Asha Bhosle records puja song after over two decades
Kolkata, Oct 16: Playback legend Asha Bhosle has recorded a Bengali puja song after over two decades in a milieu when such tracks are on the decline.
The song, "Ebar Pujoy Elaam Phire" (I have returned in this puja) was released earlier this month following the tradition of launching puja numbers before the 4-day Durga puja beginning Tuesday.
Bhosle, who recorded the song a week after her 85th birthday last month, also shot a music video for it, said composers Shiladitya and Raj.
Bhosle had recorded her first puja song 'Amar Khatar Patay' in 1963 which was composed by late Manna Dey. She lent her voice for a puja song for the last time 23 years ago, the two composers said.
In subsequent years she rendered hits like 'Jete Dao Amay Dekho Na', 'Chokhe Chokhe Kotha Bolo', 'Phoole Gondho Nei' and 'Mohuaye Jomechhe Aaj Mou Go'.
"In all, Ashaji had sung 66 Bengali puja songs which were mostly singles and some duets," they said.
Bengali puja songs are the numbers released before the Durga puja targeting the festive mood of the people. Many of these puja numbers - sung among others by Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, R D Burman, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar from 1960s to 80s - are evergreen hits.
Several veteran singers had expressed anguish on many occasions that those golden days were over and the people were not enthusiastic.
Music composer Jeet Gannguli, however, struck a discordant note saying puja songs were popular these days too.
"I don't subscribe to the view that only puja numbers recorded during the 60s-90s are enjoyed by the present day listeners. Definitely the songs of that period are very popular even now, but the songs recorded afterwards are equally lapped up by the audience," Gannguli said.
"Perhaps the number of new hits is not being noted the way it was done in the era of records or cassettes with the emergence of Internet. There has not been any dearth of new lyrics, tunes and singers and no waning of enthusiasm," he said.
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
