Asha Bhosle at Taj Bengal. Picture by Pabitra Das

More like 81 going on 18, Asha Bhosle is still a diva whose eyes sparkled as she sat down for a quick chat with t2 on Monday evening after the launch of Pancham Tumi Kothay, a collection of eight RD Burman songs produced by Saregama that she has re-rendered to fresh sounds and beats and given her late husband’s tunes a new direction.

You turned 81 last week (September 8). How did you celebrate?

I should call myself 82 actually since I’ve completed 81 years. Kuch nahin kiya. Was at home all day. My daughter is no more so I don’t like to do much on my birthdays. My grandson and granddaughter are twins. They are 12 years old and my granddaughter (Zanai) accompanies me on stage these days. She came with me to Paris and Amsterdam and people who heard her came and told me that she would keep our gharana alive. So I took my grandchildren, my son and daughter-in-law out for dinner. My son gave me a beautiful emerald necklace, my daughter-in-law gave me a very pretty sari and I gave return gifts to all of them. A lot of people sent me flowers and cakes but children tend to put on weight quickly so I try to keep those away.

What should life at 82 be like?

One should be working and moving forward with a lot of love for everything. One must not impose their opinion on other people just because you have lived for more number of years or interfere in other people’s lives too much because of seniority. If you don’t push others, no one will push you and you will be at peace.

Do you have a vocal routine?

I sit down to sing every morning for at least an hour-and-a-half. I don’t have any relationship with the fridge. I never drink or eat anything that is cold. I also avoid anything sour like dahi. Some people don’t get affected but suppose I have an imli by mistake, it affects my voice.

You’ve been coming to Calcutta for decades now. How has it changed for you?

I see a lot of houses and bridges. The city didn’t have so much colour previously but now I see colour. The roads are broad and it looks nice from what it appears to me on the surface. I have two very close friends here — Mahua Lahiri and Mili Bhattacharya. Mili is the wife of one of Pancham’s closest friends (Badal Bhattacharya) and Mahua started Asha Audio on my advice. (Asha Audio was named after her.) I had never worked with Mahua but her company got started. So when I’m here I like to go out shopping for Bengali saris with them. I just discovered a small sari shop where I like to pick up saris from these days (matka silk from Aparajita in Gariahat). I also love going to Gupta’s for puri and alu. Bahut pasand hai... (giggles) earlier they used to serve khullar mein chai with kesar. I miss that.

There was a time when you were a voice of Bengali playback songs…. Do you still keep track of Bengali films and music?

Not really. At that time I used to sing in all languages — Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, but I recently heard that I have sung the maximum number of songs in Bengali. Among actors I was very fond of Uttam Kumar. He’s come to my house and I sang for him. I have a photograph with him. In music I used to be particularly fond of Sudhin Dasgupta, Nachiketa Ghosh and Vinod Chatterjee. I’ve sung for them but after singing Jabo ki jabo na for Pancham once he started doing non-film songs, all the Bengali songs I sang were for him. That is a reason why I decided to do this album. These songs that Burmansaab had sung I’ve re-recorded. It’s been so many years, the technology of recording has changed, sounds and styles have changed and I thought if Burmansaab was around how would he have recorded today? So, I picked the songs and got Nitin Shankar who has lived with Pancham’s songs for many years to rearrange the sound in a way that youngsters would relate to.

What is it that makes you happy today?

(Laughs) I love comedy. Films, television shows, people… I love anything or anybody who makes me laugh. I laugh a lot. I have a habit of laughing too much. Din bhar hansti rehti hoon aur har cheez ka mazaa leti hoon.

And angry?

Anything unhygienic or dirty. Suppose while cooking if someone does something unclean, I get really angry. Ganga jal chhirakti hoon. I’m a Virgo na, that’s why I’m obsessed with cleanliness. (Laughs)

You’ve inspired so many singers over the years, who inspires you?

Different singers inspire me at different times. I’ll listen to Ghulam Ali and suddenly feel ‘arrey baap re’, Kishori Amonkar ‘baapre’, Lata Mangeshkar ‘Oh my God’; Kishoreda, ‘kya boloon?’. I feel ashamed of myself when I listen to them and wonder why I can’t sing like them. Listening to them makes me want to work harder and feel that I still want to carry on singing. Keep on singing and doing riyaaz till I get the strains in my voice like a Kishori Amonkar. This urge inside me to learn and better myself makes me feel good, makes me feel younger. Those who feel they’ve done it all, sab buddhe ho jate hain.

Is there anything in music that you’ve never tried and still wish to do?

Ek ichha reh gayi hai to bring out a purely classical album. That wish is still unfulfilled. It was something that would require a lot of time, dedication and a different kind of concentration. I never had that much time to devote to a purely classical project.

Who among the current crop of singers do you like listening to?

Jhooth kabhi nahin bolti, sirf sach kehti hoon… after listening to Lata Mangeshkar I don’t think anyone can touch my heart. Every time I hear her voice, I sense chamatkaar. Similarly, after Kishore Kumar, I don’t like any other singer. When you listen to him — be it in the theatre or in the car — the way his voice can fill up any space, I don’t see anybody able to do that. Maybe I’m old and that is why I feel this but it’s true.

So it’s impossible for anybody now to impress Asha Bhosle?

Yes, it is. If I hear somebody as good as them I’m ready to touch that person’s feet but I haven’t come across a voice like that, yet.

Are there any songs of yours that you like to revisit sometimes?

Eena Meena Deeka. I keep singing at my shows and people still love it. Now and then I remember an old song and try it. Like last evening I had a show and sang Nigahein milane ko jee chahta hai live for the first time!

Are you tech savvy?

Not much. I said ‘load down’ instead of download a little while ago! My bahu keeps showing me this and that on the computer. One thing I know is how to WhatsApp. My Badi Didi (Lata) sends me photos on WhatsApp and I also send her photos that I take on my phone. Sometimes people send me pictures from our younger days when we were children and we exchange all that on WhatsApp. Bahut sundar. That much I can do! (Laughs)

But you’re on Twitter!

I tell my son to tweet for me. I stay away. Earlier I used to try and be more active but people suddenly come in between and start talking… sab garbar ho jaati hai. Toh zyada nahin karti hoon...