Learning martial arts is necessity for women: Asha Bhosle

Legendary singer Asha Bhosle is all for women empowerment. While the 81-year-old believes that women must learn to strike the right balance between their personal and professional lives, she says learning a martial art has become essential for the safety of women.

"In today's world, moving out of the house alone is not very safe for women, hence, learning a martial art is a necessity," Asha said at Asha Ji - A Brimful Of Magic, a kick-off event by Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO) here Monday.

She believes that in today's times children should be able to fight for themselves from a very young age. Citing an example of her granddaughter Zanai, she said children should learn martial arts for their own protection.

Asha, who is an active professional in the world of singing and performing even at her age, also loves to dote on children. She rued the fact that women today are concentrating more on their careers, and abstaining from the kitchen.

"Even after a tiring day at the recording studio, I used to get into the kitchen straight away and cook something healthy (for my son) Anand," said the charming songstress, looking elegant in a cream sari.

An avid follower of international cooking shows, she believes women must experiment with food like "I did with my songs".

Asha, who sang a string of chartbusters picturised on Bollywood's dancing queen Helen, was once tagged as a cabaret singer. But she broke the stereotype by crooning the melodious "Maang ke saath tumhara" for "Naya Daur". Later, she went on to sing numbers like "Dum maro dum", "Mehbooba mehbooba", "Mera kuch saaman", "Piya tu ab to aaja" and "Chura liya hai tum ne" -- giving testament to her versatility.

The "In aankhon ki masti mein" singer believes that a mother needs to be an inspiration for her children.

"A child will never like to see their mother sitting idle and being sluggish," she said, recollecting an incident when her son Anand, on a very tiring day, said to her: "I will leave this house if you ever lose your poise and charisma in life."

During the event, Asha spoke to her awestruck audience about her life experiences and women empowerment. She shared the difficulties she overcame to reach the pinnacle of success and popularity that she currently enjoys worldwide.

The singer believes the power of positive thinking and will power can enrich the quality of a person's life.

"If at the age of fifty, a woman starts to give into her pains, she will lose her willpower to do anything in life. A woman should stay strong and take all her pains with her to her death bed and be a pillar of strength for those around her," said the singer, who made her acting debut with "Mai" in 2013.

"I have had a sense of self confidence from a very young age," she said as she reminisced about her childhood, when she lived on the third storey of a building and she had to fetch water for the whole family.

Her attitude of "Yes, I can and I shall" still reflects in her personality.