Goodbye, Asha-ji

I am saddened to learn of the passing of Asha Bhosle in Mumbai Sunday morning. She was 92.

Asha-ji, I thought, was the most versatile of the three sisters, though Lata was the more famous and prolific. Asha had a fan-following even among non-Indians. I got to know that from a roommate at UC Berkeley.

It was in the mid-1990s. One evening at dinner, I mentioned to my housemate, W, that I was in touch with the daughter of a very famous playback singer in India. W, a mid-Western American, was doing his mathematics PhD. He is arguably the smartest mathematician I have ever met. I had to explain to him what a playback singer was and so on. I said that the two sisters Asha and Lata were really awesome singers.

In a few hours he came over to my room to say that the name Asha rang a bell. He recalled a pop song he’d heard. (W was a whiz with the internet and all sorts of electronics.) He’d found the song: “A brimful of Asha.” He’d downloaded the song. Note that this was before the days of Google and YouTube. He must have found it on Napster.

Just now I searched and found it on YouTube. In the notes to the song it says, “This original Brimful of Asha was part of Spin Magazines No.1 Album of The Year, & also No.1 in John Peels, BBC Festive 50 – high praise.”

Here is the song, for the record. I don’t much care for it.

Asha-ji was not just a great singer but she was also a good person. Let’s listen to one of her thousands of songs. When I like any Hindi movie song, I studiously avoid watching the movie scene in which it appears. I don’t want the image in my mind to be corrupted by stupid dancing. I suggest listening to the song with eyes firmly shut.

Om Shanti, Asha-ji. May you attain moksha but in case you don’t, may your next birth be as much of a gift as this one was.

Asha Bhosle’s Career Highlights from an AI:

• • • Recorded over 12,000 songs in various Indian languages over eight decades.
    • Received multiple accolades, including two National Film Awards and nine Filmfare Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.
    • Honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Vibhushan, India’s highest civilian honor.
    • Recognized as the most recorded artist in music history by the Guinness Book of World Records.
    • Collaborated with renowned composers like Rahul Dev Burman, producing some of the most enduring recordings in Hindi film history.
    • Asha Bhosle’s contributions to Indian cinema and music have left an indelible mark on the industry, and her legacy continues to inspire new generations of artists and listeners alike.