Anyone who knows playback singer Udit Narayan even remotely knows him to be a god-fearing, decent soul. The scandal that has broken out in Patna with a woman claiming to be his first wife has shattered the popular singer's morale.

"It is so sad and shameful," Narayan told IANS in an interview. "I don't know how to cope with this blatant lie that has been thrust into my life.

"I am a man from a decent Brahmin family in Nepal. I started my career singing at fairs and small entertainment joints for as little as 25 paise and 50 paise. I am a self-made man, with only my wife Deepa to support me. I never courted any controversy, never had any kind of slur on my name.

"I can't tell you how this has saddened me. I have begun to feel I am being punished for some wrong I have done in my earlier life. I have always wanted to be counted among spotless playback singers like Mohammad Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor and Manna Dey. I wanted today's generation to think of Udit Narayan as a man of integrity and honesty, qualities that I'd like to think show up in my singing."

He recollects the nightmare.

"I had gone last week to Patna to attend my niece's wedding. I returned from Holland and immediately went for the wedding. I wanted to take along my friends from the film industry. But there was no time."

He categorically denies knowing the woman Ranjana Jha who claims to be his first wife.

"It's been 26 years since I have been in Mumbai. Why has this kind of a scandal come my way now? If the lady claims she's Udit Narayan's wife, why did she come to the hotel where I was staying in Patna with mediapersons and musclemen? Approximately 150 people descended on the hotel where I was staying in Patna. Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

He gets discernibly upset.

"I had just returned to the hotel after the wedding at 6 a.m. I had barely slept for two hours. My mind had stopped working. I thought the hotel was under siege. Fortunately, my wife Deepa was with me. Otherwise I'd have probably died of shock. I have always received nothing but people's love and best wishes. Nothing in life had prepared me for such an attack."

The singer totally dismissed Ranjana's claims.

"People can stoop to such levels of deception! That lady claims she had met me two years ago. But I haven't been to my native village for six years. The area was too disturbed. Today the regime in Bihar has changed, so the situation is better."

Dismissing Ranjana's pictorial evidence of their marriage as fudged, Narayan said: "The lady has no proof that I have had any communication with her. It is very wrong of her to make such wild claims in the media."

"I belong to Mithila. Our culture and values have a special place in my heart. My parents have taught me that according to our culture, looking at any man or woman with anything but full respect and decorum is unthinkable.

"By the grace of god I have thousands of fans all over the world. I have never deceived, ditched or demeaned anyone in my life. How could this lady accuse me of such unbecoming conduct?"

Narayan has no idea why the woman is making these claims.

"I can only make a guess as to why I am being maligned in this way. Udit Narayan is the one person in the entertainment industry who has a blameless name. Maybe some people are jealous of me.

"I am a low-profile person. I never court media. I have never had any encounter with the legal system. But now my lawyers are on the job to get me out of this ugly accusation."

Narayan has many exciting things happening in his career.

"I have produced two Bhojpuri films. One is 'Kab Hoyebi Gauna Hamaar', which was shot in Mauritius. It was a period film. Now my second Bhojpuri film 'Kab Kahbaw Tu I Love You' is almost ready. It has been shot in Gorakhpur and Darjeeling."

Narayan has also been a leading man in regional cinema.

"But now my career as a singer plus such unwanted problems gives me no time. I have never demanded anything from anyone. And yet today life is making these unfair demands on me."

As a playback singer Narayan seems to have reached a plateau. But he disagrees.

"Music has no limits. After 60 years of singing and being accepted by the whole world as the 'Nightingale of India', Lata-ji (Mangeshkar) still wants to sing better. I want to sing better songs with a variety of music directors."

He admits there is an unhealthy competition among the singers in Mumbai.

"But I believe in god and I believe in myself. I have never forgotten my humble beginnings. My father wanted me to become a doctor or an engineer. But I only wanted to sing. I was a folk singer for a monthly fee of Rs.150 on radio. I came to Mumbai in 1978 and struggled for the next 10 years."

While his colleagues have taken a cue from singing greats like Rafi and Kishore Kumar, Udit remains an original.

"I am their fan. But fortunately I didn't end up imitating the legends. Today when 'Indian Idol' winner Sandeep Acharya openly admits he idolizes me, I feel so privileged. I have come a long way. The last thing I need is scandals and controversies."

Narayan's affable son Aditya Narayan is now 19. "He has just left for London for further studies. He's got an aptitude for both singing and acting. And I leave it to him to decide what he wants to do. He started singing at five with hit songs like 'But I love you daddy' in 'Akele Hum Akele Tum' where he sang with me and 'Chhota bachcha' in 'Masoom'.

"He acted in films like 'Pardes' and 'Jab Pyaar Kissi Se Hota Hai'. He is ready for a career in acting as well. Now that he is in London I do miss him. He is my only son. And he's an angel. He can only be the result of my good karma. To have got a son like Aditya and a wife like Deepa is indeed my biggest blessing.

"Please let me state there's only one lady in my life. And that's Deepa."