Mukesh A Personal Tribute                                                   by :  punita bhatt

MONDAY , MAY 19, 1975 ...........WASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A.                          

Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar just finished a brilliant concert performance at the prestigious Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts . The packed auditorium contained four ambassadors , a representative from the White House , and a couple of thousands fans . Some of whom had driven to Washington D.C. for this concert from as far away as Massachusetts  and Kentucky . The critic had raved and the people had given them a standing ovation it had been memorable day - and a very long tiring one as well. Late that night , as a handful of us local organisers of the show wound up the work and prepared to go home, Mukesh invited us into hotel room . " Do sit down and relax for a while. You've had a very long day. Tell me , what should I sing for you ?"  With that he sat down on the floor  with his harmonium , and for next two hours or so he entertained  us with the choicest of his songs, including the now - classic  " Kabhi Kabhee Mere Dil Mein " song he had recorded shortly before leaving for the North American tour.

                           This was the first time I meet Mukesh on a personal basis , and this incident remains  one of my most enduring memories of him . Here he was in the capital of the United State of America ; he had just finished performing at one of the world's most  prestigious concert halls ( incidentally , Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh  were the first Indian artist to perform at the Kennedy Centre ), he had won acclaim from a distinguished group of diplomats he was as tired and weary as any of us - yet , he chose to sing for a half dozen strangers because he felt they may have been unable to enjoy the performance due to the work backstage. It is this rare combination of gentleness , thoughtfulness and unpretentious simplicity that made Mukesh as memorable a human being as he was a great singer.

                         Success and fame make a heady combination , and like the champagne with which we toast them, they can go to one's head before one knows it.  Mukesh had attained  both success and fame in his career of over three decades , and he seemed to have to come to terms with them . he managed to remain a down - to - earth person, a sort of good - natured - guy - next - door.

                        Successful people often tend to isolate themselves , getting increasingly suspicious of new acquaintances for fear of being exploited. Howard Hughes is an extreme example of the inclination. Mukesh , on the country , seemed to be actively seeking new friends all the time. He was so refreshingly open and trustful of everyone  he met that his spirit was contagious . He didn't seem to feel he needed cushioning or protecting ; he didn't feel people could seek him out for his name, and that they might exploit their  acquaintance with him . If they did - and I'm sure there were some - Mukesh did not let it dampen his enthusiasm and friendliness . 

                  Consider also that fact that Mukesh had lived and worked in an industry notorious for its  professional insecurity and bloated egos . Yet , his successes failed to make him arrogant or egotistic ,and his lean years failed  to make him resentful or bitter . In an environment  where everything is exaggerated out of proportion , his values  remained amazingly sane . The priorities in his life were clear cut : fame and fortune seemed to be regarded as enjoyable but undependable commodities , they came and went . On the other hand , he regarded family life, friendship, and human relationships in general as the aspects of one's life that were of enduring value , that gave whatever meaning and pleasure life was capable of yielding .

                        There is a question one asks people when one wishes to discover their values : " What would you have people say about you after your death - that you were a rich man , a great man , or a good man ." It is a  rare accomplishment indeed that the public remembers . Mukesh as a great singer , his friends and acquaintances him as a good man in addition to being a great singer .