Dad was loved by everyone who knew him. He was the nicest person, and his positive energy was infectious. He believed that anything was possible for anyone, at any time. He would relentlessly encourage people to do better for themselves, even if it drove them nuts. He didn’t care if it annoyed them as long as it benefited them in the end. If you’ve ever watched him perform, you know he was a force of nature on stage. He never let anyone sit – everyone had to be on the dance floor. And within a minute of hearing his voice, they would do it voluntarily and dance like they had never danced before. Those memories stay with his audience for a lifetime.
Dad, a disciplined man
Once, when we went to the passport office, one of the employees recognised him from a corporate event years ago. The smile on that person’s face was unforgettable. Dad was super disciplined, living each morning with a routine that never faltered: wake up, meditate, do riyaz, practise karate, and only then move on with the day. It sounds easy, but doing it is another thing.
Dad was an environmental conservationist at heart. He never left the lights on when he left the room and always opened windows for fresh air. He would say, “Use the smallest towels, not the big ones, to save water when they get washed. And DON’T use bathtubs.” He avoided printing unnecessarily and didn’t even use the envelope for a hotel room card. Cutlery was always reused in restaurants, and the servers in Fire and Ice (his favourite restaurant in Kolkata) always asked, “When is sir coming?” if his family visited without him.
Sandeep with his wife Sanaya Mehta Vyas
Dad, a heart full of humour
Dad often joked with the audience, that if they sat down, he would start singing ghazals or the National Anthem to make them stand up! His off-stage jokes were infamous. He would hear other people’s jokes, memorise them, and use them on the same people when he thought they had forgotten the joke altogether. The delivery was always off, and that’s why I made it a point not to inherit that particular trait of his (I’m hilarious, by the way).
Sandeep and Samara would often have fun on and off-stage
He was unabashed in telling anyone, “Don’t eat this, don’t eat that,” and he would always have a valid point. He didn’t have sugar for 30 years, not even a morsel of cake on his birthday. Instead, each year, we got him a big block of cheese to cut, followed by fruit for dessert, which he would still advise against eating too much.
Dad, the family man
If there was anything close to a perfect dad, it was him. I still hear his voice saying, “I love you, my babies,” because he said it so often. Nirvhan, my brother, is like his twin. A day after dad passed, when Nirvhan called my name, I almost replied with, “Yes, dad?” because they sounded so alike. It feels almost as if dad has gone from living physically to living through him.
He gave us everything we needed to live our lives better. For a school English aural examination, Nirvhan spoke about his relationship with Dad and how he loved him “more than anything.” I think that should help you understand just how incredible he was.
Sandeep with his son Nirvhan
When I was nine, Dad introduced me to Aerosmith and Queen. I remember becoming completely obsessed with the idea of being a rockstar, and I wouldn’t have been if it wasn’t for him. He showed me the path to the music I cherish most now. I remember singing Amazing with him and how glad he was that I loved the same music. When I was much younger, we did everything together, especially playing “Princess Princess” and going to Fire and Ice. He would order Piccata di Pollo (marinated chicken with olive oil and lemon) with rice on the side. Funnily enough, that’s my go-to order now.
Dad, the rockstar
Everything I know about performing, I learned from dad. People say I have a lot of energy on stage, but I always thought that was just how it was done because that’s what I saw from him. I sometimes felt like I didn’t have enough of it.
My dad never cancelled a show. Body aches, 104-degree fevers, a scheduled operation the day after — he performed through it all. No one would have guessed because his energy was always at a hundred per cent. Dad was extremely passionate about his career. He came from a humble background, with his entire immediate family supporting him every step of the way. His parents handled finances and logistics, and his brother Sanjeev was his DJ. They believed in him, and they had every reason to. He always rose to the occasion.
The perfect goodbye
‘Only the good die young, and my dad was the best. He never wasted a moment and always made the most of life’
If you want to remember my dad, listen to his music. You will feel his presence, as if he is speaking to you or sitting beside you. Listen to Jump by Van Halen, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, Fields of Gold by Sting, any Led Zeppelin song, November Rain by Guns N' Roses, and Here I Go Again by Whitesnake.
Only the good die young, and my dad was the best. He never wasted a moment and always made the most of life. I just know he’s wherever all his favourite singers are, jamming with them and irritating them to do shows and stop eating junk food.
“You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley / You’ll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold.”
Kolkata-based singer Sandeep Vyas, who inspired many to groove to his tunes, was a familiar face in the city’s social circles. He passed away on July 17, 2024, after succumbing to a heart attack. He was 50.
