Saira Banu sheds light on brotherly love of Dilip Kumar for Lata Mangeshkar

Mumbai, Aug 9 (IANS) Veteran actress Saira Banu is taking a stroll down the memory lane. On Saturday, the actress took to her Instagram, and shared two throwback pictures of her late husband Dilip Kumar and the late singer Lata Mangeshkar.

She penned a long note in the caption, as she talked about the sibling bond between the two legendary artists. The actress also spoke about the incident when Dilip Kumar persuaded the late singer to polish her Urdu language.

She wrote, “Rakshabandhan, a thread so delicate, yet strong enough to hold a lifetime of love. For Dilip Kumar, the Kohinoor of Indian cinema, and Lata Mangeshkar, the nightingale of India, this day was sacred. No matter how busy life became, how far their work took them, they never missed the ritual. Year after year, Lataji would tie the sacred thread on Sahib’s wrist, sealing it with prayers and affection. In return, I would send her a brocade sari, chosen to her taste a gesture of gratitude for the bond they so dearly cherished”.

She further mentioned, “Their relationship wasn’t bound by fame, but by countless shared moments from travelling together in Mumbai’s local trains to exchanging life lessons. On one such journey, Sahib gently guided his younger sister on the beauty of Urdu, teaching her that even the smallest nukta could transform the elegance of a word”.

The actress shared that the singer took the actor’s advice to heart, found an Urdu tutor, and gifted the world songs of flawless diction.

“Sahab introduced her at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London with quiet pride, ‘Ye meri chhoti si behen bohot mukhtasar si, main inhein introduce karne aaya hoon’. The audience roared, not just for the star before them, but for the love in his voice. From the first Rakhi to the last time she visited and lovingly fed him with her own hands, their bond never wavered in joy, in illness, in every season of life. This Rakshabandhan, their story reminds us that the threads may be thin, but the love they hold can be monumental”, she added.

--IANS

aa/