Whenever the name of Swar Kokila Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar is taken in the history of Indian music world, world of tunes and art, a supernatural personality emerges before our eyes whose voice has mesmerized the entire world for more than seven decades. Lata Didi, who sang more than 30 thousand immortal songs during her lifetime in various Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and Tamil, did complete justice to every language and every culture in her musical journey. But do you know that Lata Mangeshkar, who spread the magic of her melodious voice in the country and the world, had recorded only one Garhwali song in her entire life? This song is not only the 'first' Garhwali song of his career and 'the only' Garhwali song in history, but it still resonates like a precious heritage in the high mountains, deodar forests and every home of Uttarakhand. Let us know in detail what is the untold story behind this historical Garhwali song of Lata Didi, which film it was a part of and why she refused to take any remuneration for this song. This magical song was a part of the famous Garhwali film 'Raibar' of the year 1990. The year 1990 is considered very special in the history of Uttarakhand's folk culture, simplicity of mountains and regional cinema, when a very popular film named 'Raibar' was made in Garhwali language. In Garhwali language the word 'Raibar' literally means 'message' or 'news'. The creators of this film had this idea in their mind that if the voice of the country's biggest and most prestigious singer Lata Mangeshkar is included in this film, then this regional cinema can get a new height and global identity. This wish of the film's producers and composers miraculously proved to be true. Lyricist Devi Prasad Semwal composed beautiful words for the film 'Raibar', and music composer Kunwar Singh Bavla composed its music. When this proposal reached Lata Mangeshkar, she immediately agreed to sing this song due to her special love for the folk culture and mountains of Uttarakhand. This song became the only Garhwali song of Lata Didi's entire life, which achieved immortality forever in the valleys of Garhwal and Kumaon. The lovely lyrics of the song express the simplicity of the mountains and the feelings of a lover. The lyrics of this song, drenched in the mountain beauty of Uttarakhand and the fragrance of folk life, are very melodious and heart touching. The main lyrics of this song are 'Man Bharmaige Meri Sudhbud Khwege Suni Teri Bansuri Sur'. This song is basically a very beautiful and sentimental song sung by a girlfriend in appreciation of the sweet tune of her lover's flute. The simplicity, purity of the mountains, connection with nature and the sacred love between lover and beloved have been beautifully woven into the words of the songs. When Lata Mangeshkar penned these Garhwali words in her melodious and transparent voice, this song was not just a part of a film, but became the cultural identity of the folk culture of Uttarakhand. This romantic song was filmed on Uttarakhand artists Bina Rawat and Shivendra Rawat. This historical and the only Garhwali song was filmed on screen in a very lively manner. This beautiful romantic song was filmed on popular and well-known artists of Uttarakhand, Bina Rawat and Shivendra Rawat. The wonderful chemistry of Bina Rawat and Shivendra Rawat on screen, the traditional costumes of Uttarakhand, the lush green mountains and the tune of the flute playing in the background captivated the hearts of the audience. When this film and song were released in theatres, the people of the hills felt proud to hear the voice of Lata Didi in their Garhwali language. Even today, when this song is played on the radio or during traditional festivals in the villages of Uttarakhand, people get lost in old memories. When Lata Didi had flatly refused to take even a single penny for the Garhwali song, one such incident related to this song is also very famous which shows the great personality of Lata Mangeshkar, her generosity and her dedication towards art. According to music experts, when Lata Didi came to the studio for the recording of this song, despite being unaware of the language, she understood the correct pronunciation of each word of the song and its deep meaning. It is said that Lata ji took out about four hours of time for this recording and sang it with complete perfection. When the recording of the song was completed and it came to pay the remuneration, Lata Mangeshkar clearly refused to take any fee for this beautiful song. She had made it clear that due to her immense love for the folk culture, mountains and people of Uttarakhand, she would not take any money for this sacred work. Her greatness is proof that she was not only a great singer but also a very sensitive person. Even today, this precious legacy of Lata Didi is alive in the valleys and hearts of the mountains. Even though the vocal nightingale Lata Mangeshkar is not physically present among us today, her melodious voice and the songs sung by her have settled forever in the heartbeats of every Indian. Whenever cold winds blow in the mountains of Uttarakhand and the sound of a flute is heard from a distant corner, this 36 year old Garhwali song of Lata Didi automatically comes to people's lips. This song from the film 'Raibar' is no longer just an audio track today, rather it has become an indelible symbol of the cultural heritage of Uttarakhand and the unbreakable relationship of the mountains with Lata Mangeshkar, which will continue to mesmerize generations for many generations to come.
