Happy Birthday Asha Bhosle!

Today is a very special day as veteran singer Asha Bhosle celebrates her birthday!

Asha Bhosle was born on 8th September, 1933, to the musical family of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar in the small hamlet of Goar in Sangli, Mumbai. Her father was a theatre actor and classical singer, who died when she was nine years old after which her family moved from Pune to Kolhapur and then to Mumbai. Along with her sister Lata Mangeshkar, she began singing and acting in films to support their family. At the age of 16, she eloped and married 31-year-old Ganpatrao Bhosle, who was her sister's personal secretary, against her family's wishes. However, the marriage failed as her husband and in-laws mistreated her. Asha was turned out by a suspicious Ganpatrao a few years later with two children and pregnant with their third child.

After the tragedy, she started her career singing the assignments refused by the prominent playback singers, which was usually singing for the vamps or for second-grade movies. After singing for Sangdil, she got reasonable recognition, but got her first big break in C.I.D. She achieved further success with Naya Daur. Amidst her flourishing singing career, marital bliss came her way once again as she tied the knot with the legendary music composer RD Burman in 1980. Burman sir expired in the year 1994. She has continued singing all this while and is still enjoying much success even today.