No one could blame the Indian singer Asha Puthli for a little name-dropping. The collaborators and benefactors in her career since the late 1960's include, just for starters, Ornette Coleman, Martha Graham , the Notorious B.I.G., the filmmakers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, and the talent scout John Hammond. She has scandalized India and delighted British talk-show audiences; she has been a catalyst in German disco and an Italian B-movie actress.