Mumbai, April 13 -- Asha Bhosle, diva, chanteuse, and among India's most beloved artistes, died in Mumbai on Sunday, bringing to a close a glorious career that spanned over seven decades in which she sang over 12,000 songs in 20 languages. She was 92. Bhosle was the last of that generation of great singers who took Hindi film music to its pinnacle. The sheer longevity of her career, her great cut-glass voice, and her open-mindedness towards different musical inspirations meant that she influenced multiple generations of musicians and aficionados. Tributes from around the world poured in hours after her death following a brief illness. "Her unique musical journey spanning decades has enriched our cultural heritage," wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his social media. "Voices fade, but hers has only retreated into a deeper chamber of memory, where it will continue to resonate for those who have known longing through song," filmmaker Muzaffar Ali told HT. Asha Bhosle won the National Award for Ali's Umrao Jaan in 1981, its songs among the most memorable in her vast oeuvre. Born in Sangli, Maharashtra, on September 8, 1933 in a family of musicians which traced its roots to Goa, she was just nine when she lost her father, Master Deenanath Mangeshkar, the famous Marathi actor-singer. Lata Mangeshkar, the eldest of the five siblings joined a Kolhapur-based film studio to keep the home fires burning. A year later, the young Asha too started to pitch in when she sang her first song in the 1943 Marathi film, 'Mazhe Bal' (My Child). Although she was often dogged by comparison with her legendary sister Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle charted her own career path with her versatility, immense talent and perseverance. Through the 1960s and '70s especially, the two sisters reigned supreme in the Hindi film music industry, often sparking debate among connoisseurs about which of the two was the GOAT. Raj Thackeray who knew both Mangeshkar sisters, compared them to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo of Indian film music. "When you look at da Vinci's work, you keep sensing the perfection in it, an exquisite precision, a tremendous stillness, and a spiritual experience that suddenly washes over you. All of this is felt in Didi's (Lata Mangeshkar's) singing.Then, in Michelangelo's work, there is delicacy, passion, playfulness and rebellion too. Sometimes it feels like his sculptures are impatient to break free from the stone. It was the same with Asha Tai's songs. In her singing there is longing, mischief, boldness, and that inherent human recklessness, an intense desire to throw caution to the winds." he wrote in a social media post. This precise desire afflicted Asha's personal life too when at 16 she eloped with a transport operator, Ganpatrao Bhosle, straining ties with her family. It was the year she also had her first child and the couple struggled to make ends meet. In later years, Bhosle would often reminisce about her years of apprenticeship. "I would do the morning chores-fill water, cook and wash clothes-at our home in Borivali before leaving for work. Those were difficult times. I would travel by tram or train, hopping from one studio to another in search of a song. Rookie chorus singers were paid Rs 100 in those days," she once reminisced to this writer. By the 1950s, Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum were in the top league of singers, teaming up with ace music directors such as Anil Biswas, Naushad, C. Ramchandra, S. D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Shankar-Jaikishan and Sajjad Hussain. Bhosle had to settle for talented, but lesser-known composers like Hansraj Behl, Sardul Kwatra and Lachhiram, crooning a mujra number here or a club song there. But it were these so-called B-grade songs, meant to appeal to the bleacher seats, that helped Bhosle consolidate her position in the fiercely competitive world of Hindi film music. "By giving voice to vamps, the 'fallen' women, Bhosle offered oomph as a counter-point to Hindi cinema's female protagonist, who was condemned to uphold conservative values. This was much before women's empowerment came into public discourse," says writer and artist Prakash Bal Joshi. "Asha tai made seduction look respectable." Her older sister's disagreements with two top music directors, O. P. Nayyar and S. D. Burman created a breach which Asha Bhosle seized with urgency and gratitude. Her association with S. D. Burman led to memorable songs like, 'Achha Ji Main Haari Chalo' ('Kala Pani'), 'Chhod Do Anchal Zamana Kya Kahega' ('Paying Guest'), 'Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka' and 'Paanch Rupaiya Baara Aana' (both from 'Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'), 'Raat Akeli Hai Bujh Gaye Diye' ('Jewel Thief') to name just a few. It also introduced her to Burman's young son Rahul Dev who would become the central figure in her life and later career. But it was her association with O. P. Nayyar which brought her to the top tier of singers. Nayyar not only gave her a chance to sing for the leading ladies of the late 1950s and 1960s like Madhubala, Vyjayanthimala, Sadhana, Asha Parekh, Mala Sinha and Sharmila Tagore but he also helped her to fine-tune a style that was distinct from her illustrious sister. "My songs needed a focused voice. Although a great singer, Mangeshkar's voice was a tad too fragile for my kind of compositions, while Ashaji's voice oozed a certain raw energy," Nayyar once told this correspondent during an interview at his apartment on Marine Drive. The Nayyar-Bhosle partnership that lasted 18 years yielded a rich harvest of melodies: 'Maang Ke Saath Tumhara' ('Naya Daur'), 'Zara Haule Haule Chalo More Sajna' ('Saawan Ki Ghata'), 'Yahi Woh Jagah Hai' ('Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi'), 'Jaiye Aap Kahan Jayenge' ('Mere Sanam') and 'Koi Kehde Kehde Zamaane Se Jaake' ('Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi') among many others. The two separated in 1972. Old timers recall how musicians were fighting back tears while recording 'Chain Ae Humko Kabhi' ('Praan Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye'). That soulful melody was the swan song from the Nayyar-Bhosle partnership. Her 1965 collaboration with Rahul Dev Burman in 'Teesri Manzil' re-energised Hindi film music, bringing a modern pop sensibility. They went on to create a series of memorable cabaret numbers in other films like 'Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja' (Caravan), 'Duniya Mein Logon Ko.' ('Apna Desh'). RD tweaked old melodies, fusing them with fresh musical phrases and influences: Arabic, Mediterranean, Blues and Bossa Nova, dovetailing robust African beats with traditional dholak. Bhosle was quick to upgrade her vocal skills in order to keep pace with changing times and technology. In 1980, long-divorced by now, she married RD Burman. This new Bhosle-Burman collaboration brought a whiff of fresh air in the smoke-filled recording studios creating new beats for India's youth inspired by flower power. 'Seeta Aur Geeta', 'Bombay To Goa', 'Caravan', 'Yaadon Ki Baraat', 'Jawani Diwani' and 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' were just some of the films on which they created memorable music. This new phase is best encapsulated by two songs 'Dum Maro Dum' ('Hare Rama Hare Krishna') and 'Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne Joh Dil Ko' ('Yaadon Ki Baarat') which remain popular to this day. By now, at the peak of her prowess, she expanded her oeuvre and vocal range. While purists swear by her vintage numbers such as 'Tang Aa Chuke Hain Kashm-e-Kash-e-Zindagi Sey Hum' ('Light House') and 'Ab Ke Baras Bhej Bhaiya Ko Babul' ('Bandini'), she upped her game to suit a post-liberalisation generation with songs like 'Yai Re, Yai Re, Zor Laga Ke Naache Re' from 'Rangeela', reinventing herself for the more tech-focused wunderkind AR Rehman. But one of her greatest triumphs came between these two phases when she sang for 'Umrao Jaan'. Khayyam, or so goes the story, requested Bhosle to whittle down her pitch by a note or two to enhance the lingering effect of the 'Umrao Jaan' ghazals. After 'Umrao Jaan' there was no looking back for her. She staged concerts in the US, Canada, UK and Dubai. In the early 1990s, she teamed up with Boy George and Stephen Lauscombe of the synth pop band Blancmange; and was nominated for a Grammy. 'Brimful of Asha', the British band Cornershop's tribute to the celebrated singer became an international hit. Bhosle also collaborated with sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for 'Legacy', a private album which brought them the Grammy nomination. She also turned entrepreneur and set up 'Asha's', a chain of restaurants in Dubai, Kuwait, Doha, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. Over the years a host of awards were bestowed on her: the Padma Vibhushan; the Dadasaheb Phalke Award; the Madhya Pradesh government's Lata Mangeshkar Award; the Maharashtra Bhushan Award and the BBC Lifetime Award, among many others. But despite the accolades, she would often joke about her Number Two position in Hindi cinema vis-a-vis her sister. "The world remembers Neil Armstrong as the first human to reach the moon. There was Buzz Aldrin too with him!" she once exclaimed at a public event, tongue firmly in cheek. In her personal life, she brought the same vivacity that could be found in her singing. There are many who attest to her sensational cooking. "Asha tai made great 'paya' soup and machchi biryani," disclosed close family friend Prasad Mahadkar. "Many fisherwomen from the Grant Road market were her great friends." Adversity and personal bereavements failed to dampen her great lust for life and music. "Asha tai knew that life is unpredictable and that fame is transitory. She took each day as it came and soldiered on bravely- always ahead of the times," says Mahadkar....