I just received the sad, shocking news that my friend and former band mate Nandu Bhende passed away in Mumbai.  I’ve spent the past few hours remembering Nandu and much that we shared. He is a legend. But this is a personal account of what I remember of my friend Nandu.

L-R: Darryl Mendonsa (bass), Nandu Bhende (vocals), Remo Fernandez (guitar, vocals), Steve Siqueira (drums), Michael D’Souza (keyboards)

Nandu was the lead singer in the very first band I played in, called the Brief Encounter. I still remember the first time I met him. It was pretty late one night in 1972, when Nandu and Michael D’Souza dropped in at my house in Dadar. I didn’t know either of them but they came with a common friend.