Legendary singer Asha Bhosle turned into music's undisputed queen every time she stepped up to a microphone, but as a child she was a completely different kind of girl. Her younger sister Usha Mangeshkar recently shared some little known memories about Asha Bhosle that left fans stunned. According to Usha Mangeshkar, before her marriage Asha was a complete tomboy who wore trousers and shirts and was ready to clash with anyone over the smallest thing.
The trouble making girl who rode a bicycle in trousers and shirts
Usha Mangeshkar recalled that during the years the two sisters lived together, Asha's image was that of a mischievous tomboy. Usha said, "Before her marriage, the image I remembered of Asha was that of a little tomboy. At the age of seven or eight, she used to wear trousers, a shirt and a waistcoat, ride around on a bicycle, and was always ready to fight with someone or the other. She was extremely playful, teased everyone, laughed and joked around, and chased people to hit them." At the time, Usha assumed Asha would stay just as carefree and mischievous as an adult, but life had very different plans.
She eloped and married at the age of 14
Asha Bhosle's personal life was full of ups and downs from the very start. At just 14 or 15 years of age, she ran away from home and married Ganpatrao Bhosle, who was nearly 20 years older than her. The family did not take the decision well at all, and her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar in particular was extremely upset by the marriage. Lata Mangeshkar never approved of the relationship and did not speak to Asha for a long stretch of time. After leaving home, Asha Bhosle had no contact with her family for close to a decade.
The sisters reunited a decade later in a recording studio
About 10 years after Asha left home, the two sisters met again for the first time in a recording studio, where they were to sing a duet together. Usha Mangeshkar recalled, "I was seeing her for the first time after her marriage. She had recently become the mother of her son Hemant. When I saw her, I just kept staring. Where was that playful girl who used to wear trousers and shirts, and where was this cultured, dignified woman standing in front of me! She had a big bindi on her forehead, her hair was tied up, she was wearing a plain white saree, gold bangles on her wrists and a watch on her wrist. She had changed completely." The sister who once rode her bicycle with her hair flying loose now stood before her as a settled mother and homemaker.
An interesting incident from that reunion also came up. Usha Mangeshkar laughingly recalled that the first thing Asha did on seeing her was scold her. Usha said, "She looked at me and immediately interrupted, saying, why is your hair so messy? Don't you have a hairpin? I didn't have a pin with me, so she took out one of her own hairpins, gave it to me and said, put this in and make sure you come with your hair properly pinned from now on. The way she spoke, her whole tone, everything had changed completely." The incident shows just how deeply marriage and motherhood had transformed Asha's personality.
The birth of a grandson finally softened her mother's heart
The distance that had crept into the family after Asha ran away from home slowly began to shrink after the birth of her first son, Hemant. According to Usha Mangeshkar, their mother was overjoyed when she learned she had become a grandmother for the first time. A few days later, Asha herself called her mother and said, "I'm not feeling well, please come." Following that call, Usha accompanied their mother to meet Asha, and the rift within the family gradually healed. After that, everyone started visiting each other again and warmth returned to the family's relationships.
Separation from Ganpatrao Bhosle and a second marriage to R D Burman
Asha's marriage to Ganpatrao Bhosle did not last very long, and the two separated in 1960. Later, in 1980, Asha Bhosle married the celebrated music composer R D Burman. The journey from a playful, rebellious and carefree young girl to one of the most respected voices in music shows how Asha Bhosle faced every difficult turn in her life head on and kept reshaping herself along the way. That is precisely why, even today, these stories from her life remain just as fascinating to fans as the songs she sang.
