“Today’s music doesn’t connect with me. The lyrics lack depth that the old songs had,” said singer Sangeeta Melekar, who was in Chandigarh to perform at Tagore Theatre recently.Melekar started her career at the age of 12 after she was discovered while singing a bhajan at a school event. She received training in classical music under the guidance of Pandit Shivanand Patil and Manohar Chimote. She has collaborated with and sang in presence of many great artistes like SP Balasubrahmanyam.“Three-four months prior to SP ji’s death, he was the Chief Guest to a show I was performed in. The show was a tribute to Mohammad Rafi. He was to sing Rafi Sahab’s songs. I was in the green room, eager to listen to him singing, when he asked for ‘the girl who was just performed’ to sing with him.” she shared recalling one of the high points of her career. Melekar has performed in more than 2000 shows in the 35 years of her career. “I didn’t expect my singing career to go this long. It’s destiny,” she said.Her inspirations have been the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi. Melekar started her YouTube channel in 2021.She has worked for unprivileged children and their education. “I and my family follow ISKON path, and this is just me giving back to the society – Seva and service is what I’ve always believed in,” she said.