"What has to happen happens in its own time. I feel nothing should come to a human being easily," Mangeshkar said from London, where she had flown on a vacation hours before the award was announced on Jan. 25.

"I consider it the highest honor of the land. Bharat Ratna ke baad to kuch bacha hi nahin ab (Now there is nothing left after the Bharat Ratna)," Mangeshkar told India Abroad News Service in a telephone interview.

She said she felt gratified that the award came to her just after her father's birth centenary. "It must be because of my father's blessings," Mangeshkar, 71, said. "How happy he would have been if he were alive today. He taught me how to sing."

Following are excerpts from the interview:

Q. How did you get to know about the Bharat Ratna?

A. My niece called and told me about it. I left Mumbai for London on Jan. 24, after wrapping up recordings with my brother, Hridayanath Mangeshkar, and A.R. Rahman.

Q. How does it feel to receive the Bharat Ratna?

A. For me, the greatest excitement is the fact that my father's birth centenary was in December, and I got the award in January. It must be because of my father's blessings. Even my mother always wanted the best for me. She saw me achieve a lot during her lifetime. But my father did not see me achieve anything. How happy he would have been if he was alive today. He taught me how to sing.

Other than that, I want to thank everyone who has helped me in my education as an artist. But most of all, I want to thank the public who have allowed me to sing for 58 years. They have been listening to my songs for so many years and have never stopped praying for me and blessing me. I feel it is their prayers that have translated into the Bharat Ratna. I consider it is the highest honor of the land. There is no greater award that I could possibly get after this.

Q. Everyone here says you should have got the award years ago.

A. Yes, people are saying that. But I feel fate plays a great hand in human life. What has to happen happens in its own time. I feel nothing should come to a human being easily. If that happens, a person loses her head. Though I must admit I have never got carried away by appreciation or praise. I have never considered myself an extraordinary singer. Pride is the downfall of any artist.

Q. Are you happy?

A. Very happy. What makes me really happy is that the Bharat Ratna comes from the Indian government. Even if the government of India presented me with a flower it would have been the equivalent of the Bharat Ratna for me. It is truly a great honor.

Q. What do you feel about renowned shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan winning the Bharat Ratna with you?

A. Khan Sahib deserves it. In fact, there are so many artists who deserve to be similarly honored. I am so glad Bismillah Khan Sahib has got the award. I would have liked to see him win it even earlier. I have known and admired him for many years. I have seen him at many concerts. He has also performed at my father's death anniversary. He has visited us at our home. He is a very simple and good-hearted soul.

Q. What are the changes you have witnessed in the film music industry?

A. Earlier heroines like Meena Kumari, Nargis and Madhubala were of my age. Some heroines like Madhubala and Saira Banu even mentioned in their contracts that only Lata should sing for them. That was a different era. Today, I learn how to sing a tune from composers like A.R.Rahman, Anu Malik and Jatin-Lalit, exactly the way I learned from senior composers. I never try to exercise my will over them.

Q. What are your future plans?

A. I want to concentrate on nonfilm albums. My album of bhajans (devotional songs) composed by my brother Hridayanath is almost complete. I will continue doing whatever is feasible at my age.