Golden Voice

The passing away of Asha Bhosle feels less like the death of a singer and more like the silencing of an entire sensibility. For nearly eight decades, she was not merely a voice behind the screen but the sound of Indian cinema learning to be bold, expressive, irreverent and when it wished, delightfully unruly. Born into the formidable Mangeshkar family, the younger sister of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle was destined for music but not for imitation. Where Lata Didi embodied a near-divine...

min read

The passing away of Asha Bhosle feels less like the death of a singer and more like the silencing of an entire sensibility. For nearly eight decades, she was not merely a voice behind the screen but the sound of Indian cinema learning to be bold, expressive, irreverent and when it wished, delightfully unruly. Born into the formidable Mangeshkar family, the younger sister of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle was destined for music but not for imitation. Where Lata Didi embodied a near-divine purity, being the nation’s conscience set to tune, Asha Tai became its alter ego: playful, sensuous, restless and daring. Together, the sisters defined the golden age of Bollywood playback singing. It is tempting and lazy to frame Asha Bhosle as the ‘other’ sister. Yet her genius lay precisely in refusing such a hierarchy. If Lata was the nightingale, Asha was the jazz improviser who was willing to bend rules, borrow from the West, and infuse Hindi film music with cabaret, pop and a certain urban irreverence. From smoky nightclub numbers to aching ghazals, her voice could inhabit characters that Hindi cinema itself was only just learning to write. Her catalogue, which runs into the tens of thousands of songs across languages, was a veritable parallel archive of post-Independence Indian music. She sang for heroines who ached, wept, vamped, seduced and survived. In doing so, she lent legitimacy to emotions that polite society often preferred to keep offstage. Her life, too, resisted neat composition. A teenage elopement, a troubled marriage, years of financial struggle and single parenthood were formative movements. Thrown out of her marital home, she returned to her family not as a prodigy but as a provider, singing to sustain three children while rebuilding a career. That she emerged not diminished but emboldened says much about the steel beneath the silk. Her later partnership with the composer R. D. Burman was both romantic and revolutionary. Together, they reshaped the soundscape of Hindi cinema by fusing Indian melody with global rhythm and producing songs that still feel improbably modern. When Burman died, she endured another personal rupture; yet her return in the 1990s was a striking reassertion of relevance. It is in relation to Lata that the poignancy of her passing sharpens. Their journeys began in the same household under the stern tutelage of their father, the classical musician Deenanath Mangeshkar, and ended in parallel arcs that now feel like the closing of a cultural epoch. Between them, the sisters had mapped the emotional geography of Hindi cinema so comprehensively that what follows risks sounding like a shallow echo. The age of playback singing, where voices were larger than actors, and the songs outlived the films, has been quietly receding. Asha Bhosle belonged to a time when a singer could define an actress, and a song could define a decade. Her death marks the near-complete passing of a generation that turned cinema into a musical civilisation.

Why Women Are Better Investors Than Men

Kaustubh Kale
Mar 9, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Mar 10, 2025

As the world celebrated International Women's Day, discussions centered around women's achievements in various fields—business, leadership, science, and beyond. But one area where women consistently outperform men, yet receive little recognition, is investing.

Despite money management often being seen as a male-dominated field, women have quietly and consistently proven to be better investors than men. With patience, discipline, and a long-term mindset, women naturally possess qualities that make them superior money managers.

A Perfect Blend of Knowledge and Wealth

In Hindu mythology, Goddess Saraswati symbolizes knowledge, while Goddess Lakshmi represents wealth—two essential pillars of investing. The ability to manage wealth wisely stems from a deep understanding of financial principles, and this is where women excel. They take the time to learn, analyze, and make informed investment decisions rather than rushing into trends or speculation.

Why Women Make Better Investors

Several traits make women stand out as investors:

Patience and Long-Term Vision: Unlike men, who may be more prone to impulsive trading and get-rich-quick schemes, women tend to have a longer term mindset. Their ability to stay calm, especially during market fluctuations, leads to better returns over time.

Disciplined and Goal-Based: Women prioritize consistent savings and goal-based investing. This disciplined approach helps them build wealth steadily. Women naturally excel at budgeting, planning, and structuring investments to align with future goals, whether it’s children’s education, home buying, or retirement security. Their emotional connection with goals is what makes them stick to discipline.

Risk-Aware, Not Risk-Averse: Contrary to the stereotype, women are not afraid of risks—they are just more calculated about them, through appropriate asset allocation. Eventually, this approach ensures maximum returns with minimal risks.

Trust and Willingness to Learn: Women value education and expertise, making them more likely to seek guidance from a well-qualified financial advisor. Unlike men, who often overestimate their investing abilities, women approach financial decisions with a willingness to learn. Once they find a trusted expert, they follow sound advice instead of making emotional, short-term moves.

Women Leading the Financial World

These qualities are why many of the world’s leading financial institutions are now led by women. In India and abroad, we see prominent banks, asset management companies, and investment firms thriving under female leadership. Their ability to combine strategic thinking with emotional intelligence makes them exceptional at managing money—both at a personal and professional level.

Final Thoughts

With their trust in expert advice and a strong focus on financial education, more women should embrace their strengths and take control of their financial futures!