When the political surgeons of the subcontinent carved Pakistan out from India, they underestimated the cultural consequences of the act. The art, cinema and literature of the subcontinent found itself disembodied.
Among the many artistes who found themselves displaced was the popular singer and actress Noorjehan. The star, who was described as Mallika-e-Tarannum (Queen of Melody), chose to return to her birthplace, which now lay on the other side of the newly demarcated border, than stay on in India. The decision hurt many of her fans, one Lata Mangeshkar in particular.
As a personality, Noorjehan carried the same allure as Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe. Her voice, beauty and Urdu diction had made her a star in the early 1940s. In his book Manto-Nama, Sa'adat Hassan Manto says of the singer: 'She had such a pure voice, with such clear tone. I've always thought that if the girl wanted to, she could hold a single note for hours, like an acrobat who stands on a tightrope without slipping.'
Trained by Ustad Ghulam Mohammed, Noorjehan made her mark in cinema with films like Khandaan (1942), Naukar (1943) and Dost (1944). Her most memorable performances came in Badi Maa (1945), Anmol Ghadi (1946) and Jugnu (1947), her last film in India.
Around this time, Lata Mangeshkar was beginning to catch the attention of music legends everywhere. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Noorjehan's mentor, Master Ghulam Haider, had marked her for greatness.
Lata Mangeshkar idolized Noorjehan and often imitated the singing star's style during the early years of her career. The Dilip Kumar-Raj Kapoor starrer Andaz (1949) had Lata Mangeshkar singing 'Uthaaye Ja Unke Sitam' in a tone that was a pitch-perfect imitation of Noorjehan's singing style.
During the 1940s, the only time these two singers' paths crossed professionally was in the film Badi Maa (1945). Lata, then barely 16, had a tiny acting role, with younger sister Asha, alongside Noorjehan. The Nightingale of India would say later about Noorjehan: 'Everyone has role models. And I have no qualms about admitting that Noorjehan was mine. We listened to Noorjehan in childhood and grew with her notes in mind.'
But though a border separated them, the two singers always proclaimed love for each other's talents. An incident that reflects the connection between them occurred in 1951. Travelling through Amritsar for a recording, Lata Mangeshkar was seized by a desire to meet her idol. Noorjehan lived in Lahore, just a couple of hours on the other side of the border.
Immediately, calls were made to Noorjehan. Both singers spoke for hours on the phone, sharing tales, gossip, even songs, before the decision was made to meet in person. It would have been impossible for Mangeshkar to pull this off, but for her trusted colleague, music director C Ramchandra.
Filmdom is often rife with rumours of affairs and friendships, but that of C Ramchandra and Lata Mangeshkar remains among the more mysterious. As colleagues, they were perfect, but Mangeshkar trusted the composer more than she would any other colleague.
Once again, C Ramchandra came to her aid by calling in his contacts and setting up a meeting with the legendary singer. Since neither had permission to cross the border, the meeting was set up in that desolate place armies call 'no man's land'. It seems somehow apt that two legendary artistes could meet in a place that no government had claim over.
As Ramchandra described the event in his biography, 'Noorjahan came running and the two embraced each other like long-lost friends. Both were weeping. We who were witness to this divine meet were overwhelmed and could not stop the tears. Even soldiers on both sides of the border were weeping.
'After some time, they sat chatting. We had food. They had brought sweets from Lahore and us from India. Noorjahan’s husband was also there. I shall never forget this scene in my life. A great testimony to the fact that music can break any barrier. After a few hours, we returned with wet eyes but with a divine and unique experience indeed.'
Decades later, in 1982, Noorjehan was to visit Bombay again for a concert. Lata Mangeshkar performed in her honour, winning the former's praise. There is no telling whether Mangeshkar would have found the fame she did if Noorjehan had decided to stay back in India. But there is no doubt about the respect the two queens of melody had for each other.