Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma on Asha Bhosle* (Sai Baba and Asha Bhosle) Whomever He willed, He summoned to His doorstep; whomever He willed, He embraced as His own. These are decrees of immense grace; truly, it is a matter of profound destiny.

                   K.V.SHARMA EDITOR 
Once, while in Bombay, I visited the home of a music director. The renowned playback singer, Asha Bhosle, happened to be there. Suddenly, her gaze fell upon the ring I was wearing—a ring that Baba had given me. She remarked, "I do not believe in Baba. I have no faith in Him. Why are you wearing this ring?" I replied, "This is a strictly personal matter of mine. Therefore, I do not wish to discuss this subject with you." She persisted adamantly, saying, "Come, let's make a wager: if Baba is truly an Avatar, let Him appear in my dream tonight; only then will I acknowledge Him. I will be completely convinced, and thereafter, I too will accompany you to Puttaparthi."

I said, "Asha-ji! I do not wish to make any kind of wager regarding Swami; please, let us bring this discussion to a close." A short while later, we departed from the premises. The following morning, at 6:30 AM, I received a telephone call. Asha-ji was on the line. She said, "Swami appeared to me in a dream, and I am utterly astounded by this experience." She continued, "Please, take me to Puttaparthi." I replied, "I am delighted that Swami granted you His *darshan* in your dream; however, I regret that I cannot take you to Puttaparthi, as I am currently unable to spare the time." I had a recording session scheduled at the studio that very day.
In the evening, Asha Bhosle arrived there accompanied by her mother and younger sister, and began pleading with me to, at the very least, take them to the Ashram in Bombay.  Upon the conclusion of the recording session, I took them to the Dharmakshetra (Ashram) located in Andheri. I requested the people there to open the prayer hall. We all sat there for a while and then returned. As far as I recall, just a day later, Asha Bhosle set off for Puttaparthi—alone. She later told me that, for several consecutive days, she had gone to the *Darshan* Hall—both morning and evening—to seek Baba's *Darshan*, yet Swami never approached her. Finally, one day, Swami came up to her and recounted the entire sequence of events surrounding her arrival in Puttaparthi.