It was August 1983, and India was still drinking in the glory of its historic cricket World Cup triumph at the Lord's, in the United Kingdom. However, beneath the euphoria was an odd fact—the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was financially strapped and had nothing to award the champions who had brought glory to the country. In fact, the players in the winning side had only received a modest initial payout.
BCCI's request to Lata
It was against this background that BCCI's administrator Raj Singh Dungarpur approached legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. Dungarpur approached Lata, known to be a passionate lover of cricket, to perform a special concert to raise money for the team. Lata Mangeshkar wholeheartedly accepted proposal.
Concert in Delhi
The concert, conducted in New Delhi on August 17, 1983 was popularly referred to as the "Freedom Concert" since it was staged just days after India's Independence day. The "Freedom Concert" was attended by huge crowds.
A special evening
That evening, Lata Mangeshkar not only performed her ageless songs but also paid a special cricketing tribute song that brought the audience to patriotic fervour.
She made the evening special, singing not only her timeless melodies but also a specially composed song "Bharat Vishwa Vijeta" alongside the cricketers. It was composed for the occasion by her brother, Hridaynath Mangeshkar.
This concert in Delhi became a musical and sporting festival, bringing together two of India's greatest passions, music and cricket.
Rewarding the winning team
The amount collected through Lata Mangeshkar's "Freedom Concert" in Delhi was so big that every member of Kapil Dev's Cricket World Cup winning team could take home ₹1 lakh each. This was a handsome amount in those days.
This concert by Lata Mangeshkar, and its success, especially in monetary terms, also demonstrated the way cultural icons could join hands to pay tribute to sports heroes when institutions failed.
A passionate cricket fan
Lata Mangeshkar remained a passionate cricket fan throughout her life. While in the 1980s Sunil Gavaskar was known to be her favourite cricketer, later she expressed similar admiration for Master Blaster Sachin Tandulkar.
The cricketers too reciprocated with a lot of respect for the legendary artist. In fact, Sachin Tendulkar used to call Lata Mangeshkar 'Aai,' that mother in Marathi.
Disclaimer: This article has been curated by Paperclip. All claims and opinions expressed belong to the original author. Hook does not verify or endorse the information presented and is not responsible for its accuracy.
