Director of Asha Audio Company passes away
The forever effervescent, Mahua Lahiri, Director of Asha Audio Company, who played one of the most important roles in uplifting Bengali music and promoting numerous talents in the musical arena, breather her last, after prolonged illness, on October 23 at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata.
Born on May 8, 1966, Lahiri was brought up in an environment where Bengali Music and Literature was very predominant and she always had an ear for good music and was fascinated with the songs of Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle and RD Burman from very childhood.
She started her career working as an artist and repertoire manager in CBS / Pan Music. During this phase, meeting the legendary Asha Bhosle was like "Dream Come True" for her. The constant urge to do something new and take on newer challenges led her to form Asha Audio Company along with her husband Dibyendu Sekhar Lahiri in 1995. What started off with 4 albums, Asha Audio now has an enviable catalogue of over 500 titles with whose who of both Kolkata and Mumbai singers featuring prominently in the list.
Lahiri made Asha Audio a household name in the market. She always encouraged the newcomers and came up with newer albums, thus nurturing talents. Lahiri is credited with introducing various Bangla Bands as well as individual performers in the music scenario since 1996. Under her aegis, apart from promoting non film albums, Asha Audio Company has acquired music titles of select Bengali movies and also launched a unique concept of storytelling called Audio Books. Asha Audio titles are available pan India and they have tied up with leading conglomerate, Orchard, for having a strong presence in the digital field across the globe.
What made Lahiri stand apart was her zeal to experiment and break the stereotype. Coming out with innovative concepts has always been Lahiri's forte, which has actually helped the organisation sustain and move forward in this digital age.
She has also been credited with introducing Rabindrasangeet sung by leading Bollywood singers which became huge hits and landmarks in the respective singers' career.
Under her leadership, Asha Audio had developed its You Tube channel and promoted new music videos of the albums produced by them, digitally.
From fighting music piracy, to taking head on the digital challenge and remarkably adapting to it to creating rich musical content, Lahiri did everything with conviction and aplomb.
Optimism and Passion had been Ms Lahiri's Mantra for success. An encouraging and a supportive family made Lahiri succeed in making Asha Audio a brand name.
Stalwarts from the musical fraternity poured in to pay their last tribute to their beloved, Mahua Di.
