New Delhi:
The memories and stories around Asha Bhosle continue to live on months after her death. The singer died on April 12 due to multiple organ failure. She was 92.
Among the many memories shared over the years, one that stands out is sister Usha Mangeshkar’s recollection of Asha’s childhood.
In an old interview with Filmfare, Usha Mangeshkar had remembered Asha Bhosle as a fearless, fun-loving tomboy who was always on the move. She also spoke about the first time she saw her elder sister again after Asha Bhosle had eloped with Ganpatrao Bhosle as a teenager.
“It was the first time I was seeing her after marriage. She had just become a mother to Hemant. She left home when she was around 14-15. And now, after all those years, that was the first time I saw her again,” Usha Mangeshkar said.
She recalled that before Asha Bhosle left home, she was nothing like the calm young woman she later met.
“Before that, I only remembered her as a little tomboy, wearing pants and shirts, a waistcoat, just seven or eight years old, riding a bicycle, roaming around, getting into fights. That’s how I had always seen her. So I imagined she’d still be the same, laughing, joking, teasing everyone, always ready to playfully chase and hit people. But when I saw her, I just kept staring. She had a huge tikka on her forehead. Her hair was tied up, she was wearing a plain white sari. She had gold bangles on her hands and a wristwatch. And she looked at me.”
Usha Mangeshkar said the biggest surprise was not just Asha Bhosle’s appearance, but also the way she spoke. She remembered that her sister immediately noticed her untidy hair.
“She asked me why my hair was such a mess and whether I didn’t have any hairpins. I wasn’t wearing any, and I just kept looking at her. Then she handed me a hairpin and said, ‘Wear this. Come with your hair properly pinned.'”
Looking back, Usha Mangeshkar added, “The way she spoke had changed so much. The way she used to speak then and the way she spoke now, it was completely different. A huge difference.”
She also shared that Asha Bhosle’s relationship with the family slowly became better after the birth of her son, Hemant.
“A lot had happened in between. She had a son, and my mother was very happy because he was her first grandson. And a few days later she called up my mother saying, ‘I’m ill. Please come.’ So I went with my mother. After that, all of us started coming and going together again.”
Asha’s first marriage to Ganpatrao Bhosle eventually came to an end, with the couple separating in 1960. Years later, she found love again with music composer RD Burman. The two got married in 1980 and remained together until Burman died in 1994.
