BAPPI LAHIRI – CREATING MUSIC MAGIC Celebrating the King of Modern Beats on his Birth Anniversary today

BAPPI LAHIRI  : Bappi Lahiri (Alokesh Aparesh Lahiri) was born on November 27, 1952, in Jalpaiguri to Bengali
music-loving parents. Aparesh and Bansuri Lahiri, his father and mother, were both musicians
trained in classical music. From a tender age, he grew to follow and appreciate music beats and
various rhythms. He was playing the table with gusto from the age of 3. On the advice of none
other than the great Lata Mangeshkar, little Bappi was put under Pandit Samta Prasad’s training
as he showed promise.
His love for music kept intensifying with the passage of time and he moved to Bombay (now
Mumbai) at 19 when he got the opportunity to compose music for a Bengali film, Dadu (1969).
Nanha Shikari (1973) was the first Hindi film that he composed music for.
Zakmee(1975), a film by Tahir Hussian, made everyone sit up and notice the young Bappi who
was making music memorable in his own distinct way. Aao tumhe chaand pe jaye is a classic
that springs to every music buff’s lips right up to this day – a sweet and soulful number sung in
Lata Mangeshkar’s evergreen voice.
That was just the beginning. He went on to become a game-changer in the music industry of his
day. His distinctive blend of Indian and Western instruments and beats produced some
immemorable chartbusters over the 70s and 80s. Bappi Lahiri (popularly known as Bappi Da)
went on to establish his stature as a leading composer and music producer even singing
playback in some films.
His disco music was a rage in the 80s, the masses belting out the numbers from music events of
all manner. Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Pyar Bina Chain Kahan Re and I am a Disco Dancer have
become iconic party songs and continue to make appearances in music charts and social media
reels in newer avatars till today. Indians are still celebrating the immortal music tracks of
Sharaabi and Namak Hala.
Make no mistake, his command of music composition was not limited to Hindi alone – he has
composed music in Bangla, Tamil, Kannada, Odia as well. Another little-known fact is that he
worked on some international music projects back in the day, much before collaborations
became trendy in the entertainment world.
The doyen of music Indian music breathed his last on February 15, 2022. But he will live on in
our hearts – through his remarkable music.