'Dastan-e-Hemlata' tells little-known stories from life of singer Hemlata

New Delhi, Nov 25 (PTI) A new book, "Dastan-e-Hemlata", will give readers a detailed account of renowned playback singer Hemlata, best known for her songs in the late 1970s, especially the popular "Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se".
    The Hindi book, released here on Saturday at the recently concluded literary festival "Sahitya AajTak", is written by journalist- biographer Arvind Yadav.
    Hemlata, who recorded her first film song at the age of 13, has sung over 5,000 songs in 38 languages in her two-decade-long illustrious career. Apart from Indian languages, Hemlata has also sung in foreign languages such as English, French, Italian, Dutch, Zulu, Mauritius Creole, Siraiki, and Multani.
    She won Filmfare Best Female Playback Award for "Chitchor" in 1977 for her classical rendition of "Tu Jo Mere Sur Mein", which was duet with K.J. Yesudas, composed by Ravindra Jain. Her melodious voice became a household name through the iconic TV series "Ramayan", where she sang several popular songs, couplets, and chaupais in the series.
    "It is an authentic account of Hemlata' s life, containing many interesting anecdotes, including some that even her close ones were unaware of. It also sheds light on the life of Hemlata's father, Pandit Jaychand Bhatt, bringing to the literary and music lovers several fascinating insights," said Yadav in a statement.
    Famous for her Hindi duets with the legendary singer Yesudas, the singer holds the record for the most number of duets with him.
    She also set a record by singing the most "dubbed songs" in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam films that were dubbed into Hindi In the 1970s and 1980s.
    Her other famous songs include 'Kaun Disha Mein Le Ke Chala Re Batuhiya', 'Tu Is Tarah Se Meri Zindagi Mein Shaamil Hai', 'Sun Ke Teri Pukar' and 'Megha O Re Megha'.
    Yadav has also authored biographies of renowned scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee professor CNR Rao and Dr SI Padmavati, widely regarded as India's first cardiologist.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)