The four Bengali 'e-Songs' of Asha Bhosle.

In 1977, HMV released a compilation LP record of a dozen songs of Asha Bhosle. All the songs were composed by Rahul Dev Burman and the original recording dates of these songs ranged from 1968 to 1976.

The LP record was such a raging hit that I can scarcely recall a Puja Pandal that did not play those dozen beauties, with monotonous regularity.

The outcome of this vinyl disc's monstrous popularity was that common listeners, assumed that this was the complete set of solos that Asha Bhosle had sung for R.D. Burman since 1968.

It was not so. R.D. Burman, from the very first disc of his collaboration with Asha Bhosle, started to experiment with melodies that revealed his deep love for western musc (especially jazz, pop, blues, etc.)

Four such solos were left out from the LP. One each from 1968, 1969, 1972 & 1973.

Asha Bhosle & R D Burman continued to record songs regulary, from the late 70-s all through the 80-s. Hence, the subsequent LP compilations had the more recent songs and these four old gems were relegated to relative obsurity.

Interestingly, all the four songs start with the same Bengali letter 'এ' ... the phonetic equivalent of the English letter 'E'

That was the phase when the composer was at his creative best & the singer could render just about every type of song, composed by any composer of the sub-continent.

These four lesser heard 'E'-songs are:

• Ei... edikey esho (1968)
• Elomelo katha (1969)
• Ekti katha... aami je shudhu (1972)
• Ekti katha... haay shey toh (1973)

Across these four songs, the singer displays the matchless sassy sensuousness of her singing style. All the four tunes were utilised in Hindi movies by R D Burman in the subsequent years.

Song # 1:

Ei... edikey esho (1968)

Music: R D Burman     Lyrics: Gauriprasanna Majumdar

Equivalent Hindi film song: 'aye dekho toh yahaan'

Asha Bhosle - Raaton Ka Raja (1970).

Song # 2:

Elomeo katha (1969)

Music: R D Burman     Lyrics: Gauriprasanna Majumdar

Equivalent Hindi film song: 'dekho mujhe dekho'

Asha Bhosle - Humshakal (1974). 

Song # 3:

Ekti katha aami je shudhu jaani (1972)

Music: R D Burman     Lyrics: Gauriprasanna Majumdar

Equivalent Hindi film song: 'tum toh kya ho ji'

Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhosle - Raakhi Aur Hathkadi (1972)

(This melody of the mukhda is a very deft adaptation of a popular Cuban song, Guantanamera. The antara-s are nicely crafted to match with the melody of the opening lines.) 

Song # 4:

Ekti katha... haay shey toh (1973)

Music: R D Burman     Lyrics: Gauriprasanna Majumdar

Equivalent Hindi film song: 'ruk meri jaan kidhar jaata hai'

Kishore Kumar - Bundalbaaz (1976).

This genre of singing was virtually an exclusive domain for her. While it suited Hindi movies, where the storylines demanded 'dance-club' situations, the Bengali audience was probably a bit startled to hear such unbridled oomph in non-film songs, specially during the late 60-s & early 70-s. :)

Interestingly my mother, despite having a conservative upbringing, was overtly fond of these songs.., just for the singing ability of this colossal artist.

'Ignore what she sings... just admire how beautifully she sings' used to be her comment about these four songs.

I ended up loving both the 'what' & the 'how'. :)

As the Durga Puja Season starts off, these songs cause a rush of nostagia. :)

A 'once in a lifetime' artist.

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