Asha Bhosle has spoken on the lifelong comparisons with her sister Lata Mangeshkar.
The legendary singer, who recently celebrated her 87th birthday, this past week – was interviewed by Bombay Times and quizzed on the contrast that was drawn with between her vocals and that of her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar.
Quoting Gulzar, who had apparently spoken about the subject before too, Asha stated that it just comes from ‘being the second one in time’, that always puts you in comparison with the one that came before. Even if you achieve the same thing, you will never be equally celebrated as the one who did it first.
Here is what she was quoted telling Bombay Times:
“Gulzarji once wrote about this. He said “Two people landed on the moon in 1969 for the first time. The one who stepped on the moon first (Neil Armstrong) became famous while the other (Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin) who also stepped on the moon, wasn’t equally celebrated because he came second. Your sister came into this world first so she is who she is. You came into this world after her, so you will always be compared to her.”
Asha and Lata – both established themselves as two of the most reputed singers in Indian film music history.
The sisters continue to be celebrated as legendary divas, despite all the comparisons that have been made for decades. One’s light, does not really, diminish the other.