By Shekhar Bopardikar (Visit site)

Only recently the ‘Nightingale of India’ the living legend of Indian music turned 85 , she was felicitated at a grand function at Shanmukhananda Hall- Mumbai , albeit she avoided due to ill-health & her youngest sister attending on her behalf , when Lataji was connected live via phone call she happened to say while thanking all music lovers …..”I never criticized anyone nor ruined other’s livelihood to get ahead in my career”, it was an antithesis of affirmation. (more…)

By Dr. Souvik Chatterji

Laxmikant Pyarelal faced the greatest challenge in establishing their career in Bollywood films in the 1960s. There were a number of reason for that. Firstly a huge number of legendary composers were dominating Bollywood films in the 1960s ranging from Shankar Jaikishan to Naushad Ali, Madan Mohan Kohli to Roshanlal Nagrath, C Ramchandran to OP Nayyar, Salil Choudhury to SD Burman, Vasant Desai to Kalyanji Anandji, to name a few. The list just goes on. (more…)

By Ahamed Kutty

Up to June 1978 there was no electricity in our village. We finished electrical wiring and were waiting for the connection. Atlast on a Saturday we got the connection and I was very particular that the first thing to be operated with the electricity would be the small two in one set with the audio cassette of Mohammed Rafi Saab. As far as Rafi Saab is concerned I had full freedom in my home. (more…)

By K.V.Ramesh

Over the course of human history, Man has discovered a variety of substances and spirits whose sheer variety boggles the mind. But one kind of spirit gives a kick that surpasses any such substance is some special brand of music that was produced by wonderful combo – the musical combination of S.D.Burman as Music Director and Mohammed Rafi as the singer Like many of his contemporaries SD Burman started out with his scores dominated by female voices. Shamshad Begum and Geeta Roy / Dutt were the two earlier voices usually associated with Dada Burman. SD Burman’s “Lota” had still to make her presence felt, though the eternal magic of ‘Thandi hawayen’ was just around the corner. The trend for male voices was seemingly straight forward – to replace Saigal Rafi sang his first song for S.D.Burman in ‘Do Bhai’. (more…)

By Anuj Sharma

The Rahul Dev Burman baton may have associated overwhelmingly with Kishore Kumar, but there was an area where the son, as disparate from the father as anyone could be, was in complete confluence with the senior Burman. Both despite their propensity for Kishore could never as shrewd composers do injustice to the Tansen of hindi film music: Mohammed Rafi. (more…)

By Santhanakrishnan Srinivasan

The last article I wrote on Rafi ji  was on a single aspect of his voice, his exceptional range over his contemporaries. Rafi ji has sung so many songs and we have heard them with so much attention, it is natural that we observe a lot of other aspects such as common and unique patterns in the way songs are made and sung. (more…)

A personal  compliment to Bimal Roy Sahab on his 115 birth anniversary by Biman Baruah

Legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy’s films were paramount branded for pragmatic value of socialism and romanticism with poignant music. His films confined some attractive and unforgettable songs of golden era of Hindi Cinema which were harmonic by all leading playback singers of his time. The music of his films mainly composed by Salil Chowdhury and Sachin Dev Burman. Mohammed Rafi Sahab sung in his films like DO BIGHA ZAMEEN (1953), BIRAJ BAHU (1954), DEVDAS (1955), MADHUMATI (1958), YAHUDI (1958), SUJATA (1959) USNE KAHA THA (1960), KABULIWALA (1961), BENAZIR (1964) etc. (more…)

This article is written by a passionate Rafi Fan Sri Biman Baruah and information shared by Sri Binu Nair, Founder, Rafi Foundation, Mumbai.

Meherbban Likhoon, Haseena Likhoon, Ya Dilruba Likhoon
Hairaan Hoon Ki Aap Ko, Ish Khat Mein Kiya Likhoon……..
Yeh Mera Prem Patra Padhkar Kar, Ke Tum Naraaz Na Hoona
Ke Tum Meri Zindegi Ho, Ke Tum Meri Bandegi Ho…………….. 2 (more…)

By Achal Rangaswamy

Mujhko mere baad zamaana dhoondega. Meri aawaaz suno, pyaar ka raaz suno. Tum mujhe yun bhula na paaoge. Main kab gaata mere swar mein pyaar kisi ka gaata hai.

What do all these phrases, nay, songs tell us all? That the singer could make a prophecy. On many occasions, not just once. He probably always knew that long after he was gone he would still be looked for, followed and idolized the same way as he had been when he walked on earth in his mortal form. (more…)

By Ramesh Narain Kurpad

Prelude:
I am probably the only one who feels and experiences the legendary singer mohammed Rafi sahib, was and is actually a “singing avatar“. Three and half decades have elapsed since he gave up his mortal self, but, lives in every Rafi bhakt, Rafi fan, Rafi lover, musically. His songs live in our human system while at work and even while in sleep. A rafi follower’s personal anger is like a bubble. For the other it seems to exist but in reality it was a mirage. (more…)