Mumbai (Maharashtra)

Music composer Shamir Tandon paid a heartfelt tribute to legendary singer Asha Bhosle, reminiscing about his final recording with her for an unreleased track penned by Prasoon Joshi. He also shared pictures from the sets, hailing her as an "iron lady" and a true symbol of women's empowerment.

In a heartfelt note, Tandon reflected on his long association with the iconic singer, revealing that he spent hours by her side at her residence, where she appeared "silent, yet smiling, radiant and glowing as always."

Remembering her words, he said Bhosle had always told him, "Jaana toh sabko hai... Shamir ji, mere jaane ke baad, saari duniya ke saath meri musical life ko celebrate karna."

"After spending hours beside you all of yesterday, at your residence, seeing you silent -- yet smiling, radiant and glowing as always -- I feel a strange sense of peace. Iron Lady, a true embodiment of women's empowerment, you left us exactly the way you had always envisioned. Every box you spoke about... ticked," he wrote on Instagram.

Tandon fondly described her as "Asha Aai," sharing that she remained deeply connected to music till her last days, continuing her daily riyaaz and discussing upcoming recordings, concerts and creative ideas. He also recalled personal moments, including her cooking for him.

"Asha aai, You left while still singing with the same enthusiasm, doing your riyaaz every single day. I remember just couple of weeks ago hearing the strains of your tanpura and your taans. You left while cooking poha for me -- "mere haath ka hi khaiye" -- along with coffee for a vegetarian like me. You left discussing and planning the next recording, the next concert, the next studio visit, the next new podcast format - chaliye kuch naya karte hain," he added.

He noted that Bhosle felt "proud" about her granddaughter Zanai, "carving her own niche in the independent music circuit."

The composer added, "You left while taking care of everyone -- family, friends -- never allowing anyone to take care of you. You went in prime health, with almost no pain or suffering. You left young at heart, still eager to sing with the new generation entering the musical duniya."

He noted that Bhosle took pride in the next generation of artistes and remained curious about evolving trends such as artificial intelligence, autotune, and the future of music. "You left updated with the latest technology, spending hours discussing AI, autotune, royalties, rights and the future of creativity."

Calling her irreplaceable, Tandon said his decades-long association with Bhosle taught him invaluable life lessons beyond music.

"You left after telling me you didn't want a single penny for our last unreleased song -- instead, you wanted me to drive you to a big saree shop and buy you a beautiful saree. You left exactly the way you always said you would -- not spending more than a single day in a hospital, but going straight to where your contemporaries await you... for the next concert," he noted while adding that she left the way she wanted.

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"Aai, I am at peace knowing you left exactly as you wished. You proved that if the mind believes, it can manifest. In nearly 25 years of spending such quality time with you at home, in studios, in concert arenas, I have learnt life lessons and management principles no business school could ever teach me -- and that's not even touching upon your music teachings..God made only *ONE* like you. Ps - this Is the max I could write today , Promise to do a series of posts on all my learnings from my association with you"

Asha Bhosle passed away in Mumbai on Sunday at the age of 92, marking the end of an era in Indian music.