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In his memoir One Train Later, Andy Summers, the guitarist for the legendary rock band The Police, recounts how he was mesmerised by Piya Tose Naina Lage Naa, sung by Lata Mangeshkar in the 1965 classic movie, Guide.

Summers, who published his brilliantly written, it is entirely in the present tense, and filled with wit, humour, and admirable grasp of the nuances of storytelling, memoir two years ago, describes how he heard the song at the end of the sixties on acid.

He described that Lata’s voice as incomparable, and notes that he was so enamoured with the song, composed by Sachin Dev Burman, that he recorded it with British Asian singer Najma Akhtar later in his career.

As we are talking about The Police’s India connection, Summers described that his first gig in Mumbai with hilarious detail. Apparently, the group, which hit the big time in 1979, embarked on their first world tour without set gigs. In Mumbai, their manager contacted a Parsi ladies’ club, and they agreed to host The Police at Rang Bhavan.

Summers said that one of the organisers, an old Parsi lady, had to be hospitalised during the show; not because of the volume, but because the front-row organisers suffered in the fans’ stampede towards the stage, and The Police sent her a get well message and flowers.

Posted in: Memorable Scene |