/> The incredible singing phenomenon that she is, Lata Mangeshkar's craeer knows no full stops. This week Lataji recorded a song in the Nepali language composed by a Nepali composer Santosh Sharma. The song Phool banchi phool was recorded in Mumbai earlier this week.

Known for what is known in recording parlance as ‘pick-up' perfection, Lataji who possesses a penchant for grasping languages within no time, got a hang of the Nepali words within half an hour and the song was recorded within the next couple of hours.

Says the Nightingale shyly, "I was actually quite wary of recording after a longish gap, and that too in a language that I'm not familiar with. The last time I had recorded was the Gayatri Mantra, and that was some months ago.

But the Nepali gentleman Ram Krishna who is making the Nepali film wanted my voice. He recorded the song in his own voice and sent it to me in Mumbai. I heard him, rehearsed, and we recorded in Mayuresh Pai's studio. And then song was duly sent off. "

The only other Nepali song Lataji had sung was in 1966 for a Nepali film called Matighar.

Recalls Lataji, "That song Jun mato ma mero was special because it was written by King Mahendra of Nepal. It was composed by one of my favourite composers Jaidev. "

In her long and illustrious career Lataji has sung in 38 regional Indian and international languages. She even sang in English once. It was the Canadian Country singer Anne Murray's ballad ‘You Needed Me. '

Says Lataji, "I enjoy singing in every language, though I don't understand all of them. My only fear while singing in a regional language is that I shouldn't get the pronunciation wrong. Luckily for me no one has ever complained that I've got the accent or pronunciation wrong. "