She has done it all her life. And now the diva of the ditties, Asha Bhosle, is again pinching the purists where it hurts their sense of status quo the most.

In her new album "Asha", which has been released to a rousing response, Asha has done the unthinkable. She has actually re-recorded the ghazals of the undisputable greats of the genre.

"I knew I was looking for trouble when I decided to re-do the ghazal greats - Mehdi Hassan, Farida Khanum, Ghulam Ali and Jagjit Singh... But my life is nothing, if not a series of challenges. The danger of purists taking offence was always there. These days they just take any big singer's number and make it small - with clothes to match on the music video, matak-matak ke."

Asha insists she hasn't done any re-mix songs in her new album.

"I haven't tampered with one note, one lyric... no changes at all. Only the instruments have been modernised. As for cynics, they're bound to have their say.

"When some years ago I did my songs of R.D. Burman in the album 'Rahul & I', I was criticised even by my admirers. But I remember a four-year old boy at a restaurant coming up to me to sing 'Piya tu ab to aaja'. I was so happy that a new generation would be familiarised with RD's tunes."

Asha is hopeful that the new generation will appreciate her efforts to pay homage to the ghazal greats.

When it comes to re-doing the classics she's no stranger to controversies.

Laughingly the diva recalls: "I had once done an album of Noorjehan's songs in 'Kashish'... I was very scared. I phoned Noorjehan in Pakistan to take her consent. She retorted, 'You are very brave'".

With a laugh she continues: "After recording the songs I took the cassette to her home in London. She looked at me angrily and told me to come back the next day. The next day she complimented me. I touched her feet and sought her blessings. I hope after listening to 'Asha' the ghazal greats will respond the same way."

She ends on a hopeful note. "I've tried my best to retain the original flavour. I heard every number at least 50 times."

Incidentally, Asha's elder sister Lata Mangeshkar had done her homage to the playback singing-greats of Hindi cinema.

When Lata's "Shraddhanjali" was released the cynics accused the Nightingale of trying to be one up on her colleagues who had sung the originals. But such was the popularity of the album that Lata actually recorded a sequel a year later.