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'There will never be another Lata Mangeshkar or Asha'
Asha Bhosle on matters close to her heart
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Shyam Bhatia in London
Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle invoked the name of Lord Rama to highlight the ill-treatment of India's senior citizens at the hands of their own children.
Bhosle, who is in London to raise money for Help the Aged charity projects in India, said, "The old are old everywhere. People forget how the same children brought up with affection, effort and love are the ones who later kick their parents.
"It shouldn't happen in a country like ours where Rama obeyed his father and left the kingdom at his request."
Bhosle, the sister of the equally famous Lata Mangeshkar, is booked to sing at London's Albert Hall where all tickets have been sold for her Friday concert (October 25).
On the eve of her concert in aid of the charity she told a media briefing how it has become the fashion in India for younger couples to evict their aged parents from their family homes. "In Mumbai, we have the well known story of a very wealthy man and his wife locking up his parents and demanding they sign over the deeds of their property. What happened? The parents committed suicide by jumping from the ninth floor window."
She added, "New brides should understand their husbands' parents are their parents as well. Loom after your in-laws because one day you too will have a new bride in the house and you will also suffer."
Earlier, speaking to a local London newspaper about the state of contemporary music in India, Bhosle was sharply critical of the new trend of re-recording classic hits. Singling out Dil Vil Pyar Vyar for making a poor job of re-recording late husband R D Burman's songs, she said, "It is a very bad effort, I don't know why they didn't use the original songs. They would have worked even with today's actors. Instead they have re-recorded sings with people that are not proper singers.
"When they re-record and recreate these songs they don't realise there will never again be another Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar or Asha Bhosle. By presenting songs with fast food singers they do injustice to great songs and a great disservice to a new generation that has never heard the original songs."
At a subsequent briefing, Bhosle singled out composer A R Rahman as an exceptional human being "who understands artistes."
Recalling her meeting with him earlier this year, Bhosle said, "I was visiting London and Rahman called me at 11 pm to ask for my advice. We recorded at 4 am next morning. Any music director should have confidence in what he is doing, he should know what is required. Working for such a person is great fun."
Asked if the purpose of music was to entertain or raise spiritual awareness, Bhosle replied, "The main purpose is that if you are unhappy, music helps to dispel your unhappiness. If you are already happy, music heightens your joy. Music makes illness retreat. Music is in all our minds and hearts and we are all free to sing anywhere we choose."