Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai 

(My Voice Is My Identity)

“We know what we are, but not what we maybe” - William Shakespeare

Lata Mangeshkar, the ‘Voice of the Millennium’, passed away February 6, 2022. She lived to see 92 years and when many whither away as years pass, she stayed relevant. In an industry where the average shelf-life of a singer is about 10 years, she held her own for almost 8 decades. Akin to her famous song composed by the one and only R D Burman, “Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai”, which translates to “my voice is my identity”, her voice was her identity. I doubt that will change even after her passing.

She started her career in the Indian film industry at a time when Madam Noorjahan, Mubarak Begum, Shamshaad Begum and Suraiyya were the coveted voices. In the midst of these successful singers who had heavier voices entered Lata Mangeshkar with her thin, high pitched voice. Very few were impressed with her voice and at a time when “Urdu” was predominantly used in the lyrics, her strong Marathi accent did not help. The rejections did not deter her, she continued to persist while working on fine tuning her craft. Soon she bagged “Aayega Aanewala” and there was no looking back.

Soon after, songs were composed with her voice in mind and the voices like Madam Noorjahan were rarely heard. But singers like Suman Kalyanpur, Vani Jayram and Anuradha Paudwal were born, singers who seemed to strive to be like her. Lata Mangeshkar was the new standard and she continues to be the standard.

When asked in an interview about upcoming singers wanting to sing and sound like her and  her response was why should anyone want to sing or sound like her when they can create their own identity.

We constantly try to be someone else. We are not made alike and each of us possess strengths and weaknesses that are unique to us. Many a time, our state of dissatisfaction and unhappiness stems from the need to follow someone else's definition and path to success. Better yet is to create our own identity to become the  “best” version of ourselves. All it takes is to pause the race, take a step back and count our blessings. In the process we will find our identity and what we may be.

“waqt ke sitam kam haseen nahin

aaj hai yahan, kal kahin nahin

waqt ke pare agar mil gaye kahin

meri awaaz hi pehchaan hai

gar yaad rahe” - Gulzaar

The above translates to:

The sorrows caused by time are no less beautiful. We are here today and gone tomorrow, and if we meet beyond the boundaries of time, my voice will be my identity.