Lata Mangeshkar on 88th birthday: I don't feel my age at all

Legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar who turned 88 on Thursday says age doesnt dampen her spirit and that she has always lived with a hope for a better tomorrow Bahut ho gaya Aapko kaisa lagta hai Aap gaati kyun nahin hain Aapke favourite naye singers kaun hai Aap apni behen Asha Bhosle se kyun nahin milti Arrey bhai sab ho chuka hai Its enough How do you feel Why dont you sing Who are your favourite new singers Why dont you meet your sister I have answered all this enoughLata MangeshkarLets talk about the fun times she suggested as though she were 18 rather than 88 With a girlish giggle Mangeshkar said Should I tell you the truth I dont feel my age at all I still feel young Ive never been weighed down by my troubles Everyone has her share of problems in life Even when I was young and struggling and I was happy hopping from studio to studio bumping into other strugglers like Kishoreda and Mukesh bhaiyyaThose were fun times even when I had to go hungry for the entire day There was no money in my purse But there was only hope in my heart And the belief that no matter how tough the future looked there was always hope for a better tomorrow Once during one such hot sweltering day she had fainted during recordingShe sets the record straight about the incident It has wrongly been presumed over the years that I fainted while recording a song with Salilda Chowdhary Its nothing like that Of course his songs were very complex So were those composed by my brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar But because of my fathers blessings I was always up to any challenge in the recording studioNo that incident where I fainted did not happen with Salilda It happened with Naushad saab We we recording a song on a long hot summer afternoon You know how Mumbai gets in summer During those days there was no air conditioning in the recording studios And even the ceiling fan was switched off during the final recording I just faintedShe laughed at that remembrance and said I had some really fun times I remember I was recording a duet with Uma Devi who later became the comedienne Tun Tun Uma Devi was as khatipeeti well fed back then as a singer as she was later as an actress So there we were the two of us singing into the same mike Back then duets were recorded on one mike Me a frail reedlike pintsized girl she quite formidable in her physical Apresence I was given a stool to stand on as I had a problem reaching the mikeI sang my lines and then when Uma Devi moved forward to sing into the mike and nudged my shoulder I fell right to the ground Loud laughter followed this anecdote So whom did she enjoy recording with the most Kishoreda pat came the reply Recording with him was like one whole session of fun and games He would make me laugh so much I could barely sing I had to stop him Kishorda pehle gana phir masti first song and then fun It was especially problematic when we were singing sad duets Instead of tears of grief my eyes would be tearful with laughterSpeaking of her griefstricken songs it is said that the whole congregation at the recording wept when she sang Madan Mohans Heer in Heer Ranjha and Sachin Dev Burmans Tum mujhse dur chale jana na in Ishq Par Zor Nahin Thats true she said Except for me they were all crying Ive never been a weeper even when singing the most somber songs Ive always preferred laughter to tears God has always been kind Ive never been given any reason for tears I think I cried the most when I lost my father and my motherWhat are her birthday thoughts I cant thank the listeners enough for bearing with me for 70 years I didnt even how the time flew by Waqt kaise nikal gaya pataa hi nahin chala I dont know how time flew by If I had a chance to live it all again I wouldnt change a thing Not even that fall from the stool while singing with Uma Devi she quippedAlso seeAnu Aggarwal Aashiqui actress who fought coma learnt tantric sex