With the nation mourning the demise of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, Silverscreen India spoke to one of her ardent fans, Suman Chaurasia, who has been running a gramophone record museum in Indore dedicated to the late singer. “It is with her blessing that I established the museum to preserve her song collections and keep her legacy alive,” he says.
The 70-year-old started this gramophone record museum, Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar Gramophone Records Sangrahalaya, named after the singer, in 2007.
Speaking to us from Indore, Chaurasia says, “I started collecting records of Lata Didi’s songs from 1970. My collection includes songs sung by her between 1950 and 2006. The museum now preserves records of over 7500 songs sung by Lata Didi, spanning 32 languages.”
“Indore is her birthplace. I am from Indore as well. I have grown up listening to Lata Didi’s songs. My admiration and respect for her are immeasurable. That’s why I began to collect her records. When she learnt about my collection, she permitted me to start this museum and wished me the best,” he adds.
The museum is situated near the Indian Institute of Management campus in Indore. It is a treasure trove that contains more than 45,000 gramophone records of music from across genres, and this includes Mangeshkar’s renditions ranging from those for the 1955 film Uran Khatola to that in Rang De Basanti (2006). Besides this, the museum also has a collection of Mangeshkar’s photographs and houses books on her as well.
“I have been preserving all her records, safely wrapped in paper and plastic covers. My son and other family members help me in managing this museum. Over the years, music and gramophone lovers, and Lata Didi’s fans from various places, have visited my museum to go through the vast and rare collection. The resources I have gathered here will also be useful to those who want to research music,” says Chaurasia.
The 92-year-old award-winning singer, fondly called the ‘Nightingale of India’, died on Sunday morning at a private hospital in Mumbai due to multiple organ failure.
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Noting that Mangeshkar’s demise is a huge loss to the country, Chaurasia says that he was fortunate enough to meet the legendary singer more than eight times. “For me, Lata Didi was like a goddess. She had a divine aura and you could feel that when you were near her. I will forever cherish my memories of interacting and spending time with her. This museum will be a tribute to her and I hope people, including youngsters, will get to know more about her work through these collections,” he adds.
Asked what his own favourite song of Mangeshkar’s is, he plays Tune Jahan Bana Kar (from the 1949 film Maa Ka Pyar) on his gramophone before signing off.