When she fellin love with MP’s lakes & serenity

Bhopal:India's most versatile voice, Asha Bhosle, passed away on Sunday, leaving behind an ocean of music — and memories that Madhya Pradesh holds especially close. Her many visits to the state were marked not just by stellar performances, but by a warmth that lingered long after the applause faded.Two momentsremainetched in public memory: 1989, when she received the state's Lata Mangeshkar Samman, and 2011, when shemesmeriseda packed Lal Parade Ground in Bhopal on MP Foundation Day. Those who met her recall an artiste untouched bylarger-than-life aura."When she came to attend MP Day in Nov 2011, Asha ji was staying at a five-starhoteland I wasto conducther interactions with dignitaries in the morning. She held my hand as we walked into the conference hall, instantly putting me at ease," recalled educationist and veteran art critic Vinay Upadhyay."There was a fresh rose in her hair and that impish smile — she carried it through every interaction." Despite a tight schedule, she paused to interact with some young local singers, urging them tohonoura land that nurtured legends like Kishore Kumar (Khandwa) and Lata Mangeshkar (Indore). "That day I discovered that her humanity matched her genius," Upadhyay added.She was equally taken by the state itself."I was filled with pride when Asha ji confessed that she was in love with MP's lakes and its serene aura," he said.At the 2011 event, scheduled after actor-dancer-politician Hema Malini's classical dance drama, the crowd waited for hours. "No one lefttillAsha Jidid, close to midnight," Upadhyay said. In that lingering night, her songs — and her simplicity — became part of the state's own story.