By Binu Nair

Mangalore Hanif

A ZIPPY MUSICAL PRESENTATION OF GOLDEN ERA SONGS of Mohd Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar songs enthralled the thousand odd music lovers at Mumbai Ville Parle’s Dinanath Mangeshkar Hall on Sunday May 23.

Star singers of the day Mangalore Hanif, Zee Saregama star Mona Kamath, Star tv awardee Prabhanjan Marathe, singer Aparna, composer Prem Kumar and singer Dinesh Parmar derived non-stop applause for each of their renditions.

The Chief Guest of the evening Mr Pascal Pinto, Managing Trustee of Mangalore Rafi Foundation, who had specially flown in from KUWAIT was visibly pleased and commented ” these talented singers must be in the film industry entertaining larger number of audiences”. (more…)

It was a trip down memory lane for several music lovers in the Capital city as they remembered legendary Bollywood singer Mohammad Rafi on the eve of his 85th birth anniversary. On this occassion a biography of Madhubala, who is known as venus of Indian cinema was also released.

By Mr. Vinod Viplav.

Mohammad Rafi

Decades have passed since the death of legendary singer Mohammed Rafi, but his memories are still fresh in the mind of millions of his fans. On the eve of his 85^th birthday a number of his fans and music lovers gathered to remember their favourite singer at Film Division Auditorium.

On this occasion a short film on the life of and songs of legendary singer was screened. This film, titled Rafi-Tum Bahut Yaad Aaye, has been produced by the Films Division. (more…)

Written by Mr. Amarjit Singh Kohli, Chairman, Yaadgar-e-Rafi Society

Rafi Memorial Function, held in Chandigarh on 6th Dec, 2009

Born on 24th December 1924 in a small village in Amritsar District, Rafi made his debut in Punjabi Film ” Gul Baloch” in 1944 with the song “soniyi ni heeryi ni” set to music by Shyam Sunder. Rafi was so enamoured of Kundan Lal Saigal that he participated as a chorus singer in Saigal’s song in film Shahjehan (1946) “Roohi roohi roohi, mere sapnon ki raani“, composed by Naushad.

Rafi remains till today the most versatile of all the singers who could sing any type of song. In classical he rendered masterpieces like ” madhuban mein radhika“; in comedy “sarr jo tera chakraye“; in pop “laal laal gaal“; in softness “suhani raat dhal chuki“; in boisterousness ” kaan mein jhumka“; in anguish ” yehi armaan lekar aaj apne ghar se hum nikle“; in ecstasy “ jiya o jiya kuchh bol do“; in qwwali “aaj kyon hamse parda hai“; in bhajans ” man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj“; in patriotic “kar chale hum fida jaan o tan saathiyo“. (more…)

Written by Bina Krishna

Musical Nite on Dec 19th by Baar Baar Rafi

The month of December has always been a month for celebration and anticipation for Rafi Bhakts, as it is his birthday month.

This year, with just days to go for the 85^th birthday of the Master of Sur, our beloved Rafi Saab, his worshippers from the Baar Baar Rafi Fan Club of Bangalore had geared themselves up on December 19, 2009 to transform a cold winter weekend into a warm and cozy one.  On that beautiful winter evening, all roads led to Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan on Miller’s Road. Rafi Bhakts who had converged from all corners of Bangalore, not to mention from Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai, and, indeed, from several corners of the world (Toronto and Dubai), to hear The Magic of Rafi Saab, and soak in the fire of Srikant’s voice, had the added honor of being in the presence of one of the most celebrated Hindi Film Music Directors of all times, the living legend, “Chaudavin Ka Chand” Shri Ravi Shankar Sharma. (more…)

The report of the annual Rafi Nite in Chandigarh is presented by
Mehtab-Ud-Din.

Mohd Rafi

The Songs of Rafi Sahib have eternalized me also : Shatrughan Sinha

The latecomer Shatrughan Sinha had to sit on floor of the Chandigarh’s Tagore Theatre, which was overcrowded only with more than 2,000 fans of Rafi Sahib

“The Songs of Rafi Sahib have eternalized me also.  I like his song ‘Mujhko mere baad zamana dhoondega’ the most.”  These sentiments were presented by the Bollywood Star and politician Shatrughan Sinha at the occasion of Rafi Memorial Nite.  (more…)

Written by N R Padmanabhan, President, Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter.

PROLOGUE : “ …..in July this year, we had thought of making such musical get-togethers with Rafi bhakts from other centres to join us. Instant response from all our members gave us the idea to talk to our friends in Chennai and Bangalore and spend two days in the company of all the known Rafi Bhakts at one central place – calling the meet as RAFI HOLIDAY. Go on a Holiday friends, take a RAFI HOLIDAY “.

Rafi Holiday

A rose is a rose is a rose……….

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet … Shakespeare.

Thus goes the phrase. Yet, when it was presented to each one of us at the Bangalore Railway Station, the inherent statement unfolded in the next two days only.

The seeds germinated from Hyderabad, where some of us were members of the e-groups in Bangalore and thru that interactive with members from Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Oman, Toronto and the USA etc. It was watered by them and finally bloomed in the garden city of Bangalore. We had thought of making such musical get-togethers with Rafi bhakts from other centres to join us. Instant response from all our members gave us the idea to talk to our friends in Chennai and Bangalore and spend two days in the company of all the known Rafi Bhakts at one central place – calling the meet as RAFI HOLIDAY. (more…)

This information is shared by Mr. Hashim Khan –
I am extremly happy to inform you all that The 5th Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award was conferred on Playback Singer of yesteryears Mubarak Begum, at a graceful musical concert organised by the Rafi Lovers Circle of Kolkata on 25th Oct, 09.

A detailed review of the event and photographs appended below / attached.

The 5th Mohammed Rafi Memorial Award

Rafi Lovers Circle organized a musical concert Remembering Melody Queens with Mubarak Begum to confer Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award 2009, on Mubarak Begum, reputed Playback Singer of yesteryears .

The programme was held on 25th Oct, 09 at the Satyajit Ray Auditorium, Rabindranath Tagore  Centre, of The Indian Council for Cultural Relations Kolkata. (more…)

This information is shared by Mr. Zorawar Chhugani, General Secretary, Rafi Foundation Memorial Society, Delhi.

Shri Pawan Kumar Asija

Once again the time came for Rafi fans to get active all across for various activities associated with 31^st July. As every Rafi fan was doing it, Rafi Foundation Memorial Society, Delhi (Delhi Chapter of Rafi Foundation) also got into action for their 31^st July programme decided to be held at Gandhi Memorial Hall (Pearey Lal Bhawan, ITO, Delhi) with all its members doing their bit to make the programme a grand success and the feelings were that the programme should not go low anyways since Rafi Sahab’s name was attached to it. (more…)

By Mr. H.V.Guru Murthy
The BAAR BAAR RAFI Fan Club at Bangalore organised a function REMEMBERING THE UNFORGOTTEN, a Shraddanjali for Rafi Saab on 01.08.09. The show was a stupendous success.

Rafi Shraddhanjali by Baar Baar Rafi

What an amazing sight? People thronging to the music hall for listening to his songs even twenty nine years after he departed for his heavenly abode. His fans are innumerable who also include persons born after his ‘final departure’. His crazy fans want to listen to him again and again.

It was 29 years ago, to be precise on 31^st July, 1980 that our legend with a divine voice, popularly known as Farishta or Guruji to his fans, left them all but not before leaving behind around 5000 of his songs for his fans to listen and re-listen. Mohammed Rafi Saab, aap jaise to na koi the, na hain aur shaayad bhavishya me bhi nahi aayenge. (more…)

ON JULY 31ST………….
FROM : Mr.Binu Nair, Founder – Rafi Foundation, Mumbai :
Cell : 9833 250 701

July 31 will never be the same again for Mohd Rafi”s innumerable fans the world over. For on this day in 1980, Rafi saaheb as he was fondly called, left for ever, succumbing To a massive heart attack at age 56. And Tu kahin aas paas Hai dost from Aas Paas became the last recorded song of the Singing legend. (more…)