It was 2015, he had just won his first Grammy, and the phone rang. Ricky Kej answered the call to hear a congratulations from what sounded like a 16-year-old introducing herself as Lata. Who Lata, Kej went on to ask.
And the response came, "I am a singer ." It was, of course, Lata Mangeshkar , the music legend through the ages and modest to a fault. That call, beginning with confusion about identity, is one of Kej's most cherished memories.
It was also the beginning of a beautiful friendship. "This happened in 2015 after I won my first Grammy award. I landed in Bangalore and got a call from an unknown number in Mumbai.
'Hello, is this Ricky?' I said, 'Yeah'. She said, 'I wanted to congratulate you on winning your Grammy award '. I'm like, 'Who is this?' She's like, 'I'm Lata'.
I'm like, 'Who Lata?' She's like, 'I'm a singer'. I said, 'How do you get my phone number? Who gave you my phone number'?" Recalling every detail of the conversation, Kej told PTI that at this point her manager took the phone from Mangeshkar to clear the confusion. " 'Hello Ricky, I'm Mahesh.
I'm Lata ji's manager and this is Lata Mangeshkar'. He gave back the phone to her. I told her, 'You sound like a 16-year-old'.
She started laughing and said, 'Everyone says the same. I sound very young'. I told her, 'Next time, don't say you are Lata, a singer.
You are much more than that'," Kej said. The Bangalore-based classical musician, who has won three Grammys, said he also learnt during their conversation th.