Mumbai, Apr 24: Asha Bhosle was a true conversationalist and always curious about everything happening around her, be it AI or Instagram, according to the singer’s grandson, who believes his grandmother touched every Indian’s life in some way or the other.
Bhosle died on April 12 at the age of 92. She was one of the greatest playback singers in the Hindi film industry with over 12,000 songs to her credit in different languages.
Her grandson Chin2 Bhosle said the family is still grappling with the loss as they focus on celebrating her extraordinary life full of achievements.
“She was interested in everything. About AI, music. Instagram, Facebook…. she was so fascinated (by social media) that she can talk to the people directly. She always had a zest about what is happening in the world… She always was a little positive about it…
“She was never closed to an idea, so as a conversationalist, there was so much to talk about and there was so much that she wanted to understand. If she was in the mood, she would talk about her life, her songs, she would sing songs from the 1940s,” Chin2 told PTI in an interview.
Bhosle was a recipient of Padma Vibhushan and winner of many National and international honours. Asked whether she should have received Bharat Ratna like her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, Chin2 said his grandmother’s contribution to music is beyond such titles and don’t define her impact.
“These are just titles, beautiful titles, fantastic, very honourable titles, but I would not look at her any differently. I don’t think anybody in this country would look at her any differently whether she was or wasn’t given these titles or honours because I know it’s impossible that she didn’t touch your life, in some form or the other. An award or a title doesn’t take away from that, so, I think it’s cool,” he said.
Her death has been hard on the family and in this time of grief, they have just banded together, Chin2 said.
“You walk into the house and you want to go in and say ‘hi’, you want to go and give her a hug and she’s not there anymore… We’re meeting, chatting and we’re laughing. We are trying to celebrate her life more than mourn her loss. Her loss will always be very deep and personal but we are trying to celebrate her life and I think we’re succeeding because she has left such a legacy to celebrate.”
Chin2 is the son of Hemant Bhosle, who died in 2015. Bhosle has two other grandchildren — Zanai and Ranjai from younger son Anand Bhosle.
Recalling the personal bond that he shared with Bhosle, Chin2 said she treated him like a friend and was known for her affectionate and generous nature.
“We could talk about things you would talk to a friend about, anything under the sun. She always spoiled everyone, not just me. If you liked something, she will endeavor to make it happen. If you saw something, she would pick it up and surprise you with it. If somebody was passionate about something and if she could further ignite that passion into happiness, she was at it,” he said.
Known for her love of food and hospitality, the singer also had a deep passion for cooking, he said, sharing a personal anecdote.
“Her food was amazing. She loved cooking, she had restaurants also. It’s a natural extension of her and she would go to this Lalbagh market at Parel, I have been with her once to buy spices. She would go there and personally argue. I loved being spoiled. When she asked, ‘What do you want to eat?’, I said, ‘Mutton. Mutton biryani was my most favourite’,” he disclosed.
Chin2, who is also a member of the band “Band Of Boys”, said he initially avoided speaking about his relationship with the iconic singer, a decision that once drew her disapproval.
“After a couple of years into Band of boys, she actually heard an interview of mine once, unfortunately and somebody asked me, ‘so Bhosle, are you related to Asha ji’, I said, ‘if my name was Clinton, could I be Bill Clinton’s relative’… She scolded me and said, ‘Do you feel shy to say you’re my grandson?’ She told me she saw this interview,” he recalled.
Chin2 said he did not wants things to be easy just because he was Asha Bhosle’s grandson. Chin2 has now ventured into the SRGMs (Sargam) initiative, which introduces music to children through performance, characters and storytelling.
As tributes pour in from across the world, Chin2 said he has dedicated two songs, “Chalte Chlate” and “Main Chala” as personal homage for his grandmother. (PTI)
