Kunal Ganjawalla Recalls Asha Bhosle's Anger Over His Veg Diet Shift

Talking to IANS, Kunal revealed his sheer fortune of working with Asha Bhosle.

"I had a wonderful experience working with Asha ji. We went on a two-and-a-half-month tour across North America, Canada, South America, and the West Indies. I performed with her band alongside many artists like Sonu and Kailash. I used to open the shows, and sometimes we would end the performance with Asha ji or Sonu."

He highlighted how he bonded with the legendary singer over music and food.

"During those months, we learned so much. My wife and I would often go to her suite after shows for dinner with Nandu ji. We spoke about legends like Rafi saab, Kishore da, Pancham da, Mukesh ji, and Lata ji. She shared many invaluable lessons about singing. Those memories stay with me."

He added, "Back then, I used to eat non-vegetarian food, and she loved feeding me, fish, prawns, chicken, mutton. But when I quit non-veg, I met her at the airport in 2012. She said, "I'm cooking, you must come!" When I told her I had stopped eating non-veg, she got upset and jokingly said, "What will I feed you now? A lion doesn't eat grass!"

Talking about the legendary singer's demise, Kunal told IANS, that he learnt of the devastating news in the midnight.

"When the news came at around 3 AM, my heart was very restless. Since yesterday, I had been praying to God... Though she was elderly, at heart, in spirit, she was always young."

He added, "The whole world came to know that Asha ji had been admitted after suffering a heart attack. I had also put up a post praying, "Ma, please come back home soon."

He further said, "She was truly a jewel of our country. Today, there are nearly eight billion people in the world, and people often say "one in a billion" but Asha ji was beyond even that. She is beyond words. She has sung thousands of songs. I don't think there has ever been a more versatile singer than Asha ji in our country.

Lauding Asha Bhosle for setting the stage on fire with her performance at 90, Kunal said, "That is a huge thing. At that age, most people either take to bed or withdraw from life. But her enthusiasm for life, her mental strength, for her, singing and life were one and the same. She mastered every style, classical, folk, natya sangeet, ghazals, cabaret, Western... everything!"

He further recalled some fond memories of their work together.

"I remember performing with her and Didi on stage during a tour of 19 shows. Sometimes she would hold my hand and walk onto the stage, that entire concept was created by her."

"We even performed in cowboy states like Texas, and I used to wear a cowboy hat. She would take my hat and wear it herself! Unfortunately, this was around 2007, when cameras weren't so common on phones. Otherwise, we would have had so many more memories captured."

He further expressed, "It is very painful... but we will celebrate her life with joy, because she always lived happily.

The singer also remembered another fond memory with the stalwart singer.

"I also remember a historic photograph at Sonu Nigam's house - with Lata ji, Asha ji, Alka ji, Kavita ji, Sunidhi, Shreya, and all of us together. After that meeting, she told me in Marathi, "Drop me home." I lived in South Bombay, so I dropped her at her Parel home after talking for almost an hour and a half," he recalled.

Kunal concluded by singing a few lines of Asha Bhosle's iconic song.

"The song that comes to my mind today is, "Aage bhi jaane na tu, Peechhe bhi jaane na tu,Jo bhi hai... bas yahi ek pal hai..."

For the uninitiated, Asha Bhosle passed away on April 12 following multi organ failure.

- IANS