“The belle of the band”

With the demise of Nelly Battiwala, the queen of music, an era of the lagan (wedding) band is over ("The belle of the band,” In Memoriam, Parsiana, December 7, 2009). So many memories are tied up with her. Her lively, exuberant personality, always smiling, is what attracted us. How can we forget her romance with the accordion? Her lead singer Freddy (I hope I remember the name correctly!), a good-looking typical bawa, made many a girl’s heart flutter. Their feet-tapping music still resounds in my mind so many years later. I remember New Year’s eve parties in Bombay which had Nelly and then Goody Seervai playing back to back, providing the most breathtaking dance music.

Nelly Batti­wala: queen of music

The advent of DJs (disc jockeys) wiped out the band culture. So, in the 1990s, Nelly started playing the accordion or synthesizer on weekends at the Otters Club in Bandra. I recall vividly when we were celebrating my mother’s 84th birthday at the Otters Club it was a delight to have Nelly play. Her evergreen music being impossible to resist, we had an impromptu dance session with all the beautiful oldies numbers she kept us enthralled with, and by playing all our requests! At the end of that enchanting evening my arthritic mother was all smiles and said, "How I wish I could have danced with you all!” A lady who had never been on the dance floor wanted to dance! Such was Nelly’s charisma.

When we thanked her for making it such an unforgettable day for us Nelly replied: "This was a wonderful evening for me too, to cater to such genuine fans of mine, otherwise I am like a fixture here, play tunes, pack up and go, with hardly any appreciation whatsoever from the new generation.” That she will be irreplaceable and always remembered with love are our sentiments. Maybe she is now making music for the Almighty in her inimitable style! Rest in peace, little lady.

RODA D. HAKIM

Baroda

vadhakim@yahoo.com