/> The 82-year old Assamese veteran composer Bhupen Hazarika whose health has been rapidly declining had an unexpected surprise on his birthday on 8 September.

He received a message from the Nightingale saying she wanted to meet him.Not too many people get such an invitation from the Nightingale.

"Dada (Bhupen Hazarika) and Lata Didi go back a long long way. She has sung for him in Assamese Bengali and Hindi. And Dada simply adores her. When he got the message from Didi it was like a signal from Heaven. Thet met after decades, " says Bhupen Hazarika's protégée and companion, filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi.

The two stalwarts frail and yet indomitable, met at Lataji's residence at Prabhu Kunj a day before Ganesh Visarjan.

Says Kalpana, "The meeting was so emotional so genuine, I broke down. Didi was so concerned about Dada's failing health.

She offered all help for him at her hospital in Pune. She also said, 'Dada, the film industry is falling apart. People like you and I are becoming legacies of the past.' It was a meeting that Dada, who has always had a very soft corner for Didi, will carry with him forever.

On the way back from the meeting he told me, 'I'm so blessed to have been born in and shared a unique friendship with the unique Lata Mangeshkar in both the 20th and 21st centuries."

What remained unstated was, that this was probably the last time the two musical geniuses were meeting.

Celebrations for Lataji's 79th birthday came to a sad standstill on Sunday when singer Mahendra Kapoor passed a day before.

Says a friend very close to the family, "Every year Lataji is reminded of the passing forth of the golden era. It's not easy thing for her to see all those colleagues and co-singers whom she worked with pass her by.This is why she decided to meet Bhupen Hazarika. Shayad phir iss janam mein mulaqat ho na ho....."

To make it worse mediapersons insisted on getting her soundbytes and condolences on Mahendra Kapoor on her birthday.A task to which she proved equal.But it surely broke her heart.