It was in whispers until now, but now it has come out in the open. A reader sent in seven questions to Maharashtra Times, which prominently published his letter that should embarrass Lata Mangeshkar, the reigning queen of India's film music.

The very first question has been upper most in the minds of Marathi people in the recent months: How much did Lata didi herself donate to the hospital being set up in memory of her father Master Deenanath?

Lata and her family members are the members of the Trust, which has undertaken the construction of the hospital in Pune at the cost of Rs. 30 crore. Her brother, Pandit Hridaynath, was in fact asked, a pointed question at a press conference a few months ago about money donated to the cause. His grand reply was that the Mangeshkars have provided a bank guarantee of Rs. six crore (or was it nine crore?).

Local newspapers in Pune, which hold the Mangeshkars' in awe, did not carry the reply and chose to publish a detailed report on how Lata didi would present a musical nite on December 16 in the city.

As of January first week, 2001, insiders insist, the Mangeshkars have not donated any thing to the project. This, and other facts that are surfacing now, do not brighten up the image of the First Family of Indian movie music.

Consider, for example, the fact that the land on which the hospital is being constructed is not purchased with Mangeshkars' family funds though the project is named after a Mangeshkar of yesteryear. The six-acre plot of land was donated by the Government of Maharashtra to another trust with which Lata Mangeshkar was associated over a decade ago. A proper bhoomi pooja was performed then and nothing happened thereafter although the city continued to look for additional facilities for health care, which the Mangeshkars had promised.

Now the Lata Mangeshkar Medical Foundation, a family trust, has joined hands with the Jnana Prabodhini Medical Trust (JPMT) which runs a string of units manned by a dedicated team of doctors. The JPMT has undertaken the responsibility to construct and run the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Medical Research Centre.

The nite on December 16 was expected to have raised Rs. three crore on the presumption that tickets for the star-studded programme would be sold like hot cakes in a few days. A few days before the nite, however, the organizers had to offer tickets at even Rs. 100. Tickets for rates between Rs.2500 to Rs.25,000 had few takers although the organisers had taken out a Shobha Yatra through the city's thoroughfare as a gimmick to sell the exorbitantly priced entry passes.

A day after the event, die-hard fans of Lata have begun in private conversations admitting that charm of her voice was fading out. This was in stark contrast to the reaction on Asha Bhosale's show on Sony's TV on the New Year eve.

Incidentally, Asha was not present at Lata's nite, and Hridaynath had a lot of explaining to do when he came back to Pune last week. Lata and Asha would present a joint show together in the near future when bigger funds would be raised. Few, who know the sibling rivalry between the two famous sisters, believed.

He did not give details about the proceeds of the show beyond telling the journalists that a handsome fund was raised. A Lata fan from West Asia sent a donation of over Rs. one crore, Hridayanath said, adding that he was confident that the target would be reached.

The Maharashtra Times reader has asked Didi if she would present a detailed account or a balance sheet of the proceeds of the nite. He wanted to know if the rights of telecasting the December 16 nite were also sold and if the income from the telecast of the show would also go to the hospital project.

He wondered if the project would be a haven to provide succour to the coming generations of the trustees who exploited the affection of the people by raising funds in this manner.

This is not to belittle the project itself. It is indeed a noble cause as it is setting up a 450 bed general hospital on a total area of 2,73,000 sq ft, with modern medical amenities and equipment. It is also to have a clinical research centre and the proven track record of the Jnana Prabodhini Medical Trust is impeccable. It has demonstrated how even health care can be managed professionally through its earlier projects; Sanjeevan Hospital (in Pune, 150 Beds), Niramaya Hospital (Konkan, 60 Beds ) and Kamala Mehta Free Eye Hospital (Shirwal, 10 Beds).

People are anxious to know only this: Does charity begin at home for the Mangeshkars who have amassed wealth during the last five decades?

By
Kiran Thakur
Punecity.com