Musicians Ehsaan and Vishal pay tribute to late rocker Nandu Bhende
Ehsaan Noorani-I first saw Nandu Bhende, when he essayed the role of Judas in Alyque Padamsee’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Like most others who watched him on stage, I was blown away by his performance. He belonged to a generation before mine, so I had known of Nandu and his music. But this was an avatar of his that I had hitherto not seen.
Over the years, I have experienced various avatars of Nandu, which is possibly why it is rather painful for me to imagine that he’s no more. I worked with him on his album Disco Mazaa, one of the first disco remix albums in India. He was such a knowledgeable producer and even then he was ever willing to go out of the way to help people around him. I played guitars on that album, so I did spend a good deal of time working at the HMV studios with him. Today I may be a Bollywood composer but working with him on Disco Mazaa back then taught me a lot, and much of that I implement in my work today. For instance, when I first started work on that album, I was an English rock guy trying to play Hindi songs.
Nandu taught me how to get into the headspace of the Hindi vocalist and then customise my playing to suit the song. It wasn’t about just playing a few chords like a rocker and moving on. It was about planning my role to fit into the larger picture of the song. Nandu always valued the smallest contribution to the larger picture.
He conducted voice workshops as part of his InSync Studios Pvt. Ltd. He was always around, helping people with their voices and mentoring them to find their own hidden talent.
I’m envious of his generation of musicians who created music in complete freedom. It was unlike what it is today. Nandu had helped build the scene and did everything in his capacity to groom it to where it is today. It is hard to believe that such an omnipresent force is no more.
Vishal Dadlani-Nandu and I spent a lot of time together when we worked on the play Jaya in 1996-97. He was playing Yudhisthir and I was essaying the role of Lord Krishna. We had such a great time on the road — all those conversations and mad times! Those costumes for the play were clearly ones that we weren’t accustomed to wearing, so we would have a crazy time constantly falling over while trying to walk around in them. He was a senior musician but he was just as fun as us youngsters in the play.
The fun of working with him aside, it was a hugely enriching experience too. I learnt so much from him, without him being some kind of formal teacher to me. That was just how effortlessly he imparted knowledge; I didn’t even know he was teaching me. There would be workshops for vocal exercises as part of the play practice and watching Nandu during these sessions was inspiring. He taught me how to project my voice, how to carry a note, how to do so many things that are absolutely fundamental for a performer.
I met him after Pentagram was already formed. In the early 90s, we were these young rockers who thought ‘Oh, we’re so cool’, and that Nandu and his ilk were you know, “the oldies”. But when I heard Nandu sing for the first time, I think I was completely speechless. It was literally like I had no idea what hit me. It struck me then that he may not have been in his prime, but his voice was still immensely powerful.
What I remember most about Nandu is how he was committed to imparting any knowledge he had. The greatest lesson I’ve learnt from him is about sharing what you have and what you know. He was so selfless, so talented and just so humble. How often do you meet people like that?
I cannot believe he’s gone. What a rockstar way to go! In a flash, almost. Tragic as it is for his family and for us, Nandu has gone too soon. But his contribution and the goodwill it has generated will live on.
As told to Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri
