India has witnessed the loss of a music maestro who made the whole nation tap their feet to funky disco music that was uncommon in the country at that time. Bappi Lahiri was a legend whose music transcended borders. His song Jimmy Jimmy was the most popular track in Russia at one time. Apart from his unparallel finesse in music, if there was anything else that defined the man, it was his charismatic appearance. Bappi Da, as he was fondly known, was known to wear heavy gold jewellery, especially for his neck and hands, along with a suave sunglass in all his public appearance.
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This look became part of his identity. Eight years ago, when Bappi Da was contesting for the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, he had submitted a claim that he wore 754 grams of gold and 4.62 kg of silver. At the same time, when it comes to Bappi Da’s gold, he reportedly possessed gold worth around Rs 30 lakh and silver worth around Rs 2 lakh, according to gold prices back in 2014. However, the amount of gold he wore may have changed over the years.
Bappi Da’s inspiration behind wearing so much gold comes from legendary singer-musician Elvis Presley. In an interview, Bappi Da had revealed that he used to watch Elvis wearing gold chains in Hollywood and aspired to do the same someday after he became successful. He also believed that gold brought good fortune.
“A gold chain with a Hare Rama Hare Krishna locket was given to me by my mother. I got my first blockbuster- Zakhmi. My mother had informed me that wearing the necklace would bring me luck when she put it on for me. Further gold chains followed, as did more box office triumphs. My family has always given me gold. My wife Chitrani gave me another gold necklace with a large Ganpati locket on it for my birthday in 1977, after my mother. This came after the box office successes of Aapki Ki Khatir and Bambai Se Aa Mera Dost,” Bappi Da had said in an old interview with Speaking Tree.
In the same interview, Bappi Da also claimed that he was instructed to wear a Ganpati on his chest in one of his dreams. He had further talked about how heavy his jewellery is and said, “No matter where I go, I always bring some gold jewellery with me. My gold jewellery is so hefty that I can’t take it all with me when I travel. I want to be able to carry God with me at all times. My gold jewellery has never been weighed. Because God is present on every chain, I have never weighed any of my jewellery.”
Bappi Da’s dark sunglasses, without which he has almost never been pictured, have also been a part of his defining image. While there were some rumours about Bappi Da having some sort of eye infection or light sensitivity which require him to wear sunglasses all the time, there is no official report of the same and neither Bappi Da nor his family has ever said anything about it. Bappi Da always maintained that he wore sunglasses because he loved them, and in a Times of India interview, revealed his sunglasses to be Louis Vuitton that cost Rs 1.50 lakh.
As unconventional as Bappi Da was with his appearances, he was undeniably loved and revered and his passing away will mark a void in the industry that will be difficult to fill.
