Asha Bhonsle's children have tried and failed. Even Hridaynath Mangeshkar's sons had no abiding inclination for a career in music - it seemed there was no one in the third generation of Mangeshkars to take forward the tradition started by Dinanath Mangeshkar. But now an unlikely hero - make that heroine - is about to set that right. Radha Mangeshkar, the only daughter of music composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar, is taking her first steps into the world of professional music with the release of her debut album today. An overjoyed Lata - who is also Radha's Godmother - will be doing the honours.
"It's a Marathi album based on folk music. It's been composed by my father," says the 20-something, whose music training started when she was just nine under Hridaynath. "He isn't just my guru, he's my whole world," she says, her eyes brimming with quiet devotion.
Strangely, neither of her aunts - Lata and Asha - have any hand in her training though she's spent her entire life under the same roof with them. "Why is it strange? I was under the tutelage of a perfect teacher. I think neither of them thought there was any need for any extra inputs," she reasons. Interestingly, 15 years ago, she'd given her first public performance at Dinanath Mangeshkar auditorium - she was barely eight then. Today, it's where her first album will be unveiled.
A self-admitted homebody, Radha abhors socialising, though she's always enjoyedaccompanying Didi (as she calls her aunt Lata) to concerts and recordings. "It's as if she has already heard the song somewhere and knows exactly how it should be sung. Never more than a second take," she marvels. And while she's not averse to someday finding herself in a Bollywood song-recording studio, "Let's see," is all she commits.
Till now, live concerts with her father have been her forte - she just came back from one in Singapore. Any particular Lata song she likes singing at concerts? "Didi's songs for Shankar-Jaikishan are my favourites. I only sing her songs," she reveals.
"It's a Marathi album based on folk music. It's been composed by my father," says the 20-something, whose music training started when she was just nine under Hridaynath. "He isn't just my guru, he's my whole world," she says, her eyes brimming with quiet devotion.
Strangely, neither of her aunts - Lata and Asha - have any hand in her training though she's spent her entire life under the same roof with them. "Why is it strange? I was under the tutelage of a perfect teacher. I think neither of them thought there was any need for any extra inputs," she reasons. Interestingly, 15 years ago, she'd given her first public performance at Dinanath Mangeshkar auditorium - she was barely eight then. Today, it's where her first album will be unveiled.
A self-admitted homebody, Radha abhors socialising, though she's always enjoyedaccompanying Didi (as she calls her aunt Lata) to concerts and recordings. "It's as if she has already heard the song somewhere and knows exactly how it should be sung. Never more than a second take," she marvels. And while she's not averse to someday finding herself in a Bollywood song-recording studio, "Let's see," is all she commits.
Till now, live concerts with her father have been her forte - she just came back from one in Singapore. Any particular Lata song she likes singing at concerts? "Didi's songs for Shankar-Jaikishan are my favourites. I only sing her songs," she reveals.
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