The Nightingale Bats For Her ‘Son’ Sachin Tendulkar,Says It’s Unfair To Drown The Icon’s Voice In Parliament

Super-iconic living legends Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkarshare a very special bond. And it’s not just the Bharat Ratna.

Hence when Tendulkar was  not allowed to have his say in RajyaSabha last week, Lataji was upset and in a rare  display of  emotion, expressed her displeasure on a  public platform.

Says the Sing Sena Supremo, “Sachin calls me Maa. He called to take  my blessings before proceeding to parliament. Then, when I heard what  had happened I was very distressed. Sachin ko bolne nahindiya(they didn’t allow him to speak). This is an insult to  not just one of cricket’s  biggest icons  but also to any voice chosen to be heard  in the parliament.”

Lataji recalls her own stint in the Rajya Sabha which was not free of controversies. “I was criticized  for  not attending parliament , when in fact I had made it clear that it would be difficult for me to do so due to health issues. But when Sachin attends he is not allowed to speak. So we (with the voices that are chosen to be heard) get slammed either way, whether we choose to remain silent or to speak.”

Lataji feels Sachin’s voice must be heard.  “He is a man of integrity and a sportsperson of tremendous worth. I am  glad he chose to put the speech that he prepared for Parliament on Twitter. The advantage of social media is that we get to express ourselves  directly. The disadvantage  is we often get trolled for speaking  our heart out.”

The two Bharat Ratnas go back a long way. While Lataji loves cricket and specially Sachin’s batting, Sachin loves film songs and specially Latatji’s Mera saya saath hoga ,the Madan Mohan composition  from the  film Mera Saya.