Artistes in Bengal recall their association with 'Bappi da'

KOLKATA: Artistes here reacted with shock and disbelief as Bappi Lahiri, the king of disco pop, breathed his last at the age of 69, hours after legendary Bengali singer Sandhya Mukhopadhyay left for her heavenly abode.

Condoling his demise, Chief Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Shocked to hear about the untimely demise of legendary singer and music composer Bappi Lahiri. A boy from our North Bengal, he rose to all-India fame and success by the dint of his sheer talent and hard work, and made us proud by his musical contributions. We have conferred on him our highest state civilian award "Bangabibhushan" and will continue to remember the genius. My sincere condolences."

The singer-composer, who regaled audiences with his foot-stomping music for several decades, was born in Jalpaiguri to Aparesh and Bansuri Lahiri, both musicians. He was popular for his groovy music and sartorial style in Mumbai and Kolkata alike. Some of his popular Bengali numbers such as 'Aaj ei dinta ke', sung by his maternal uncle and legendary singer Kishore Kumar, have gone on to become love anthems for generations.

Music composer, Debojyoti Mishra, recalled his last encounter with Bappi da at a five-star hotel in Kolkata in 2019. "Bappida was in the lobby of a hotel, waiting for someone to take him to an event. We chatted for about an hour even as a live band played nearby. He was impressed with my work, and appreciated the fact that I work with so many hands (instrumentalists)," Mishra said.

"Every single note of his compositions was clearly defined. Such was his command over the medium. Not many know he was a gifted tabla player," he said.

Bengali film superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee said: "Bappi da gifted me 'Chirodini Tumi Je Amar' for my film Amar Sangi," a song that went on to become a blockbuster hit." Lahiri's first venture in the Bengali film industry was Daadu in 1972. He made his debut in the Hindi film industry with Nanha Shikari, a year later. Rituparna Sengupta, one of the Bengali film industry's top actors, said Lahiri was an elder brother to her.

Music composer and singer Santanu Moitra said: "Bappi da's songs celebrated life." Singer Usha Uthup, who frequently collaborated with Bappi Lahiri in the 80s, says it's hard to process the composer's death but she will always remember him for his trademark gold chains, shimmery jacket, dark glasses and the beaming smile.