Ferdous Akhter Chandana, wife of popular singer and band star Ayub Bachchu, spent three decades of her life with him. Ahead of her husband’s seventh death anniversary on Saturday, she recalled various moments from their life together, becoming emotional at times.
Chandana said, “There are many memories of joy and sorrow with him. At the moment of losing him, no happy memory comes to mind. Even so, he loved his family very much. Whatever time he could spare from his busy schedule, he gave to us. I still live in his memories.”
She added that when Bachchu was at home, he mostly rested. “If there was good food, he would eat it with great enjoyment. He loved the children and had a lot of fun with them.” Speaking about this, her voice broke at times.
The memories also took her back to the story of their first meeting, love, and eventual marriage, which remains painful for Chandana to recall. She referred to a television interview in which Bachchu himself had recounted the story. He had said, “I married the first person I liked. I saw a picture of my wife attached to a mirror and liked her. I didn’t meet her directly. I went to a friend’s house—his wife was close friends with Chandana. After seeing the picture, I told my friend’s wife, ‘This is my wife.’”
After a month of effort, Bachchu finally met Chandana, but she initially refused him. When asked why, Chandana said, “It is very painful for me to share these things.”
The conversation then shifted to AB Kitchen and the AB Foundation. Chandana said, “The AB Kitchen YouTube channel was created by him. We are now uploading the songs he sang and composed one by one. We have just started the foundation.”
She outlined some future plans for the foundation, including setting up a café-like space where Bachchu’s personal items, including his guitar, would be displayed, allowing young people to learn about music and about Bachchu. “We announced it on his birthday (August 16). There are many things we want to do, and we will share details gradually,” she said.
Chandana also spoke about securing a permanent office for the foundation. “He didn’t leave four or five houses behind. We need at least one place to preserve his memories. If someone voluntarily wants to join us, we will welcome it. I am trying to reach out to his countless fans.”
Bachchu had personally built the band LRB, which is now mostly inactive. Chandana said, “He treated the band like his own child. After he passed, people have tried in different ways. Currently, Shamim and Masud are working with me.”
In 2020, a website, abkitchen.org, was launched with copyright support to preserve Bachchu’s songs, initially hosting 272 tracks that he sang or composed. Chandana said the site is regularly updated.
Some have criticized the family for not allowing covers of Bachchu’s songs. On this, Chandana said, “We do not restrict those who dedicate songs to him. But for commercial use, we address it. Of course, they need to share a portion of the revenue with us. A legal firm always works with us on this.”
Chandana also revealed that five unpublished songs by Bachchu will be released soon. “He had many unpublished songs. He was often stubborn and did not release many for various reasons. We will gradually release them,” she said.
