Asha Bhosle reminisced the time when she single-handedly managed home, children and recorded seven songs a day. In an hour-long session, she spoke about milestones in her life and career, training her granddaughter to be the next ‘Asha Bhosle’ and desire to learn computers. Samiksha Raj reports
At 81, she exudes the verve of an 18-year-old. Dressed in a plain beige sari complete with a pearl necklace, her face beamed like a vivacious, young go-getter. Within couple of seconds, Asha Bhosle was chatting with the young ladies like a dear friend. She admitted that it’s easy for her to connect with the youth. She said, “My relationship with youngsters dates back to 1956 when I recorded the song Eena Meena Deeka which was my first successful stint in playback singing. While some elders expressed their displeasure, it was the young lot of the country who supported that rock and roll number.”
The artiste who has recorded over 14,000 songs till date is undoubtedly a great inspiration for a million music enthusiasts. In a life spanning over six decades, she has now become a goddess-like figure for women from all across the nation who look up to her for motivation. In an event organised by the FICCI ladies’ Organisation (FlO), titled Embark, Endure, Emerge: A New India, the debut event of Young FICCI ladies’ Organisation (YFlO), Bhosle was in attendance to address the cause of ‘women empowerment.’
Amidst a gathering of spirited ladies from diverse spheres, Bhosle opened up on chapters from her life with an intention to strengthen and empower women. She recalled her early childhood days when her father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, had a theatre and all her family members were actively involved in it. But sudden demise of her father (Bhosle was nine-year-old then) brought a lot of misery to the family of six. “The responsibility to rescue our family from such testing times came on didi (lata Mageshkar) and me and hence, we set off on our journey into the music industry. I recorded my first song in 1943 when I was 10 in Kolhapur and in 1947 I forayed into playback singing,” she shared.
She added that the period of 1947 in the Indian music industry was very challenging for her personally as it was the era ruled by stalwarts like Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum, Noor Jahan and “Himalaya jaisi” lata Mangeshkar.
In her journey so far, Bhosle has seen it all — numerous joyous moments interspersed with a scupper here and there. But through all this, what remained undeterred was her confidence and will power which continues to be unchanged even today.
“Whenever I am in despair I move up to a wall in my room that has the words of lord Krishna etched on it, ‘Tum kya leke aaye the aur kya leke jaoge...’ it gives me inspiration. Maine bohot si chalaangein maari hain and dekhiye main aagey nikal gayi (I faced tough times and achieved what I wanted). Everyone should do something unique, something you haven’t done before and if there’s anything that you desire to achieve you should just go for it,” she said.
She said her determination helped her be the perfect daughter, wife and mother. The singer brought up her three children single-handedly and managed work and home simultaneously. She shared, “I used to take short breaks of 10-15 minutes to rush back home and check on my kids and if they were hungry I would immediately cook for them. Then I would return to the studio to continue recording till three in the morning because work was also important.” She used to wake up early for riyaaz, cooking, managing bills of the family. She recorded over seven songs in a day to earn a living in Mumbai. “Holidays and festivals” didn’t exist for her then but despite the odds she was resolute to overcome the challenges and emerge victorious on both personal and professional fronts.
“Even today I stand firm and confident to perform continuously for three hours,” said Bhosle.
She added that today she finds her strength and support in her youngest son, Anand, whom she calls her “backbone”. “Once my son spotted me limping in pain due to arthritis to which he reacted by saying that he has always seen me walking upright and he’ll leave the house if I will walk like that. These words affected me deeply and today whenever I am in pain I am reminded of those words which give me strength to march ahead.”
The reason that at 81, Bhosle can still sing like a 16-year-old is her belief that “what one possesses or is god-gifted should be nurtured and honed forever to keep going in the long run.”
Bhosle is also known for her culinary skills. She shared that Raj Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor (Daboo), Rishi Kapoor (Chintu) would often ask her to cook a special meal for them.
The melody queen keeps herself updated with modern trends. She wasn’t reluctant to walk the ramp with actresses like Priyanka Chopra. Now she is looking forward to learn to operate computers.
She also voiced her concern on the lack of meaningful lyrics in recent times and how children today lack the zest to learn and are not willing to abstain from things they like in order to achieve their target.
Bhosle praised her 12-year-old granddaughter, Zanai, who also performed with her at one of the music award functions recently. She wants to groom her in playback singing. “She has a wonderful voice — a mix of mine and lata didi. I want to prepare her as a singer,” she said.
While she was ending the discussion, she mentioned that learning a martial art has become essential for the safety of women. “In today’s world, moving out of the house alone is not very safe for women, hence, learning a martial art is a necessity,” she said.
With emotions outpouring and many a moist eyes in the assembly, it was proven once again that Asha Bhosle is not just an enchantress of euphonious tunes but of heart-warming words as she signed off, “Aap log hain toh Asha hai…Asal me toh Asha aap hain.”
photos Pankaj Kumar