The voice of Tapas ‘Bapi’ Das, one of the founding members of the legendary Bangla rock band Mohiner Ghoraguli, fell quiet on Sunday morning. He was battling lung cancer and died at SSKM Medical College and Hospital.
Born on September 22, 1954, in Kolkata, Das was one of the founding members of Mohiner Ghoraguli, along with Gautam Chattopadhyay, Ranjon Ghoshal, Pradip Chatterjee, Biswanath Bishu Chattopadhyay, Tapesh Bandopadhyay and Abraham Mazumdar. The band formed in 1975 performed together till 1978. After the group disbanded, Das became the mind and mentor for the next-generation Bangla band Mohin Ekhon O Bondhura in 2015.
Das had been a pioneer in Bengali rock music since 1974 with his creations. His works are known for their unique blend of baul, jazz and rock music and in-depth and revolutionary lyrics.
Diagnosed with cancer in January, Das was undergoing chemotherapy. The West Bengal government was bearing the expenses of his treatment and musicians from both West Bengal and Bangladesh were also raising funds.
Das inspired generations of musicians with his compositions. Composer Debojyoti Mishra, who knew Das since the days of Mohiner Ghoraguli, said “I knew him even before the band had formed. I was around 15 and it was a time when Bangla bands were not very popular. But a few of my friends and I would still listen to his songs. In fact, my love for violin came from him. Much later, we would meet for adda every evening near Tollygunge tram depot.”
Debaditya Chowdhury of band Lakkhichhara admitted to being influenced by Bapi da. “We used to sing Mohiner Ghoraguli’s songs and on many of those occasions he was present. We once organised a show called Smarane Gautam (Remembering Gautam Chattopadhyay) and despite his illness, he came to perform. That was his passion and love for music,” Chowdhury said.