Mumbai, April 12 (IANS) Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle, who passed away on Sunday, once recollected the words of her elder sister, the Bharat Ratna awardee Lata Mangeshkar about the two of them being the ‘last of the Mughals’.
An old video of the late singer, which has gone viral on social media, shows her talking about Lata Mangeshkar in a singing reality show.
She recollected the words of her sister as she said, “Didi used to say that all the music directors have left. All the singers have left. She recollected the names, as she said, ‘Look, Kishore has left, Rafi sahab has left, Mukesh bhai has left, Geeta has left. Shamshad bhai has left. Now we both are the last Mughals to stay’. The day she left, I told her, ‘You have also left. I am the last. Now I am the last of that generation’. I sang the first song. In 1943. And till today, I am singing. And I am the last Mughal”.
Asha Bhosle passed away at the age of 93 in Mumbai on Sunday. The singer was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday. Ashish Shelar, the Culture Minister of Maharashtra made the announcement outside the hospital. Her last rites will be held at Shivaji Park on Monday at 4:00 pm.
One of the most influential singers of her time, Asha Bhosle, sang her first song as a playback for the 1943 Marathi drama ‘Majha Bal’. She is known for lending her voice to some noteworthy numbers such as ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko’, ‘Do Lafzon Ki Hai Dil Ki Kahani’, ‘Kya Ghazab Karte Ho Ji’, ‘O Haseena Zulfonwale Jane Jahan’, and ‘Ye Ladka Hay Allah Kaisa Hai Diwana’, to name just a few. Along with Hindi, she has sung in around 20 Indian and foreign languages.
In 2006, Asha Bhosle herself disclosed that she has almost 12,000 songs to her credit. During her tenure as a singer spanning several decades, Asha Bhosle has worked with many acclaimed music composers such as Shankar-Jaikishan, RD Burman, OP Nayyar, Ilaiyaraaja, Bappi Lahiri, and AR Rahman. She received numerous awards throughout her career for many of her noteworthy songs. The singer was given the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award back in 2000, followed by a Padma Vibhushan in 2008.
–IANS
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