Remembering Rafi

Legends never die, they always remains in the heart of their fans. So is the case with our legendary singer, the late Mohammad Rafi.

The golden voiced singer would have never thought his songs would be remembered long after he bid adieu to this mortal world. It wouldn’t be wrong to call this maestro a paighambar, the Islamic messenger of God as his symphonies transport listeners in a realm that transcends all boundaries, all imagination.

Considered as one of the greatest Indian playback singers of the Hindi film industry, in his lifetime, he was awarded six Filmfare Awards,a National Film Award and the Padam Shri.

As a fitting tribute to Hindi film industry’s ‘greatest and most sought-after voice’ and a celebration of the glorious achievements of this humble, self-effacing singer, the DMS Aarohi, a musical society organised a musical night ‘Sau Baar Janam Lenge’ at the India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC) on Saturday.

Members of Aarohi made the evening memorable with their rendition of popular Rafi numbers much to the delight of the vast army of Rafi fans present at the event. The evening resonated with anecdotes about the late singer and his vast body of work that many say amount to over 70,000 songs.

Voted Hindi cinema industry’s ‘greatest voice’, Rafi was the most sought after singer of his time, respected for his great singing range and versatility and for his ability to mould his voice to the persona of the actor lip-synching the song.

Though his association with top composers are well known, he was very approachable even to small composers as well. A backbone of Hindi film music industry, he took it to a new heights with his versatility; his songs reflecting a journey of longing, bonding, separation and love.

“His songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans. There is no one who can match the versatility of Rafi sahib. His songs were rendered from the heart. He had a special voice for various stars like Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dilip sahab etc,” Sham Kumar, a Rafi fan attending the event said.

“His songs, his music is evergreen and they can never be substituted,” said another fan Romesh Sharma, adding that “Rafi sahib was known as the voice of Shammi Kapoor”.

Starting from Tum mujhe yun bhula na paoge, the musical night featured Rafi’s classical treats like Aaj purani raahon se, Tum jo huye mere humsafar and unforgettable Sau saal pehle. Rafi’s songs can never be forgotten and are sublime and universal in nature. He has left behind a rich legacy of musical notes that will always be cherished and enjoyed.