- Asha Bhosle passed away on April 12 after chest infection treatment at Breach Candy Hospital
- She began her singing career in 1943 at age 10 with the Marathi film song Chala Chala Nav Bala
- Early recording sessions faced disruptions from crows, vehicles, and passing trains in Mumbai
Legendary singer Asha Bhosle is no more. The singer breathed her last on Sunday, April 12. She was admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday due to a chest infection. She was shifted to the ICU last night. She was 92.
Having a career spanning over eight decades, the legendary singer had once recalled how technology severely lacked back in the day when she started her career, marvelling at how advanced it is now.
When Asha Bhosle Was 'Trembling' The First Time She Held A Mic
The first song that Asha Bhosle recorded was Chala Chala Nav Bala in the Marathi film Majha Bala in 1943, when she was just 10 years old.
Recalling how she was trembling, she said, "When I recorded my first song, I was 10 years old. I had to sing this song standing in front of the mic and I was trembling at that time, because I did not know anything then. My father had recorded his songs. Then when I sang the first song, I felt that I can sing. Didi does not only sing, I can also sing."
When Her Recordings Were Interrupted
In an interview with Republic Media Network, Asha Bhosle had said, "Andheri mein inside the Mohan Studio, sets were not as empty and the shooting was going on everywhere in Mumbai. The recording was set up in a way that I was standing in the open, with a mic hanging from a tree. Inside the orchestra and the musicians had set up in the studio. We recorded the song till 4 am in the morning."
She continued: "The crows came and cawed and the recording was interrupted. Soon after, the vehicles started to ply and that interrupted the session. The train also began to roll... When the train used to pass through, we used to pause and then begin back the entire recording process. That is how we managed. It was a tough time."
About Asha Bhosle
Some of her legendary tracks include Piya Tu Ab To Aaja, Jaiye Aap Kahan Jayenge, Rangeela Re, and Sharara Sharara.
Asha Bhosle was a singer for the masses. Clearly so. At one time, she could record a raunchy cabaret song like "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" (Caravan, 1971) and suddenly go into hippie mode with "Dum Maro Dum" (Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1971). In ghazals like "In Aankhon Ki Masti" and "Dil Cheez Kya Hai" (Umrao Jaan, 1981), she once again surprised singers as she dug deep into her technical aspects and emotional depth.
As time passed, at 62, she collaborated with AR Rahman for "Rangeela Re" (Rangeela, 1995), clearly showcasing that she moved with the times and the generation.