Lata fan in UP stays single, says no space for another woman in life

MEERUT: Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has won millions of hearts in her singing career spanning decades. But Meerut-born Gaurav Sharma has gone to lengths that far surpass the regular fan. He has every book written on her, even by Pakistani and Australian writers, all songs she sang, and has set up six ‘Lata vatikas’ in schools where he has planted thousands of trees in honour of the legendary singer. The 36-year-old has also chosen to stay single because he has “no space for another woman in his life”.
Sharma, now a special educator in the UP education department, was just six years old in 1988 when he first heard the voice of the woman he would dedicate his life to. It was the song ‘Radha Na Bole’ from 1955 movie ‘Azaad’ that had him enchanted and remains his favourite to date.

“My grandmother would often hum that tune. She told me about Lataji’s struggles and gave me a picture of her. She said ‘khoj karni hai to inki khoj karo (If you have to find something, find her) and there was no turning back for me,” Sharma told TOI at his Phoolbagh Colony home.
The house itself is a shrine to the singer. A large frame of her horoscope hangs from the drawing room wall while Lata Mangeshkar of all ages peeks through pictures scattered around. The cupboards are full of news clippings, including those with only a fleeting reference to the playback singer.
While Sharma himself isn’t much of a singer, his mornings start with bhajans sung by Mangeshkar, whom he fondly calls ‘didi’. “Lataji left the security of home to earn for her family. Even when she had to go hungry for days, she made a name for herself in the film industry,” he said. It is this struggle that Sharma often borrows from when the disabled kids he teaches need a dose of inspiration.
Son of a police officer, Sharma is aware that his devotion to the singer might be mocked by some, but that hardly bothers him. In August 2013, he got the chance to meet his idol at her house in Mumbai. “When I saw her in person, I cried for 10 minutes. I spent about four hours with her. She gave me signed portraits of hers.”
Mayuresh Pai, CEO of LM Music, a company owned by Lata Mangeshkar, who had arranged the meeting after word got out of ‘Lata’s biggest fan’, told TOI, “It was indeed an emotional moment for him. The way he has transformed his reverence towards Lataji in improving the world is exemplary.”
Gaurav now wants to take his fandom to the next level. He believes the government’s decision to confer ‘Daughter of India’ Award to Mangeshkar when she turns 90 on September 28 would not be enough. He wants to propose a museum dedicated to India’s nightingale. “PM Modi himself is a fan of didi and I will write to him to take all my collections for a museum in her honour. That’s all I want now.”