Celebrating Asha Bhonsle - Asha Tai - the most lovable voice of music

Recently, we lost the diva of Indian music - the legendary Asha BhosleJi. Asha Tai - That lilting voice we all grew up with. There will never be another voice like the legendary Asha Tai—a truly versatile voice that could flirt, tease, soothe, soar, and pierce the soul all at once. This truly marks an end of a most special musical era.


A voice of a thousand shades of sur… sometimes soft as a whisper, sometimes fiery and intoxicating, sometimes playful and natkhat, and at other times deeply devotional and full of gravitas.
I’ve drawn so much inspiration from her music over the years—Listening to her music has been so humbling - Every song, every nuance is a masterclass to learn and imbibe so much from.

Her Marathi bhavgeet, especially those composed by Pt. Hridaynathji, have always been very close to my heart.

Sharing a performance of a beautiful song "Chandane Shimpit Jashi" from nearly 15 years ago at a music competition—grateful to have been the runner-up and for the encouragement I received there. What is so beautiful about this lovely composition is also the way the time signature moves so gracefully from Rupak 7/8 time to Teentaal 4/4 time. AshaTai's singing is like a gentle night-blooming flower in a moonlit night, subtle and so mesmerizing.

Rest in music, Asha Tai.

You live on in every note we will ever hum.
You remain forever in our hearts

Credits:
Song: Chandane Shimpit Jashi (1966)
Artist: Asha Bhosle
Album: Maharashtrachi Bhavdhara Vol. 1
Music Director: Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar
Lyricist: Raja Bade


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tero Chaakar Kare Pukar - a Bhavani bhajan originally sung by Smt. Ashwini Bhide

This is a beautiful bhajan in reverence to Goddess Bhavani - the giver of Life. This was originally sung by Smt. Ashwini Bhide. In wake of all the devastating news we have heard recently, it was my honor to learn this song from my Guru and perform it for a Bhajan Sandhya organized by her.  I hope Mata Bhavani gives us all the strength and courage to face all the vicissitudes in life. So many of us have lost our loved ones, or are facing some major difficulties. This is a humble prayer from me to the Lord to give us strength and relentless energy to face Life. God also save those who have ill thoughts and bad notions of people. Let’s please think positive… Love Begets Love – our actions are a mirror of what we think. Bhajan : Tero Chakar Kare Pukar Scale: G# Taal : Dadra (on iTablaPro) Lyrics: Tero chaakar kare pukaar bhavani beig padhaaro na Aisi bhool bhayi kya karni sankat taaro na bigad gayi kachhu rahi na baaki beg sudharo na Bhavani beig padhhaaro na Aiso sa...
Read more

Johar Maibaap - Sant Chokhamela Marathi abhang

I am presenting an Abhang (Marathi devotional) from Marathi drama Sant Kanhopatra (1931). The abhang was written in 14th century by saint-poet Sant Chokhamela, a Mahar devotee of Vithoba. The era was when the “Mahars” (an outcaste, based on the caste system) used to be forcibly kept outside city limits and only allowed to perform tasks deemed too lowly for uppercastes. The poet Chokhamela was a Dalit Mahar devotee of Vitthala living in Pandharpur, and they used to refer to their social superiors as “Johar”… In this Abhang, Sant Chokhamela pays obeisance, in all humility, to Vitthala, (referring to him as his Johar parent) offering himself as a servant of his servants and pleads that he be given any left overs of food other bhaktas have consumed… Forced to work as an indentured servant to build a wall, Chokhamela was buried under the rubble as the wall collapsed. Sant Namdev picked up his remains and buried him outside the Vitthala temple in Pandharpur where he used to worship. H...
Read more

Abhangs of Sant Tukaram

Image
Tukaram, also known as Sant Tukaram,  was a 17th-century poet-saint of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra He was part of the egalitarian, personalized devotionalism t radition called Varkari. Having being born during the times of a prevalently strong caste system into a so-called lower caste then, he believed and propagated equality in devotion and access to worship by all.  Tukaram is known for his Abhangs in Marathi (devotional poetry) and community-oriented worship with spiritual songs known as  kirtans  - basically, group songs sung in a rhythmic and repetitive fashion to facilitate an immersive and meditative experience with devotion. His poetry was devoted to Vitthala or  Vithoba , an avatar of Hindu god  Vishnu . Tukaram encouraged  kirtan  as a music imbued, community-oriented group singing and dancing form of devotion and reverence to the supreme deity. The greatest merit in kirtan, according to Tukaram, is ...
Read more