Asha Bhosle was not just a good singer. She was a woman of many talents. She was a terrific anecdotist and a great conversationalist. And she loved to cook for her friends.“If Ashaji has cooked for you, it meant she  liked you,” says filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has often spent time with her. “She was so full of life, it is hard to imagine her gone. Just the other day, she came to office. She asked for two spoonfuls of sugar, saying ‘main  toh sab kuch khaati hoon, mast ho ke jeeti hoon’.  She was so vibrant and alive.”Luckily for her, Asha Bhosle remained in robust health right till the end. Her contribution to the world of playback singing goes beyond scholarly analysis. Ashaji sang  everything with the conviction of someone who has experienced every emotion of life.She was open to life’s toughest challenges and came out a winner in spite of wounds and  bruises.At the age of 16, she eloped with 31-year-old Ganpatrao Bhosle, marrying him against her family’s wishes. The marriage was a disaster. Her sister Lata Mangeshkar never forgave her for marrying against the family’s wishes.Ashaji once told me, “It was a tough life, very tough life. I was out on the streets with three little children. Singing opportunities were limited. Didi ruled the playback world. I got random songs. Jo bhi mila maine gaya… You  know the song I sang  for (OP) Nayyar Saab Chayan se humko kabhi aapne jeene na diya… that’s the song of my life.”Later, Ashaji married composer RD Burman. That marriage proved far more successful. Thereafter, Asha Bhosle’s career reached an unparalleled zenith. She was also a proud restaurateur owning a worldwide chain of eateries where Ashaji’s own home recipes are on the menu.“Mujhe gana phir khana bahot pasand hai. Bas donon mujhe Bhagwan ne de diya. Aur kya chahiye?” Ashaji once told me.Even at 90, Ashaji was far from smug about her vast achievements. “My son recently asked me why I speak to everyone from my residence’s watchman to the guy who does our laundry. I enquire about everyone. That’s an old habit. My son asked me ‘do you know who you are?’ I thought about it. My son said ‘you’re Asha Bhosle and you must maintain a distance from people’. I disagree with that. Just because I sing, it doesn’t mean I am not a human being. I like to see myself as a simple person. I may dress up in public. But at home, you’ll see me in a simple saree.”Recalling the days of struggle, Ashaji once said, “When there was already a Taj Mahal, I came to build another one. Bahut mushqil thi. Who would want to go to another singer when there was already a Lata Mangeshkar? On top of that, I was her younger sister. Hamesha humein ek tarazu mein tola gaya. Janam bhar hum ussi tarazu mein baithe rahe. It was very tough for me to escape all these hurdles. I still haven’t escaped those comparisons. Didi and I had to be different singers. Copying her would have meant the end of my career even before it started. No one would have entertained a copy of Didi. Just as long as Kishore Kumar was there, no other male voice stood a chance. I first had to get songs that were comparable with Didi’s. I had to cultivate a Western style of singing. I had no choice. I had to be prepared to do any kind of song that was offered to me. Didi became instantaneously successful. Plus, there were other great singers like Geeta Dutt.”Ashaji attributed her resilience and staying power to her honesty. “I am like glass. You can see right through me. I also refuse to cling to negativity. I like to move on. I am blessed because I get so much respect both in India and abroad, even at places like Spain and Portugal. No one has ever misbehaved with me in public. I think this world is beautiful. Not that I’ve forgotten any of the pain that I’ve gone through. It’s there all stored away. I am the soldier who has taken wounds on my chest. I am proud of them. I faced all the adversities. Today, I am happy and peaceful. No regrets. God gave me endurance power and because of Him, I am still standing tall today.Main Bhagwan ki laadli  hoon.”In addition, Ashaji had to fight off the image of singing “naughty” numbers. “People during those days considered cabaret and dance numbers to be very lowly. Anyway, I managed. On second thoughts, maine nahin kuch kiya,hota gaya. God was kind… And here I am. People think I’ve achieved a lot. Mujhe kuch nahin lagta. I still feel I’ve plenty to do. People hanker after recognition. But these things are temporal. If I stop singing for a year, everyone would forget me. The public memory is very short. I never get carried away by fame and recognition. I am far more concerned about giving my attention to my home and family.”Ashaji’s immaculate appearance, eye catching sarees and posh jewellery were the talk of the town.She once told me as she laughed, “People love to see me looking glamorous. They say I don’t look my age. I say, well that’s wonderful, but  I am 90. I dress up in elaborate sarees and jewellery and the public sees me as a decked-up person. Then when they see me on the road without the finery they say ‘you look good on television and even better in real life’. The public image is different from real life. In real life, I am very domesticated, just like any middle-class woman. When I am told I am Asha Bhosle, I wonder what the means. I love to look after the kids and cook in the kitchen. Jewellery is only for the public eye. At home, I am myself.”Speaking on new generations of singers, Ashaji pondered, “The world has moved on. Earlier, female singers sang at a high pitch and the male singers at a low pitch. Now, that trend has reversed. There’s no time for slow soft sentimental songs. No point in clinging to the past and pining for nostalgia. Happy occasions, whether it is a mehndi ceremony or a wedding, have always been celebrated with songs. Every individual wants to dance and sing. Rhythm ka zamana hai. No one listens to the words. You can’t stop the world from moving on. If you try, you’ll get left behind. People at my age are confined to retirement. I am still singing. The language isn’t of primary importance as long as I sing something that I and my fans are satisfied with.”She was enthused by food as much as music and is proud of her growing chain of restaurants. “In my opinion, khaana comes first, gaana later. You can live for three days without music. But you can’t live without food for a day. I am a mother by nature. I love to feed people. I started cooking for my children. Then later when I became good at it, my son suggested I writeenter a cookery book. But I refused. Who cooks from books? But my son wanted to take his mother’s food to the people. That’s how the first restaurant came about. Now we have 10 restaurants in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, etc.”Ashaji personally supervised the menu at these restaurants. “I had two kitchens for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The design and décor, menu card have all been done with great care. The menu card has rare picture of me and other singers. I not only put my own recipes on the menu, I also included recipes I learnt from my colleagues. For example, there is the Sultanpuri Kebab. I got the recipe from poet-lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri Saab. The restaurants are dotted with my pics with Lata Didi and others who figure in my life. I couldn’t have hoped for a better life.”Now that sprightly voice is stilled. But Asha Bhosle will live on through her songs.