Viewing 0 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • #6897
      imported_abdool
      Participant

      Today July 31st marks twenty six years, since the passing of one of the
      Legendary Singer in India….Padmashree Mohamed Rafi, (July 31/80).

      Rafi
      was born in a small village called Kotla Sultan Singh near Amritsar in
      December 1924.When his family moved to Lahore, he was still a baby.
      It
      is said that a fakir used to come to their locality in Lahore every day
      and sing. The young Rafi was so fascinated by him that he used to
      follow him around. His elder brother Hamid was aware of Rafi’s love for
      music and encouraged it. “In fact,” says music director Naushad, “A lot
      of credit for Rafi’s success must go to Hamid who knocked on several
      doors and tried everything to ensure that his brother got work.

      The
      young Rafi was so engrossed with music and singing, he started taking
      music lessons from his the professional “Ustad Wahid Khan.”

      It is said that Rafi used to sing for friends and small occasions and as fate would have it,
      one
      day himself and his borther attended a show featuring the “Great” K.L.
      Saigal. At the time, there was a power failure, and KL refused to sing,
      as the microphone was not operative, Rafi’s brother Hamid, went to the
      organisers and practically begged that Rafi be given a chance to sing.
      He was thirteen at the time, and the performance he gave was so impressive that the music director, invited him to Bombay.

      The music director gave him a break, the movie was Gul Baloch,
      the
      song became a hit, but then later, he met another Great “Naushad” and
      from then on there were no stopping for Rafi, Naushad said “When I
      heard Rafi, I liked his voice and promised him work in future. I was
      already doing a film called Shahjehan with Saigal. Rafi, who was a fan
      of Saigal, came to me with a request: that it was his greatest desire
      to sing with Saigal. I gave him one line in the song Roohi roohi mere
      sapno ki rani,” recalls Naushad. “The first full song he sang for me
      was in Anmol Ghadi — it went like Tera khilona toota balak…” he
      adds. “Then again he sang for me in Dillagi: Is duniya mein aye
      dilwalon dil ka lagana khel nahin and Tere koonche main armanon ki
      duniya leke aaya hoon.”

      Then like a Godsend came Baiju Bawara
      features some of the greatest songs by Mohammed Rafi and Lata
      Mageshkar. The melodies are simply haunting. “O Duniya ke rakhwale”,
      “Insaan Bano”, “Mohe Bhool gaye sawariya” and “Tu Ganga ki Mouj me” are
      timeless classics of Hindi cinema.
      Big names in this film: Mohd Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Naushad, Meena Kumari.

      On
      his personal life..Rafi married Bilquis his wife, and had four sons and
      three daughters, it is said that Rafi was a teetotaller, a religious
      and extremely humble person. He was a devout Muslim. Laxmikant-Pyarelal
      duo once observed – “He always gave without thinking of the returns”.
      Rafi was also famous for his various humanitarian efforts.

      The date of his passing away was perhaps
      divinely pre-ordained, for it is said that one who dies in the
      holy
      month goes to heaven. There was no person more deserving of that status
      than the pious and God-fearing Rafi, who never touched a drop of
      alcohol, who never told a lie, who never had a harsh word for anyone,
      and who worshipped his work. A man whose songs wiped away many a
      sorrowful tear from the eyes of those who were struggling under the
      burden of life and brought tears of ecstatic joy to many more.

      Mrs Mohd Rafi on Mohd Rafi

      Today,
      when I look back I am grateful for the children we have borne. They
      have been wonderful sons and daughters, and have been my strength for
      the last /// years, after his passing away. But yet there are moments
      when I wish I was 13 years old and Rafi saab was 19. There are times
      when I wish he would come to me like he would nearly every evening, sit
      beside me and ask me, What is troubling you? Tell me your troubles and
      they will all go away.

      The next day, he sat for rehearsal from
      9:30am and was in pain, but he refused to tell us anything till 12:30
      in the afternoon. We scoulded him a

Viewing 0 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.