He might look like Kung Fu Panda dressed in the best 80s kitsch but no one deserves to feature more on a food blog than a man who came on to the stage and talked about how music legends such as Kishore Kumar and him would come to the Bandra Notun Polly Durga Puja to gorge on cutlets and chops. Or sings songs where the lyrics go ‘aami Kolkata roshogolla’ (I am Kolkata’s rassagulla). Rather honest I thought.
And of course, ‘I am your chicken fry. I am your fish fry’.
To the bunch of us 70s born 80s children listening to one of the last rock stars belt out the Bengali and Hindi film numbers we had grown up to, from hand shaking distance, was a surreal experience.
There we were on the fourth row on the Nobomi Night Programme at the Notun Polly Bandra Durga Pooja, cheering, screaming, swaying, singing, clapping, clicking tweeting as he crooned out hits from Sharabi, Disco Dancer, Ghayal then the Bengali chirodine, gur dokhina, ogo bodhu shundori. From kirtans or religious songs to the raunchy char gaya upar re.
There was a whole bunch of us at the covered performance area who re-lived our growing up days as Bappida gave a non lip synced live performance in between a 80s Kokata-like power cut and a break to introduce his son who was on the drums and whom I’d earlier asked to move as he was blocking my view. His daughter, a hefty powerful singer and the Indian Idol 3 winner too.
Before and after the GM diet (Indian Idol 3 winner Charu from what I gathered)
First the audio went and then the power:
Soumik wanted to get up and dance but the other kids beat him to it
Suddenly his daughter sashayed on to the stage with a very powerful voice
Son, Bappa Lahiri, rocks the beat under his dad’s shadow
The last night of the Puja Nobomi slipped into the last morning Doshomi as our group headed to our place for an impromptu party.
We closed the last night of the puja over a dinner from Khaane Khaas and two Flurys dark chocolates from Kolkata which seemed to have been waiting for this bunch of Kolkatans to drop in.
So rock on Bappi Da. We laabh you too.
Aaschhe Bochhor aabar hobe.
As Jeet texted me, ‘who needs Elvis?”.
This is my twitter feed from the night in descending order of time:
Finelychopped Kalyan Karmakar
Nobomi continues into doshomi with the #Bappidaatbandrapujo crowd coming home for adda over Khaane khaas & flurys chocolate
Finelychopped Kalyan Karmakar
‘Kalbi alvida na ke kehena’ and so ends #Bappidaatbandrapujo
‘Char gya upar re ‘ #Bappidaatbandrapujo
E amar guru dokhina. Kishore Mama e geye onek award peyechhe #Bappidaatbandrapujo
RT @fossfan: @Finelychopped @dhunji @additiyom @debolin_bbcmags I can now die. I heard bappida sing you are my chicken fry!!!
Yes we will do disco on the stage @surekhapillai #Bappidaatbandrapujo
You could have been here @surekhapillai #Bappidaatbandrapujo http://lockerz.com/s/144615743
4 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete
@dhunji @Finelychopped @additiyom @fossfan Hari Om Hari! Rocking the audience, he is. #BappidaatBandraPuja
You are my chicken fry you are my fish fry #Bappidaatbandrapujo no lip syncin here
‘Pyar maanga hain tumhi se’ #Bappidaatbandrapujo
Adda over tweet up RT @dhunji:@additiyom: @Finelychopped I shld’v plnnd a pujo tweetup.. @debolin_bbcmags @dhunji @fossfan #DurgaPujaBandra"
He is a Disco Dancer #Bappidaatbandrapujo
De de pyar de pyar de pyar de re #Bappidaatbandrapujo
‘Kothai chhile electricity, koshto deele’ he is back with a smile. Oori Oori baba #Bappidaatbandrapujo
Two guys fanning THE man with what looks like 2 huge bed sheets #Bappidaatbandrapujo
‘Pyar maanga hain tumhi se’ #Bappidaatbandrapujo
Adda over tweet up RT @dhunji:@additiyom: @Finelychopped I shld’v plnnd a pujo tweetup.. @debolin_bbcmags @dhunji @fossfan #DurgaPujaBandra"
He is a Disco Dancer #Bappidaatbandrapujo
De de pyar de pyar de pyar de re #Bappidaatbandrapujo
‘Kothai chhile electricity, koshto deele’ he is back with a smile. Oori Oori baba #Bappidaatbandrapujo
kar
Two guys fanning THE man with what looks like 2 huge bed sheets #Bappidaatbandrapujo
Load shedding. What bengal thinks today …. #Bappidaatbandrapujo
Sound goes just as bappa begins to drum. Avoid the 4th row if you throw chairs please #Bappidaatbandrapujo authentic kolkata touch
*aami kolkatar roshogolla’ and then ‘aami ek jon shanto shistho modhyobhitto bhodrolok’ #Bappidaatbandrapujo
Bappi Pappi specially for you @surekhapillai #Bappidaatbandrapujo http://lockerz.com/s/144602884
Turns out that guy I pushed aside from front of me was bappa lahiri son of #Bappidaatbandrapujo before the stage intro
Fish chop while he sings ‘intezar ho gayi’ #Bappidaatbandrapujo
Yaad aa raha hain and @bangdu walks in finally to meet #Bappidaatbandrapujo
@debolin_bbcmags http://lockerz.com/s/144594807 fourth row
THE man starts with chiro dini after talking of the cutlets he used to eat at the puja #Bappidaatbandrapujo http://lockerz.com/s/144596590
This is how he looks without the gold apparently #Bappidaatbandrapujo http://lockerz.com/s/144594807
Shubho nobomi from bandra durga puja http://lockerz.com/s/144593098
Bappi da aapni jekhanei thakun taratari pandal’e chole aashun #Bappidaatbandrapujo
So salads and soups 1st RT @debolin_bbcmags: @Finelychopped @dhunji BappiDa to make a late entrance! The audience waits in anticipation.
At the Notun Polly pujo waiting for my moghlai paratha and Bappida. Two different phenomena
Lo main aa gaya RT @debolin_bbcmags: @dhunji @Finelychopped BappiDa starts his glitzy show! #DurgaPujaBandra
Chirodini tumi je amar, jugi jugi ami tomari 🙂
I love Bappi da's songs! His Hindi songs from the 80s are my absolute favourites!!
Well here you go Scarlett:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2GIhYXNP_Y
Bappi da singing it a few feet ahead of you that evening was goose bump stuff