Asha Bhosle – Born Anew

Jahan mein aisa kaun hai
Ki jisko gham mila nahin…

A thoughtful and practical line by Sahir Ludhianvi, rendered so convincingly by Asha Bhosle that it almost pacifies you immediately. And you start thinking about one of the biggest realities of life – there is no one on this earth who hasn’t faced grief or sorrow. Yet, ironically, this was sung by a woman who faced multiple griefs in her lifetime. What an irony!
Her daughter Varsha Bhosle, in a moving piece which she wrote about her mother, gives us a glimpse of that life. There was a time when Asha had to sing not because she loved music, but because the family depended on what she earned. Her husband ill-treated her, abused her and yet expected her to keep singing and bringing home the money. She was even locked up in a room so that she could practise and become a better singer, because her voice had to become their livelihood.

She further writes about how Asha, while pregnant with her third child, finally decided that she had had enough. She left her marital home, leaving behind everything she had earned — her money, bungalow, car and even her clothes — and returned to her mother’s home. She then had to rebuild her life from scratch, while raising three children and working harder than ever. She faced the gham, carried it within herself and still stood in front of the microphone to sing. But then there was the industry which was prejudiced. She was labelled and often reduced to certain kinds of songs, even as she was trying to establish herself as a singer in her own right. The industry had labelled Asha as the fallen woman.

Well known Marathi author G N Dandekar, also known as गो नी दांडेकर, had once written about Asha Bhosle – “ती ज्वालामुखी आहे. वर हिरवळ बहरलेली. आत असह आग. दिसतं, ऐकू येतं, ते काही तिचं खरं रूप न्हवे. तिच्या हलक्या फुलक्या गीतांवरून कुणी तिची परीक्षा करू नयेत” – which translates to – “She’s a volcano. She might look like those serene, green pastures on the outer surface. But she has that intense fire within. Do not judge her by some of the frivolous songs she has sung”. True to those words, Asha Bhosle must have rumbled within while facing all those moments in life. But she never erupted. She quietly, steadily and rebelliously converted that energy into discipline and then into her music. And what luminous energy she became! She poured herself and her different shades into all those songs she sang. She carried the fire, not to burn anything but to light up the world with her songs, flaming it up in a poetic way.

Steady Flame – A quiet listener, she endured everything and in silence. Just as her rendition of Ab ke baras bhej bhaiyya ko babul or Aage bhi jaane na tu…. A sustained emotional line, just a gentle insistence.

Roaring Flame – Hungry and untamed, she devours not just the wood but everything around it. That’s how she calls out loud – Piya tuuuuu ab toh aaja or Tumhara naam kya hai? Leena, Meena, Anju, Manju yaaaaaaa Madhu…rare controlled intensity.

Dancing Flame – She is grace in motion. Her every note curves and choreographs itself. Rhythm, moment and mischief, all rolled into one. That’s how she gracefully swirls with Aaiye meherban, baithiye jaane jaan…or goes teasingly airborne with Jo bhi chahe kahiyeeee, jo bhi chaahe kahiyeeee……she flirts with the fire.

Flickering Flame – Playful words masking a tremor beneath. With desire that already knows how to distance with warmth and veiled restraint. That’s how she comes out with Nigahein milane ko jee chaahta hai….or playfully slips into Jaaiye aap kahan jaayenge….fragile and alive with hesitation.

Sudden Spark – A quick flash. Bright and gone before it settles. That’s how she steals the show when she sings the miniscule version of Yun toh humnein laakh haseen dekhein hain, tumsa nahin dekha….or just those two lines in the end – Sar pe rakh ke paanv hum, nau do gyarah ho liye…..You can’t miss her brief, illuminating presence because she makes an instant connection with melodic glint.

Dying Embers – Her voice is almost withdrawn as the emotions just survive. Where nothing is left but some afterglow and residue. She aesthetically aligns with feelings when she sings – Jab chali thandi hawa, jab uthi kaali ghata….or when she carries the quiet ache of Mera kuchh saaman, tumhare paas padaa hai…A plea that already knows its own futility, like a breeze stirring the half dead embers.

A woman who had known hardships since her childhood days became carefree in one song, sensuous in another, sincere in one or completely vulnerable in the other. She could laugh, tease, flirt, yearn, ache and grieve within a span of a few minutes. As if every song gave her another life to live. She was born anew with every song she sang. One lifetime but countless rebirths through countless songs.
Though she was not very well educated, she etched out an entire world of herself. Independent and liberated. Her journey was rather an uphill battle. She entered the film industry in the late ‘40s, when the dynamics of HFM were undergoing a seismic shift not to forget the constant comparison with her own formidable sister. Though they were completely different in everything they did.
In an interview when Lata Mangeshkar was asked about rebirth, she said – “I don’t want to be born as Lata Mangeshkar again. Rather I don’t want a rebirth. If at all I’m born, it should be as a boy”.
In a different interview, Asha Bhosle was asked a similar question and she replied – “I would love to be reborn as Asha Bhosle. The only difference will be, I’ll educate myself well”. That shows her integrity and love for life. Always hopeful, just as her name – Asha.

Even as she lay in her casket, peacefully, one could almost imagine her singing quietly –

एकाच या जन्मीं जणू फिरुनी नवी जन्मेन मी….
स्वप्नाप्रमाणे भासेल सारे, जातील सार्या लयाला व्यथा
भंवतीं सुखाचे स्वर्गीय वारे, नाही उदासी ना आर्तता
ना बंधने व नाही गुलामी, भीती अनामी विसरेन मी
हरवेन मी, हरपेन मी, तरीही मला लाभेन मी
एकाच या जन्मीं जणू, फिरुनी नवी जन्मेन मी….
आशा उद्याच्या डोळ्यांत माझ्या, फुलतील कोमेजल्यावाचुनी
माझ्या मनींचे गूज घ्या जाणुनी, या वाहणार्या गाण्यातुनी
लहरेन मी, बहरेन मी, शिशिरांतुनी उगवेन मी
एकाच या जन्मीं जणू, फिरुनी नवी जन्मेन मी…..

The song centres on emotional rebirth, healing and stepping out from the past burdens into a renewed sense of liberation. Where the past struggles and heartaches feel just like a bad dream, where emotional exhaustion will finally fade away into nothingness. There will just be an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness. There’ll be no restrictions or constraints. Where she can lose herself, surrender herself only to rediscover herself.