There is a story about Lata Mangeshkar’s precocious understanding of music. Her father Master Deenanath Mangeshkar, who was teaching a student a particular composition, had to step out for an errand. He asked the youth to keep at it till he returned. Moments later, Lata, playing in the verandah, heard the teenage Chandrakant Gokhale, who later became a well-known actor, strike a false note. Unable to resist, she rushed in and began to sing the piece herself, exactly the way her father would. Deenanath, standing on the threshold, had tears in his eyes as he heard his daughter delineate the beauty of the ‘bandish’ in raag Puriya Dhanashri.

A popular actor-singer, Deenanath was born in Mangeshi village of Goa in 1900. He joined a theatre group at 13 and honed his talent under Natyasangeet exponent Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze. He was 25 when he set up a repertory company, travelling through Dharwad, Belgaum, Sangli and Kolhapur where the wealthy patronised Marathi plays embellished with classical music. In her memoirs, Meena Khadikar, Lata’s sister, remembers him as an affectionate, yet stern father.

“We were not allowed to use nail paint, facial cream or lipstick…Baba wanted us to live a simple life, pay attention to studies and adhere to family traditions and cultural practices,” says Khadikar.

The children were occasionally allowed to watch films on spiritual traditions and values. Lata would often rope in siblings, cousins or maids to re-create scenes from Prabhat films like Sant Tukaram or New Theatres’ Devdas.

Deenanath was an admirer of K L Saigal; Lata was all of 11 when she sang ‘Main kya jaanoo kya jadoo hai’, a Saigal number, on Pune AIR. Meena recalls a concert in Solapur where Lata “insisted she wanted to share the stage with Baba who, after much persuasion, gave in. On the day of the concert she told Baba she would earn more rounds of applause than him, and she kept her word.”

Though Deenanath’s plays were successful, lack of fiscal prudence led to problems. A failed attempt at film-making exacerbated the situation and he incurred debts which also sparked a court case. Master Deenanath’s health began to deteriorate. Lata was 13 when her father died.

Stand-up comedian Tanmay Bhat sparked outrage after he recently posted a Snapchat video online, taking digs at Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar. What irked many were his comments about the legendary singer.

Bollywood personalities like Anupam Kher, Riteish Deshmukh, Paresh Rawal and Subhash Ghai amongst others condemned the video. The comedian, on the other hand, refused to apologise for his comments. We tried to reach Lata Mangeshkar for her statement, but she was unavailable. Her younger sisters Asha Bhosle and Meena Khadikar expressed their displeasure about the video.

Ashaji told BT, “I have not seen the video nor do I intend to. My grandson Chin2 informed me about it as I don't even watch television. I don't want to say anything except for we are talking about a woman (Lata didi), who has worked for 70-80 years of her life, spreading joy and happiness through her music. I now want to wait and watch how many people will stand by us. Most people have a knack of debating about it for a couple of days and forgetting about it. Aaplya deshat, Bharat Ratnancha kiti aadar aahe hey baghaycha aahe (I want to see what respect and honour do the Bharat Ratnas get in our country). The government has bestowed this honour upon them. They must make a note of this.“

While many believe that the video is insensitive, it does not tantamount to a criminal offence. Talking to The Times of India, (edition dated May 31) crime council Mahesh Jethmalani said, “It is very indecent and in extremely poor taste. But it doesn't merit a criminal case.“

People on social media are of the opinion that while everyone has the right to freedom of speech, comedy should be used to entertain and not to abuse. Meenaji added, “We don't know who this man is nor have we discussed this issue with Lata didi. Even news channels should follow some discretion and avoid replaying that video on TV as our phone hasn't stopped ringing since the past two days. She is 86 years old. Her health is sensitive and this is the last thing she needs to know.“

She further says, “Reacting to the video is giving it undue importance. We avoid talking about these things as it can be misinterpreted and may evoke some other unnecessary controversy. The government should take action against this and people should speak up if they love us. Sachin has achieved so much in his life at such a young age. He has immense respect for didi and vice versa. These are Bharat Ratna awardees. Tyanchya vishayi kahitari ghanerda bolaycha (Talking rubbish about them) in the name of comedy is disgusting. We have nothing against humour, provided it's in good taste. Several comedians have mimicked Lata didi in the past. Johny Lever mimics Asha but they are funny. None of that made us angry. This is repulsive. There's absolute disregard for her age or achievements.“

We tried contacting Sachin Tendulkar's team for his statement but he remained unavailable for comment. Vinod Kambli, who has also been mentioned in the video, tweeted, “I felt deeply hurt when that man made fun of Lata Mangeshkar. She is like a mother to us and he made fun of SRT 2 (Sachin Tendulkar too). I've spoken to my lawyer about filing a defamation case. That guy used filthy language about me also (sic).“

WHEN INDIAN COMEDIANS FACED LEGAL ACTION
Kiku Sharda: In December last year TV actor Kiku Sharda mimicked Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan at an event, which created an uproar amongst the godman's followers. He was arrested a followers. He was arrested a few days later by the Haryana Police under section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code (outraging religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief) and sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Kiku apologised for his act on social media, saying “Doston, the act on TV was not to hurt anyone's feelings. My apologies to Gurmeet Ram Rahimji and his followers...“

AIB Roast: Comedy group All India Bakchod (AIB) hosted a roast comedy show in December 2014, which starred stand-up comedians along with Bollywood personali ties Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor and Karan Johar, who was the roast master. When the event's video was posted online, the roast came under the scanner for its offensive language and for taking digs at public personalities. FIRs were filed against 14 people. AIB also had to offer an apology to the archdiocese and the Christian community for some of their jokes.