A tale of two legends

"Giving a speech is very scary for me, as that's not my forte. I am a singer. But I will talk about Javed Sahib (Akhtar) today." Here's what Lata Mangeshkar told CS:

Pics/ Suresh KK

What was I doing!
Javed Sahib's recent success in getting the Copyright Amendment Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha is going to benefit the entire industry. Not just singers, but even writers as well as music directors will get their share of royalty, which till now was only a privilege for the singers. I am very happy with this development.
I was a member of the Rajya Sabha for six years, but I never uttered a word. A witness to this is Shabanaji (Azmi). I wonder why I didn't do anything about the issue back then. Actually it never struck me that I could do something.

Funny behind a serious face
Though Javed Sahib comes across as a very serious kind of person, he's quite humourous when he's with friends. When his funny side comes out, he says things that leave us with no choice but to laugh our guts out. We just can't stop laughing then. Sometimes I even wonder if like others, he makes fun of me too behind my back (laughs). But I really like him as a person.

The powerful Javed
I have sung many of his songs. It will be foolish to tell someone that Javed Sahib is an outstanding writer. He's a great writer as well as a lyricist. And now that he has stepped into politics, I am sure he'll do great things that will benefit all.u00a0Over the years, I have seen him grow as a lyricist and a person, and I can only wish them the best for the future.u00a0