‘Songs are to be seen not heard these days’

Asha Bhosle (TOI Photo) More picsAll of 75, the years sit lightly upon Asha tai. The petite frame and gentle demeanour hide a voice, which echoes far and wide. Her repertoire remains unmatched, and so does her zest for life.
Asha confesses that it is the Marathi genre that she likes the most as far as singing goes, adding hastily, ���Any song is a good one, if it has been rendered well.Besides Marathi songs, I like ghazals a lot.���
And, who are her favourite lyricists? ���All of them, but there are some who make a very deep mark. Hum intezar karenge tera qayamat tak, khuda kare ke qayamat ho aur too aye, by Sahir Ludhianvi and Chain se humko kabhi aapne jeene na diya, by H S Bihari are unforgettable. Majrooh Sultanpuri also wrote some very memorable songs.��� Remind her that Gulzar has been very effusive in praising her, and a smile lights up her face. ���Gulzar bhai is in the habit of saying lofty things,��� she says. Mention Suresh Bhat, the Marathi ghazal writer, and her eyes get moist. ���The mere mention of his name makes me very emotional, such was the power of his words,��� is all that she manages to say.
And, who is her favourite from the current generation of singers? ���I find Shaunak Abhisheki and Rahul Deshpande very promising,��� opines the singer. Asha tai has experimented with almost every form of music ��� classical, pop, remixes and even Western. Ask her about the Brett Lee experience, and she says, ���He is a very talented singer and I believe a very good cricketer too. He is a huge fan of Sachin and once told me that he would name his son Sachin Tendulkar.
I told him to just name the child Sachin and leave aside Tendulkar.��� And, what about the remixes, which have become a trend these days? ���I like it only when I have remixed my own song,��� she says, adding, ���These days songs are not to be heard, they are to be seen. A single line is lifted from an old hit number and so many things are done to it.��� And, does the recipient of Padma Vibhushan look forward to getting the Bharat Ratna too? ���Any recognition is good, but in the end, ask people to name some Bharat Ratna awardees, and they would find it difficult. But, a song rendered by me is sung and recalled all the time. That���s the actual award,��� the melody queen says.