Siliguri/Jalpaiguri (West Bengal):Besides his busy schedule with the music world, music composer Bappi Lahiri had special attractions towards the hills and jungles of North Bengal. His association with Siliguri, the prime town in north Bengal and the gateway to North-Eastern India, will never fade from the memories of the Chowdhury family there, with whom the music maestro used to spend a considerable amount of time during his every visit to north Bengal.
Lahiri had blood relations with the Chowdhury family from his mother’s side. His cousin brother, Bhobotosh Chowdhury was virtually in tears while remembering the late music composer. They got the news over the telephone from one of their relatives and the entire Chowdhury family went to a state of shock.
"He had been coming to Siliguri since he was just two years old. My mother Shankari Chowdhury is his maternal aunt. We were born and brought up together. Later Bappi first shifted to Kolkata and then to Mumbai," Bhobotosh Chowdhury told ETV Bharat. He said that despite his busy schedule in Mumbai, Bappi used to come to Siliguri regularly and spend time with the Chowdhury family. "He used to come to us at least four times a year," Bhobotosh Chowdhury said.