![\"Chin2](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130503710,imgsize-60136,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/whatsapp-image-2026-04-22-at-13.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor Chin2 Bhosle, music goes far beyond legacy \u2014 it is rooted in deeply personal emotion and lived experience. The singer-composer opens up about his heartfelt tribute to his grandmother, legendary singer Asha Bhosle<\/a>, the memories they shared, and the life lessons she left behind that continue to shape him.In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, Chin2 revisits the song that once moved her to tears and recalls spontaneous moments of performing together on stage, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the person behind the legend. He also reflects on building his own identity despite carrying a celebrated surname, his shift from the corporate world to music, and the values of resilience and adaptability that have been passed down through his family.<\/p>\n There were two songs that I did for her. One is Chalte Chalte, which you obviously heard, and the other song is called Main Chala. It\u2019s on the same line \u2014 from the perspective of going away. Like, I came to sing something, I lost it, and I have nothing left now, I am leaving. I had written these two songs around two years ago. At that time, she had lost my father Hemant Bhosle \u2014 her eldest son \u2014 and my aunt Varsha, her second child.We were sitting together one day and she was in great pain and grief. That\u2019s when I wrote these songs. I composed and sang them as a scratch and told her, \u201cOkay, the song is ready.\u201d She heard it, had tears in her eyes, and cried. She was very emotional. She said, \u201cSorry Chintu, I can\u2019t sing this because I get too emotional when I hear it. I can\u2019t stop crying. I don\u2019t want to hear this song again.\u201d I said, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m so sorry. That was not my intention.\u201dThree months later, she wanted to hear it again. She said, \u201cChintu…\u201d and I said, \u201cYes.\u201d I played it again, and again she broke down into tears. Then she said, \u201cActually, I don\u2019t want to hear it. It\u2019s the most beautiful song you\u2019ve written and sung, but I can\u2019t listen to it.\u201d So I parked it. I said, no problem, I\u2019ll revisit it later.After her passing, a lot of friends asked me, \u201cWhat are you doing as a tribute?\u201d I said, \u201cNothing. It\u2019s very personal for me.\u201d But then one day, we were sitting and listening to all the work we had done together, and I heard this song again. And I said, \u201cThis is it. This is her. This was made for her.\u201dShe had completely connected with this emotion. And finally, I am a musician \u2014 my way to emote is through music. So this became my tribute. Whether people like it, hate it, connect with it or not \u2014 that\u2019s secondary for me.If anyone asks me, \u201cWhat is your message to her? How do you feel now that she\u2019s gone?\u201d \u2014 this is my response. This is exactly how I feel, and this is the best way I can express it. The words and language I\u2019ve used are exactly how I would talk to her.So for me, this song epitomises everything I want to say. We also put together photographs of our journey and created the video. And honestly, she couldn\u2019t hear it then, and I can\u2019t hear it now without tearing up. She really wanted to sing that song, but she couldn\u2019t \u2014 maybe because she felt I had written it for her.<\/p>\n Many times. Many, many times. Our first show was around 15 years ago in Surat. We had an understanding \u2014 I told her I will never ask when I can perform with you because I don\u2019t want to pressure you. But I also said I will use emotional blackmail as your grandson \u2014 I want to perform with you. Of course I want to perform, that\u2019s a given. But when you feel I am ready, please tell me. I will jump \u2014 I\u2019ll jump 10 feet high and perform with you. One day we were just chatting and she asked, \u201cWhat are you doing this weekend?\u201d I said, \u201cNothing.\u201d She said, \u201cCome.\u201dI literally jumped out of my chair. Finally.I remember our first duet \u2014 there was an interlude. I\u2019m more of a Western performer, so I don\u2019t stand still. I like to move, dance. But Indian performers traditionally stand still during interludes. She was singing, looking down, looking up. So I held her hand and gave her a little twirl. We danced a bit. She was taken aback at first, then she got into it. We even did a little waltz. She later told me, \u201cYou are like Kishore da. He used to do all this.\u201d I told her, \u201cI wish I could see his live shows.\u201dThen I realised once in a Marathi show, she herself started dancing mid-performance with a stick. That\u2019s when I told her, \u201cThis is where I get it from \u2014 from you!\u201d She laughed. We\u2019ve had some fantastic performances together \u2014 Surat, Bangalore, Shanmukhananda. I feel very lucky.<\/p>\n Both. As an artist, I felt great that she appreciated my singing and composition. Even though it\u2019s a slightly Western style, she liked it. As a grandson, I wasn\u2019t very happy seeing her break down like that. But I was touched that we were on the same emotional wavelength.<\/p>\n Yes, I teach music. And we often discussed how to take music to the next generation. When I take sessions with kids \u2014 even 17-18-year-olds \u2014 and say, \u201cLet\u2019s do Hindustani music,\u201d the reaction is almost always, \u201cNo, sir, it\u2019s boring.\u201dThat shocked me initially.But then I realised \u2014 the way we teach is very rigid. It\u2019s a deep, beautiful art form, but kids see it as \u201cSa Re Ga Ma\u201d repetition. We used to sit for hours holding one note. No wonder kids find it boring today. I told her that if we don\u2019t adapt, we will lose an entire generation. That\u2019s when I started working on something very close to my heart \u2014 SRGMs.<\/p>\n It\u2019s about introducing music to very young children \u2014 nursery, KG levels. Kids learn best through music. Everything \u2014 \u201chead, shoulders, knees and toes\u201d, \u201ctwinkle twinkle\u201d \u2014 is through rhythm and movement. So we created songs that teach values \u2014 like not being scared of doctors, learning to say please and thank you, understanding the world.I explained this to Aai and she was very interested. She asked, \u201cYou perform in stadiums, why kids?\u201dI said, \u201cWhy not? Given my background, your teachings, and my experience, I am in the best position to do this.\u201dShe agreed. She said nobody can take her legacy forward in the same way \u2014 it\u2019s untouchable. But values can be carried forward. And that\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do.<\/p>\nYou\u2019ve released a tribute for your grandmother
Asha ji has also performed with you?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhen Asha Bhosle reacted to the song, did you feel like an artist being appreciated or a grandson being understood?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
You also teach music. What conversations did you have with Asha Bhosle about taking music forward? <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What is \u2018SRGMs\u2019?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Did you also learn music the same way at home, like how you teach your students now?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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