With Usha, it8217;s just sing along

Wrapped in her trade-mark Kanjeevaram, heavily accessorised with chunky silver jewellery, Usha is the epitome of Indianness. Youthful exuberance and an infinite zest for life belie her 51 years. Born in Mumbai on November 8, 1948, Usha8217;s father was in the police and her mother was from Pune which explains the special bond she shares with the city.

With a nostalgic look, she reminisces, 8220;For vacations, we either came down to Pune or went to Madras. I love Pune for it8217;s weather. She also recalls going to Bund Garden and eating boiled peanuts.

Musically inclined since young, Usha remembers the jugalbandis on the tabla with her father.

Usha started out as a nightclub singer when classical and film music dominated. She burst onto the Indian pop scene long before Sharon Prabhakar, Alisha Chinai or even Remo Fernandes. Singing happened quite by accident. quot;I was at a club in Madras called 9 Gems. My aunt, who was with us asked me to go up on stage and sing. I grabbed the opportunity. I sang Boney M8217;s Fever. Everybody liked it and I ended up singing for the next 45 minutes!quot; From then on, Usha Uthup was a regular. 8220;My first payment was a sari,8221; she quips. 8220;I had earned my own sari.8221; She proudly adds, 8220;I was the highest paid singer at the club, earning Rs 750 a month.8221;

After that, it was back to Mumbai, where she sang at the Ritz Hotel8217;s Little Hut. Usha then moved on to Calcutta where the two biggest names in club music, Pam Crain and Louis Banks, played. Usha joined the list.

Delhi was next. 8220;Delhi is where Dev Anand offered me Hare Ram Hare Krishna. That put me on to film music,8221; Usha says.

8220;People were not receptive to club music in those days. Nightclubs were taboo. They were not places where one could take their wives,8221; she adds which is why Usha had to rely on film music to draw the audiences. So far, she has sung 150 films songs.

Apart from stage plays, she also appeared in Bombay to Goa with Amitabh Bachchan. Acting, she says, was not what she wanted to do.

8220;If not a singer, I8217;d have been either a commercial artist or a teacher,8221; she reveals.

Although she has earned a reputation of playing to the galleries, Usha remains unfazed.8220;That8217;s just the way I like it to be.8221;

Which brings us to the image that8217;s so hard to miss. Saris and western music. Saris are what Usha freaks out on. 8220;It8217;s a dignified and graceful dress. Besides, it covers up those extra kilos.8221;

And the glass bangles. Usha tells us, quot;I love glass bangles. Looking at old-time actresses wearing them fascinated me.quot;

For this versatile singer, language is no barrier. She sings in 13 Indian languages and 6-7 foreign ones! She says, 8220;I make it a point to understand the meaning of the song. I once did a crash course in Russian before a concert there.8221;

Right now, her career is on an upswing. She has sung in Godmother. In her words, 8220;I8217;m a compulsive optimist. My greatest ability is to be able to laugh at myself and with other people.8221; Asked about the current remix trend, she replies, 8220;The audience is not a fool. Quality is what will ultimately survive. Besides, life8217;s too short to worry about such things.8221; So, push your troubles aside and sing along with Usha!