Lata Mangeshkar's nephew Baiju revisits the works of Kabir

Lata ji wanted me to do an album in our national language Hindi and of our revered poets or poetsaints When I began composing and recording this album I kept this a secret since I wanted to surprise her with the final product Alas That was not meant to berdquo laments Baiju Mangeshkar of his admired aunt the late Lata Mangeshkar Honouring her desire he presents Man Mast Kabira a collection of 10 songs that revisit the works of KabirIn this interview he highlights why the poetrsquos simplicity resonated with himWhy did you decide to revive the works of Kabir and how will this serve as a tribute to the legacy of the MangeshkarsLata ji was keen that I work on an album devoted to a poetsaint like Kabir She was fond of the works of a lot of poets and all the wonderful people that she had the great opportunity of working with including Sahir sahab Ludhianvi and Majrooh Sultanpuri Kabir chose me I didnrsquot choose Kabir It was destiny I have worked on spiritual music in the past primarily in Punjabi and Urdu I have composed and sung the works of Punjabi and Sufi saints Kabirrsquos work is similar and is called Nirguni bhajans and philosophical songs Kabirrsquos thoughts resonated with me Lata ji and my father Hridaynath Mangeshkar have released some amazing spiritual compositions too Also I love Kabirrsquos simplicity His Hindi is easy to understand and his thoughts are clear Hence it is convenient for a layperson to comprehend it Also his work is timeless The things he wrote in the 15th century are relevant even today Humankind hasnrsquot changed that much Their complexities egos and feelings of discrimination are still prevalent Kabir addresses all of that This album honours the Mangeshkar family because I am a thirdgeneration artiste Also this album has been made in collaboration with Saregama our relationship goes back 80 glorious yearsAlso ReadTuesday Trivia This is the ticket of the film in which the late Lata Mangeshkar had actedHow do you plan to integrate the kind of music that the Mangeshkars have been known for with his poemsThe crux of the songs is Hindustani ragas and folk So the essence of the album is Hindustani The members of the Mangeshkar family have been torchbearers of Hindustani music So it was a natural process to make something with a touch of classical musicHow did you arrive at the selection of songs and your approach to reviving themI have tried to capture the myriad moods of Kabir and have used various ragas something that Lata di had said leads to the making of an interesting album The songs encapsulate various thoughts mdash They are philosophical spiritual devotional and also geets with dohas It is a fragrant bouquet If one song required an uptempo rhythm another needed a folk tune Some are sad songs some are melancholic I have enjoyed the various shades in this album I havenrsquot chosen any song that isnrsquot popular The poetry used in this album has been sung and interpreted by different artistes across different times