Johannesburg, Apr 12 (PTI) South African music enthusiasts on Sunday paid homage to Asha Bhosle, who passed away in Mumbai, and recalled her October 2016 South African concert, which she said was “delayed for a quarter of a century” because of apartheid.
The 92-year-old singer, who ruled Bollywood music for over seven decades with her wide range of memorable songs, passed away Sunday due to multi-organ failure, hours after she was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai due to chest infection and exhaustion.
For decades, the golden voice of Asha Bhosle was a constant companion in the homes of South Africa’s Indian diaspora.
“Ashaji’s voice was timeless… one that spread across all generations, capturing every lyrical beauty with her voice. We definitely will miss this one in a million legendary singer,” said popular singer Kamenie Katha of Benoni.
“The two songs I will remember Ashaji for best were two of her hits which she had sung in Tamil – ‘Oh Butterfly’ and ‘Konja Neram’ – which I have sung with a live show band,” Katha added.
Johannesburg’s Abdul Razak, who calls himself a diehard Bollywood fan, said: “I loved the singing of both sisters (Asha and her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar) who each had their own style. But Asha’s death brings to an end an era of great music where, in my opinion, Asha dominated the qawwali songs, which Lata couldn’t excel in.” “Asha’s calm composure on stage even when she was singing the vibrant and lively songs which was her forte left a lasting impression on me when she was here,” Razak added.
From the crackling airwaves of Radio Lotus to the smuggled VHS tapes of the 1980s, her versatile range—from the sultry ‘Piya Tu Ab To Aaja’ to the soulful ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko’ — provided the soundtrack for a community living under the shadow of segregation.
Yet, for over half a century, the legend herself remained a distant dream, one who never had set foot on the South African soil.
India had banned visits to South Africa by its citizens as it ended relations for almost four decades protesting the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Asha Bhosle’s concert in South Africa came true finally in October 2016 when she was 83.
“It is Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhiji meant so much to both South Africa and India. The Navratri festival is upon us. And today is also the beginning of Muharram, the Muslim new year.
“What better blessings could I have asked for… for my first tour to South Africa that I have wanted to do for the past 26 years?” Bhosle told over 3,000 fans, who flew in from all over the country and African states for her performance in Johannesburg.
A day before, Asha Bhosle had performed to a packed house in Durban, home to more than half of the country’s 1.4 million Indian-origin citizens.
“I have wanted to come here for so many years, hearing about this wonderful country and seeing photographs, but it was not God’s will. Now, his blessings and yours have brought me here,” Bhosle said to thundering applause and a standing ovation even before singing a single line.
Not to mention, the programme was a massive hit.
As she exited the stage in Johannesburg, her final words to the crowd were simple: “I love you, I cannot speak any more.” For promoter Rakesh Maharaj, Bhosle’s tour was the fulfilment of a dream, which started when he had brought over the first major Bollywood show to South Africa in 1984.
Maharaj, the head of Epic Entertainment, had made it his life’s mission to bring her to the southern tip of Africa. He viewed Bhosle’s visit as the “ultimate achievement” of his career.
Maharaj’s persistence wasn’t just about business; it was about healing a cultural wound. For the 1.4 million South Africans of Indian origin, many of whom are descendants of indentured labourers, Bollywood music was the primary thread connecting them to their ancestral heritage.
The 2016 tour was billed as her “Farewell Tour,” making it her first and, ultimately, her only visit to the country.
Osman Osman (sic), founding partner of South Africa’s leading Indian show promotion company Blueblood, expressed his regret at not having been able to bring Bhosle back to the country.
“For years now, we have had fans clamouring for this, and we undertook to try to talk to her, but we soon realised that with her frail condition, it was not ging to be possible,” Osman said. PTI FH NPK NPK
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