(Part 3) Lata – Non Film Songs

I welcome readers to the third part of the series. Previous part of the series covered Lata Mangeshkar’s non-film songs (NFS) till 1975.
Her NFS continued at full pace though her film songs were going on as usual. In today’s post, I’ll cover a period of 20 years, till 1995. If we take a look at the period, her majority of the non film songs were composed by Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

I hope the readers are enjoying the posts, though I must say, it’s not reflecting in the comments. But anyways, I’m enjoying the journey.
So let’s start today’s list……

1. Ab Na Kate Ye Soona – Sampoorna Geet Ramayan (1978) / Hridaynath Mangeshkar – Yogesh
As per the YouTube video uploader, the song was recorded for a musical ballet called Sampoorna Geet Ramayan in 1978 – 79 and released on CDs in the 1990s. I couldn’t get any information about the ballet. From the lyrics we can make out that the song depicts Seeta’s emotions after Ram left her. Hridaynath Mangeshkar has composed the song in his typical style with chord changes in the end of antara.

2. Aali Ri More Nainan Baan – Aarohi (1982-83) / Hridaynath Mangeshkar – Meerabai
The program Aarohi used to be aired on Doordarshan Sahyadri channel around 1982 – 83. It had five songs composed by Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Three of the songs were written by Pandit Narendra Sharma, while one song each was by Meerabai and Sant Kabir. The former songs were later included in the album ‘Prem Bhakti Mukti’ released by T-series. All the songs were very beautifully rendered by Lata Mangeshkar. I’ve presented a bhajan by Meerabai. The program was anchored by none other than Smita Patil.

3. Ram Ratan Dhan Payo – Ram Ratan Dhan Payo (1983) / D V Paluskar – Meerabai
The L P record was released for the first time in 1983, though the CDs were released in 1988. The video attached here was released in the late 90s (mostly in 1997). I think the song was set to a tune by Paluskar himself. A divine bhajan, and surely one of the most popular NFS by Lata Mangeshkar. The original song by D V Paluskar is equally enchanting, and may be more appealing than Lata’s version. You can listen to it here.

4. Ram Bhajan Kar Man – Ram Shyam Gun Gaan (1985) / Shrinivas Khale – Pandit Narendra Sharma
An absolutely divine bhajan. It was extremely difficult to choose a song. While my mind was telling me to select the duet, ‘Baaje Re Muraliya Baaje Re’, whichI absolutely adore, I selected this one. I had decided to go for a solo whenever I could!

5. You Needed Me – (1985) Lata Mangeshkar / Original singer and composer – Anne Murray, Lyrics – Randy Goodrum
It was performed live on 9th June 1985 in Toronto in a live concert. I hadn’t heard the original song before. Lata Mangeshkar was unable to complete her school education, still she performed the song in Toronto. Her pronunciation is not very perfect, but that’s not to say you could not enjoy it. I was at first very surprised to find this song as I didn’t have an idea about it.

6. Main Kewal Tumhare Liye – Prem Bhakti Mukti (1985) / Hridaynath Mangeshkar – Pandit Narendra Sharma
I like the song. It doesn’t sound like a devotional song, rather it sounds like a lady dedicating herself to a beloved. The album was released in 1985 and incorporated three of the songs Lata Mangeshkar had already performed at Aarohi on Doordarshan Sahyadri a few years earlier.

7. Atal Chhatra Sachcha Darbar – Atal Chhatra Sachcha Darbar (1986) / Hridaynath Mangeshkar – Pandit Narendra Sharma
The album has 8 devotional songs dedicated to Mata Jagdamba. I wasn’t aware of the album. Only during the research for the post, I got to know about it. The songs are full of divinity, and devotion. All the songs are really good.

8. Dil Mein Ab Dard e Mohabbat – Sajda (1991) / Jagjit Singh – Sahir Bhopali
The album has 14 – 16 songs, solos by Lata Mangeshkar and Jagjit Singh as well as duets by them. The entire album has a melancholy mood. The ghazals are written by various poets, all names are not familiar to me. Many songs have difficult urdu words, and to confess I couldn’t listen to all the songs one after the other. I felt a bit monotonous! It was difficult for me to choose a song. Such songs need a typical evening time, and I wonder if today’s generation like such songs or not.

9. Tere Mandir Ka Hoon Deepak – Shraddhanjali (1992) / Original non film song composed and sung by Pankaj Mullick
Shraddhanjali album was basically a tribute to her seniors and contemporary singers by Lata Mangeshkar. Anitaji had mentioned one of the non-film songs by Pankaj Mullick in her comments on the first part of the series. I was not able to decide whether I should include Lata’s version songs or not. At the same time Dr Ravindra Shrikhande also asked about a couple of NFS by Pankaj Mullick from the album. Finally I decided to include it. I however liked the original song by Pankaj Mullick more.

10. Aakash Ke Us Paar Bhi – National Games Pune (1994) / Hridaynath Mangeshkar – Gulzar
The song was performed during the National Games held in Pune. It’s a good song, inspirational and motivational. Lata Mangeshkar performed a couple of songs during the events. Both the songs were included in the album, Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo in 1996. But as it was originally performed earlier, I included it in today’s post.

In addition to the above albums, one more of her albums was released in 1992. It was named Adaa. The album had songs by Lata Mangeshkar and Jagjit Singh. The songs were composed by Basu Chakraborty and Kuldeep Singh. In addition, one song each was composed by Ram Laxman and Rajesh Roshan. All the four songs by Basu Chakraborty were included in the film Nargis (1992), while the song, Tum Saaz Chhedo by Lata Mangeshkar was included in Dil Ki Baazi (1992). The song, Main Naseeb Hoon was included in the film, Insaniyat (1994).
Before I conclude, I want to thank Dr Ravindra Shrikhande for his help.

If I’ve missed any song, please add. Can’t wait to listen to your additions.

Disclaimer –
Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. Images on this blog are posted to make the text interesting. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube, only for the listening convenience of music lovers. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.