The industry is forgetting the special place given to Hindi film music in culture, the respected singer said.
One of India’s most respected singers has taken to Twitter to voice her anguish over the remixing of Hindi film music. In a note on her Twitter account, Lata Mangeshkar shared her views on the trend of remixing that has gripped the Hindi film industry, and appealed to recording companies to think twice before issuing new versions of classic songs with altered lyrics and arrangements.
There’s nothing objectionable in principle about remixes, Mangeshkar wrote, and it is perfectly alright to present a song in a new way if its essence is preserved, “but to twist a song out of shape is just wrong”, she wrote. “I hear that this is what happening these days, and the credit for the song is being given to somebody else… To ruin the core of the tune, to arbitrarily change the lyrics and to add cheap thoughts to them – this kind of nonsensical behaviour causes me immense distress.”
The new generation of listeners will benefit from presenting a song in its original form, added Mangeshkar, whose career spans eight decades. Numerous songs sung by Mangeshkar have been remixed in recent years, such as Ni Main Yaar Manana Ni from Daag (1973). At the time, Mangeshkar had criticised the tendency to remix songs, saying, “It’s like rooms being added or removed from the Taj Mahal.”
The latest note emerged after a conversation with lyricist Javed Akhtar. Mangeshkar drew attention to the hard work put in by scores of composers, singers, lyricists, technicians and directors in creating and presenting Hindi film music. “Every song was created with great love,” she wrote. “There were heartfelt efforts to make a song beautiful and meaningful… Our musical heritage should not be played with, and music should be respected as an important symbol of our society and culture.” It was up to the recording companies to “maintain the purity of Hindi film music and deal with the problems caused by remixes”, but “they have sadly forgotten this” in their pursuit of monetary gain, she added.
Informal inheritance has an emotional value that can’t be quantified. Holding onto grandmothers’ sarees, an heirloom necklace, grandfather’s rocking chair etc. is a source of great comfort for many. Vintage and classic cars, too, evoke a sense of kinship among those who’ve inherited decades-old automobiles or spent years collecting them. These car owners describe an overwhelming love that one only reserves for friends and family.
Take Madan Mohan for example. A vintage and classic car collector from Gurugram, he has spent years enquiring after ‘joona’ automobiles in remote parts of India. With scrap dealers as his sources, he would make his way to owners of these beauties. He describes his endeavour as a childish mission he undertook on an impulse with no knowledge of car restoration or maintenance. His collection now stands at 326 cars.
In the video below, Madan Mohan talks of how he chanced upon a precious MG belonging to the Maharaja of Bhavnagar.
Amit, meanwhile, chose to write a heartfelt letter to his MG which he restored with his own hands at the insistence of his father. He writes lovingly of the joy of creating a car, even with a lot of naysayers, and his father’s “what if” that started him on this journey. Amit has invested four years’ worth of sleepless nights and over-caffeinated mornings on his MG Midget. The Midget cars were greatly loved for being affordable, yet good looking, sports cars through the ‘60s and the ‘70s. Watch Amit read his letter to his beloved MG Midget in the video below.
Sarika, an educator by profession, relies entirely on her ’56 MG Magnette. She even insisted on driving it to her school which is barely five houses away. Sarika has lived with her MG since she was nine years old. Her Sundays and holidays were spent assisting her father in maintaining their precious car.
The MG Magnette was the toast of the ‘50s in England, and its popularity as an affordable sporty car continued to surge into the ‘60s. Over the years, Sarika says her Magnette has emerged as her best friend who has supported her through thick and thin. In the video below, Sarika talks about her bond with her beautiful green MG Magnette.
Adam, a former motor journalist, is an MG loyalist who has persevered for years to build an MG family. He, too, has built on his father’s passion for MGs, and still owns and maintains the MGB GT — a two-door sports car — his father had bought. In addition, both he and his wife drive the current generation of MGs — 2016 MG 6 and the MG GS SUV respectively.
A member of the MG Car Club, UK, Adam visited India to meet owners of classic MGs, one of whom offered to let him take his MG for a spin. Watch the video below to see Adam take a vintage MG T-type for a drive on Delhi roads and talk about his personal efforts to get his hands on an MG.
Adam is among the vintage car owners that continue to invest in the brand’s contemporary offerings as well. MG’s current fleet has a contemporary look while still retaining the unmistakable MG feel that long-time MG owners have come to value. To know more about MG in India, click here. And follow MG on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for great pictures and videos of their cars.
This article was produced by Scroll Brand Studio on behalf of MG Motor and not by the Scroll editorial team.
