Falguni Nandi
Andrew Kaku's wedding reception was in Dhaka and I attended the ceremony with my parents. I was very young, but I remember that day vividly. Often, several singers, including Andrew Kaku and my father gathered for musical evenings at Linu Billah's house, and I have great memories of those days. We are very close to Kaku's family. He would send us a cake every Christmas. He never had any rivalry with anyone in the industry, and he always encouraged other artistes. I have heard many stories about Kaku and my father, but I will share one memorable anecdote. When Kaku was just starting out as a musician, he and my father went to record a Debu Bhattacharya composition together, on a rickshaw. As they were going to the studio, people on the streets started recognising my father. Seeing that, Kaku hoped that crowds will recognise him in the same way someday, and will be cheering for him. He and my father were more like brothers than colleagues. I hope that both of them are at peace now, wherever they are.
Alif Alauddin
Andrew uncle was a great artiste. His demise is a tragic loss for the industry, and for our family. I have known him since I was a child. He paid frequent visits to our house, and he spent hours with Abbu at his studio. They were very close. Abbu is now recovering at home. But when Abbu was in the hospital, Andrew uncle came to visit him regularly, despite the fact that he wasn't keeping well himself at the time. He was there for Abbu through thick and thin. They worked together on different projects and causes, including copyright issues and getting musical artistes their royalties. It feels as though we have lost someone from our own family.
