It’s extremely sad that another great musician has gone. Bappi da had so much music left in him. I have great respect for him. He was like a brother to me for many years. I got the opportunity to sing a lot of songs for him like Tu Pagal Premi Awara, Lal Dupatte Wali, and my Bengali hit, Aami Kolkata Roshogulla. He was so flexible and gave us diverse songs.

He loved his work and treated all of us like his family. Whenever I went to his place, he’d offer me Bengali sweets as I loved them. His family was always affectionate. My heart goes out to them. May his soul rest in peace. These last two years have taken so many amazing musicians from us. I’m sure even the Gods are enjoying their music.

Kavita Krishnamurti, singer

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Bappi da was like family to me. I’d accompany my dad (Anjaan, late lyricist) for the sittings. Whenever he saw me, he’d remember my father. I’ve had so many associations with him over the years. In fact, he called me a month ago for a project called Pyaar Mein Thoda Twist. But I think he fell ill. I didn’t hear from him after that.

He was an intelligent and multifaceted composer. Once, director Prakash Mehra asked Bappi da to call his mother, who was a classical singer, to compose a song for Namak Halaal. She was nervous as she was not a composer. Bappi da told her he’ll give her a phrase and she can compose it like a bandish. That’s how the original tune of Pag Ghungroo Baandh was made.

He made a mark when many composers were ruling the industry. He was synonymous to disco and the genre will always be associated with him. It’s truly a huge loss to the music industry and I’ll always miss him.

Sameer Anjaan, lyricist