When Bappi Lahiri revealed why he never weighed the gold he wore

Bappi Lahiri's love for gold was not hidden from any. He once revealed why he used to wear so much gold.

Image: Bappi Lahiri/Instagram

Veteran singer Bappi Lahiri died on Tuesday at the age of 69. He was hospitalised for 29 days at Mumbai’s Criticare Hospital and succumbed to his illness on late Tuesday night at 11:45 PM. Bappi Lahiri was known as the OG of Disco in India. He composed and sung numerous super hit songs that brought him the title of ‘Disco King’. And rightly so, after all, songs such as Disco Dancer, Yaad Aa Raha Tera Pyaar, Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja and many more shaped the Disco scene in India.

Other than his peppy music and tracks, Bappi Lahiri was known for his love for gold. When you think of Bappi Lahiri, the first thing that pops in one’s mind is the thick gold chains and rings he proudly wore. All that bling Bappi Lahiri always wore was not simply for fashion but it had a reason behind it. And the reason was once revealed by Bappi Lahiri in an old interview.

Bappi Lahiri’s fascination with gold chains started when his mother gifted him one. Sooner, gold chain(s) became his ‘lucky charm’. “Gold is my lucky charm. When I recorded Zakhmi, my mummy gave me a gold chain with a locket that has God’s name. When I got married, Mrs Lahiri said that gold is very lucky. As my married life passed by, my gold chains got bigger. But yes, the gold Ganpati around my neck keeps me safe,” Bappi Lahiri has said in an old interview with Hindustan Times in the year 2009.

In the interview, he further said, “Today, if someone wears gold chains, they say why are you copying Bappida. Only few people have such an image. Elvis Presley had a gold cross, Michael Jackson has sunglasses and Elton John has a hat.”

While gold chains became the second identity of Bappi Lahiri, first, of course, being his music, there were also some who were not fond of his blingy fashion. Among them includes yesteryear’s actor Rajkumar. When Rajkumar had once met Bappi Lahiri, he passed a comment about his appearance. Rajkumar had once reportedly said that only Mangalsutra was left to wear for Bappi Lahiri.

Whatever Rajkumar had to say about Bappi Lahiri, it did not make any difference to the singer-composer. He once reportedly said that even though people made fun of him for wearing gold, it did not have any impact on him as he considered gold to be lucky for him, adding that just like his music, gold was also his “pehchaan”.

Bappi Lahiri used to wear seven to eight gold chains with a golden locket of Lord Ganpati. Bappi Da once said that he dreamt of being asked to wear a Ganpati locket. When he wore the locket, he soon made a Guinness World Record. A few years later, his daughter Reema had gifted him Goddess Saraswati’s locket. Every gold chain that Bappi Lahiri wore, always had a locket of a god/goddess in it, because of which he never weighed his gold jewellery.