The Song of Life

I confess. I was smitten. But that didn’t stop me from picking up some of her invaluable secrets of staying forever young. Affectionate and disarmingly frank, she has been heaped with awards and accolades, she has sung more than 10,700 songs (Mind you that’s only Hindi songs, no count has been kept of the sundry other languages she has also sung in), yet she is simple and down-to-earth. She has a mischievous twinkle in her eye, dimples all the time and boy! what a full day she works!

Asha Bhonsale needs no introduction. I interviewed her for my book almost three years ago and her mellifluous voice still rings in my ears. I still remember how lovely she looked in her white saree, long-sleeved blouse and flat silver Kolhapuri chappals. She had turned 66 then and worked a full day and cooked some brilliant meals. Her affectionate warmth bubbles through everything she does, and I have never been the same since I spent time with her in her simple yet elegant Peddar Road apartment in Mumbai.

‘‘Mera vishwas hai,’’ she said to me in simple Hindi, ‘‘that you must have will power. Mind power is what will keep you young.’’ She explains that if you let yourself go, everything is lost; if you keep giving yourself messages ab main to buddha ho gaya hun, then you will certainly become a buddha or buddhi. So, it is your mind that keeps you young and Ashaji is a living example of that.

But food also has a role to play. ‘‘Milk is a very important food,’’ Ashaji explains. ‘‘Eating bananas and drinking milk is crucial and so is ghee.’’ This versatile gourmet cook takes great delight in cooking for her family. As they say, Jo gavaiya woh khavaiya (One who loves singing loves food). She shared some superb recipes of hers for my book — but that’s another story.

Ashaji comes home and actually cooks for her family. ‘‘I leave my purse in the bedroom and head straight for the kitchen,’’ she says beamingly.

It’s this connectedness and love for those around her that seems to keep her ticking. Even the maids in her kitchen adore her. ‘‘They only leave when they have to get married and then I cry a lot,’’ says Ashaji. Homeopathy is what she believes in and her singing keeps her connected to the fountain of youth. It’s also her interest in everything around her. ‘‘When I was young, I played gilli danda and gotiyan and now when I sing, I forget everything around me.’’ Her words continue to inspire me…