Asha Bhosle wrapped in the Indian tricolour flag as Mumbai pays its final farewell

Dubai: In a mark of the highest respect, legendary singer Asha Bhosle was wrapped in the Indian tricolour at her residence in Lower Parel, Mumbai, on Monday as loved ones gathered to pay their final tributes. Videos from the singer's home show soldiers ceremonially draping her casket, adorned with white lilies, in the Indian flag, a honour that speaks to the extraordinary place she held not just in music but in the heart of a nation.

Asha passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 92 due to multi-organ failure at Breach Candy Hospital, where she had been admitted just the day before following a chest infection and extreme exhaustion. She is survived by her son Anand Bhosle and granddaughter Zanai.

A city comes to say goodbye

Tributes at her residence will continue until 3pm, after which the funeral procession will make its way to Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar. The last rites are scheduled to be performed at 4pm.

The outpouring of grief has been immediate and immense. Among those who arrived at her home on Monday to pay their respects were actor Tabu, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali, music composer AR Rahman and veteran actress Asha Parekh.

Tabu was seen consoling a visibly grief-stricken Zanai, holding her and staying by her side. Sachin and Anjali also spent time with the family, offering comfort in what has been an overwhelming few hours for those closest to her.

The sight of Asha Bhosle's casket draped in the tricolour, surrounded by white flowers and soldiers standing in solemn salute, is one that will stay with everyone who witnessed it. It is the send-off of a national treasure, a woman whose voice was woven into the fabric of India for over eight decades and whose absence will be felt for generations to come.