tried their best to get me out of my shell and engage me in conversation, I heard strains of a melodious tune in Hindi — someone was listening to the radio, or a tape recorder.

What is that, I asked these girls who were going out of their way to be kind to me. “It’s the Binaca Geetmala, we listen to it every week,” said one, adding, “It always has lovely old songs from Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and many other great singers.”

While I had heard several songs from these iconic names thanks to the music my mom and dad played back in Dubai, and appreciated them as well, I was more a fan of Western music during my school days.

Soon, listening to Binaca Geetmala and other programmes on All India Radio became a habit, and I was introduced to a whole new world of music. The radio was a precious commodity in the hostel as we were not permitted to use an electrical connection.

Many batteries and empty wallets later we managed to convince an electrician to fix a connection for us. Most days the radio blared away happily, its cord hidden by a curtain in case of any sudden ‘inspections’.

One of the first Hindi songs to make a huge impact on me was Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai (from the 1972 film Shor). Lata’s haunting voice coupled with deep lyrics like kuch kho kar paana hai, kuch paa kar khona hai, jeevan ka matlab to aana aur jaana hai (we lose something to gain something, we gain something to lose something, everything comes and goes, that’s the meaning of life) moved me to tears the first time I heard it.

There were more perky tunes from Lata like Aaja Shaam Hone Aaee (from the 1989 film Maine Pyaar Kiya) and Jaane Kaise Kab Kahan (a lovely duet with Kishore Kumar) — that would play in my head when I spotted someone I thought I had a crush on in college.

The legendary singer who passed away on Sunday in Mumbai reached and moved millions with her enchanting voice. I was a teenage girl on the verge of growing up and finding my way when I found her music and added it to the soundtrack of my life. Rest in peace, Nightingale of India.

• India