Bow Down Mister

And you haven’t even heard a live rendition yet.

When the singer takes over, you witness history being rewritten. Past fuses with the present, as the sound of the drums and dholak rise above the brass section in what used to be Panchamda’s music room at his Santacruz residence. Ashatai is rehearsing with her orchestra for an upcoming Holland tour. Since she’s on the move, catching her at work is near impossible. It’s in the moment.

A tiny hint of a smile when someone hits the wrong key or anecdotes that Panchamda had shared decades ago are enough to send a roomful of serious musicians into splits. “Main acchi khasi nikli thi aur abhi mujhe khasi aa gayi,” (I was fine when I left and now I have a cough) she says giggling after a coughing fit seizes her.

But the grand dame of Indian music is also a tough cookie and a perfectionist. She takes notes, corrects musicians, charming them with her vast knowledge of music as she does so, and schedules shows. All in the span of five hours. “Woh harkat mat aane dena (leave that turn of melody out),” she suggests to the violinist as he performs a solo for Dil cheez kya hai from Umrao Jaan. Considering the fact that she knows every bar in the award-winning ghazal, her suggestions are accepted with due respect.

Of course, you can’t miss RD Burman’s presence in the room. In his customary white suit and a red scarf around the neck, there’s a definite look of approval as he gazes out of the huge portrait. And why not? Pancham and Asha created magic together —- Chura liya, Piya tu and the award winning Mera kuch samaan. These are just a drop in the ocean, what with the most dynamic composers vying to add her voice to their repertoire of singers.

The fascination lies in the fact that she’s undeniably the only one who can break into an item with Shaan or croon a duet with Lucky Ali, delivering both with equal punch and passion. ‘‘It’s up to me to reinvent,’’ she says, recalling the time when film-maker Ramgopal Varma told her that he didn’t want a typical Asha Bhosle number for his film Bhoot. ‘‘I then asked him whether he’s ever heard how a ghost sounds and he broke into laughter. I went on to sing Bhoot hai yahan koi at a really low key,’’ explains the 70-year-old.

The humour’s intact with or without a microphone in front of her. Puns, understated humour and witty repartee are the biggest form of entertainment for the diva who spends the better part of her life enthralling music-lovers, what with 40 foreign tours in a year! ‘‘I love comedy and laughed so much when I watched Bird Cage, and now I’m dying to watch Hungama,’’ she says of the Paresh Rawal comedy.

And if you’re wondering how all those concerts still leave room for a smile, she greets you with another. ‘‘I love travelling and go around looking at new places with my son Anand,’’ she explains. Though her shopping bug has long lost its bite. Her family, especially both her elder sisters, indulged her fetish for matching necklaces and bangles. ‘‘I loved glass bangles that matched my saris but am no longer such an avid shopper,’’ she reveals.

She’s also a closet kitchen-singer, crooning while she whips up the most sumptuous recipes. How’s Rogan Josh and Lababdar Masala to start with? She can boast of a wicked biryani too, and confesses that her Lucknowi guru was lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri’s begum. ‘‘Just like I remember the lyrics of a song, I used to come back home and recollect the ingredients while I cooked,’’ says the lady who hated the idea of her children eating out. Her fervour for home food reached its peak when she launched Asha’s, an Indian restaurant that specialises in North Western cuisine in Wafi City, Dubai, last year. Most of her kitchen secrets are now on its menu.

As your eyes dart across the spacious hall, they are transfixed by an MF Husain from the horse series and you wonder whether the maverick artist has made an art collector of the singer. ‘‘This is a gift from one artiste to another—my song and his art,’’ she says. Husain gifted it to her when she refused to accept money for having sung a track for his film Meenaxi.

Yet another revelation is that she is the proverbial nocturnal songbird. ‘‘I love singing at night. I can’t explain why but I feel a peace and a surging emotion at the same time,’’ she says. And then there are those hard times which have left an indelible impression. ‘‘I used to sing right from 10 in the morning to 12 in the night. Bahut mehnat karte the didi aur mein, (We used to work really hard),’’ she refers to elder sister Lata Mangeshkar.

In fact, she always works even on her birthdays. On the eve of her 70th birthday, she reveals that she’s managed to stay away from work on September 8. Two tiny tots are waiting at home to greet her. Her 17-month old twin grandchildren Ranjay and Xanai don’t know how to say ‘Happy Birthday’ yet. But they do know how to scream ‘Aai’ and fight for attention.

Ashatai looks the happiest when Xanai leads her by her hair to show off some new toy or the other. ‘‘When you have a happy family, you don’t need to look outside for friends,’’ says the voice who’s won as many friends as fans. Prime time has just begun.