Hand in Hand with Painting and Music – Usha Mangeshkar

Although she has sung many songs for many films, that are remembered for their melody and has lent her voice to duets with her sisters too, Usha Mangeshkar shot to fame with her songs from the devotional classic Jai Santoshi Maa.

In her own words Usha Mangeshkar says –

The film and its songs were such a hit that people would take their shoes off before stepping inside the cinema halls, and leave money as devotional offering in a box provided!

The magical surname enhances its charisma to this youngest of the Mangeshkar sisters. Usha Mangeshkar was born into a family of musicians. Her father Dinanath Mangeshkar was a classical singer. But she doesn’t know too much about her father’s singing talents as he had passed away when she was extremely young. Like her other siblings she too inherited musical genes from father. Her efficiency as a singer is that her voice had a quality which could be moulded to suit just anyone. She learnt music from renowned musicians like Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and Ustad Aman Ali Khan. Along with Lata Mangeshkar she also attended concerts by Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. She was attracted to classical music in a natural way. It is a lesser known fact that Usha Mangeshkar also studied classical dance before she took to professional singing. She has been influenced deeply by her elder sister’s style but her style of singing is totally different from her sister’s. Bhabhi aayi badi dhoom dham se from Subah Ka Tara (1953) tuned by C Ramchandra the leading composer of that era was rendered by Usha Mangeshkar. The song was instant hit. Her voice suited youngsters and that made her a kind of children’s song specialist.

At the same time she was getting more songs in Marathi films which she accepted with readiness, becoming the most sought after singer in Marathi films. As a young girl, she was more interested in studies and painting and never took singing as a career seriously. As an artist, she paints portraits in oils and acrylics. A trained artist, her works have been exhibited in Mumbai.

One of the paintings done by her. Courtesy: Usha Mangeshkar Twitter Page @ushamangeshkar

According to her, music and arts complement each other. Interestingly, it was singer Mukesh’s song Suhana safar aur ye mausam haseen that inspired her to pick the paint brush and create her first painting. As a singer she has always enjoyed bhaav geet and bhajans.

Lets enjoy some of her popular songs in Hindi films –

1. Jai Santoshi Maa –

2. Azaad –

3. Zimbo Comes to Town –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGWXi6vhpAU

4. Inkaar –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnvpxAByMyg

5. Tarana –