Back in the 1940s, Ghulam Haider had heard of a new singer called Lata Mangeshkar. He was about to migrate to Pakistan. He had given me the first prize at a music competition, as a child, and I respected him a lot. He called me, recorded a song, and played it for [producer] S Mukherjee, who found my voice too thin.

To this, Masterji supposedly said, 'Reject her today. But one day, you will chase her to sing for you.' He took me under his wings.

The first song I sang for him was Angrezi mera chora. Then, [composers] Anil Biswas and Khemchand Prakash asked me to sing for them. Their Aayega aanewala (Mahal) and Anilda's Woh din kahan gaye bataa in Tarana are unforgettable.

In 1947, many of my successful songs were released. At the risk of sounding immodest, I'd like to say that these