Anirudha Bhattacharjee is a Distinguished Alumnus Awardee of IIT Kharagpur, India, a Business Consultant by profession and the author of R D Burman: The Man the Music (2011), which won the National Book Award for best book on cinema; Gaata Rahe Mera Dil (2015); S D Burman: The Prince-Musician (2018); and Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography (2022). Chandrashekhar Rao has been a regular contributor to Khaleej Times and Gulf News, among others, where he conducted interviews with several luminaries of Indian music, from Pandit Ravi Shankar to Lata Mangeshkar.

• Who is Lata Mangeshkar?Lata Mangeshkar and LP records – a storyDocumenting the albumNomenclature and sources used in the book.Getting startedMusic DirectorLyricist1. In the beginningMaster Ghulam Haider – the melody queen makerMasterji – Khemchand PrakashAnil Biswas – the first star2. The TrailblazersShankar Jaikishan – the allrounders3. The ClassicistsNaushad – the “Lucknavi” masterSachin Dev Burman – the Folkman from BengalRoshan - ode to Hindustani classicalJaidev – the fakir4. The ConventionalHusnlal Bhagatram – Punjab celebratedShyam Sundar – Pathos of PunjabVasant Desai – soft and colourful5. The UnconventionalC Ramchandra – music is funSalil Chowdhury – the geniusSajjad Hussain – the perfectionist6. The Tearful CravingMadan Mohan –closest to the heart7. The Trailblazers - IIRahul Dev Burman – the modernistLaxmikant Pyarelal – the born survivors8. The Subdued Nuances Hemant Kumar - friendly notesKhayyam – poetic feelRajesh Roshan - relaxed gaitGhulam Mohammed - Pure heart9. The Less SpokenChitragupta- the gentle soulS Mohinder – solitary reaper10. The Lesser HeardHridaynath Mangeshkar – familyFayyaz Shaukat & K Mahavir – lesser knowns11. The Last SongRavindra Jain – Raj Kapoor’s last magnum opus12. Summing UpAcknowledgementsIndex