As the iconic Asha Bhosle turns 90 , composer Lalit Pandit from the Jatin-Lalit duo goes down memory lane about the songstress.
Says Lalit, “She is an impossible case! I say this because the amount of learning she has had with wizard composers and classical artists and through anybody that she could receive knowledge from , she has imbibed it all and moved to a level of perfection that one can only somewhat imagine but not be there!She is a misaal(an example) and a missile and will always be so in music.
Lalit shares a personal bond with Ashaji. “I am personally very fond of her for many reasons.Firstly,she has a memory like no other has and everytime I meet her I get to hear some incident about my family or me that I wouldn’t have known had she not narrated it.She is an encyclopaedia of memories and knowledge which one should always grab some valuable anecdotes from her whenever one can!”
The composer has known the songstress from the time he was a child. “I am blessed as she remembers me as a very young kid and has clear memories of those days of recordings.I do have a blur of a memory of singing . Sare ke sare ga ma ko lekar in the film Parichay with Ashaji and Kishoreda,and some many songs as children’s choral section.Those were wonderful days and it’s amazing how after my education we connected again as composers and she as a legendary singer.
What amazes Lalit the most as an artiste is Ashaji’s dedication and devotion. “She has as an artist always amazed me and at times shocked me!She belongs from a generation of artistes who wanted as much perfection in their work as was possible. Ashaji would never sing a song without a full rehearsal session.She would insist on sitting and listening and learning the song before she would record . Jatin and I learnt this from her and would insist that all the singers rehearse our songs before the recording date!When a singer would say, ‘I will manage and do it on the recording day’ for a song composed by me, -usually he or she would have a bad day at the sets.I wouldn’t leave until I got what I wanted from the song and that was trouble for the singers!Ashaji must have learnt this from the great gurus of music whom she worked with.”
Lalit also reveals how proactive Ashaji is during a recording. “I have never seen anyone contribute to a song with ideas as much as Asha Didi does!She has a creative mind and she will say while singing,‘Aisa karoon?sun ke dekho!!’.She contributed immensely to improve the composition at her level immensely. It’s a life of bliss and happiness for her now and it’s great to see her enjoy every bit of love and accolade she receives from her fans and audiences all over the world.”
