By Souvik Chatterji

Dr. K.K.Aggarwal being given the Mohd. Rafi Award For Excellence for the year 2008

The nation remembers Mohammad Rafi on his death anniversary on 31^st july, 2010. It was a very painful experience for most of the music lovers of India and abroad to recollect the experience of 31^st July, 1980. 30 years had passed since his death and yet time could not heal the wound inflicted in the hearts of numerous music lovers of the country.

He is still alive in the hearts of millions of Indians with his 26000 songs. He had given expression to almost all the leading stars of bollywood and also the poets and composers of the golden age. He had created such an invaluable treasure of songs most of which can be termed as masterpieces, that the listeners can cherish his work for ever. (more…)

By D.P.Bijoor

Mohd Rafi

31^st July 2010 will mark the 30^th anniversary of our Beloved King of Melody Late Mohammed Rafi Sahab. 30 long and patient years have since elapsed from the day Rafi Sahab was snatched away by the most cruel hands of fate; leaving behind him the legacy of his innumerable, unforgettable and classic Melodies for all of us to cherish for centuries & centuries to come. (more…)

By Anoop Singh

We all know that Indian Cinema has provided us many jewels in its long journey of more than a century. We have been blessed with great actors, directors, singers etc who were able to move the whole nation with their extraordinary talent. Mohd Rafi Saheb is one of those rare jewels who was not only a great singer but also a great human being which is rare to find out in the glamour world. (more…)

By Souvik Chatterji.

Mohd Rafi and Manna Dey

Music of bollywood films reached its zenith during the 50s and 60s. Composers, lyricists and singers of diversified cultures and came together and produced masterpieces. During that period the classical rendition of orthodox songs sung by Rafi and Manna Dey had made the listeners spellbound and still remain immortal more than 50 years after their creation.

Qawallies were composed in style during that period. In the film Barsaat Ki Raat in 1960, composer Roshan’s qawalli “na to karwan ki talash hai” started by Manna Dey and continued by Rafi with the lyrics “yeh ishq ishq hai ishq ishq”, was the major attraction in the film. Both Rafi and Manna Dey sang the qawalli in their own style and with their own harkats. Barsaat Ki Raat had other brilliant songs including the title song, but the qawalli stood as one of the superlative creations. (more…)

By Mr. Biman Baruah, Sivasgar, Assam

Rafi Sahab with Usha Khanna and Kishore Kumar

After Saraswati Devi who composed music for Bombay Talkies Film during 1930s & 1940s, Usha Khanna is a lone established female Music Director in the Indian Film Industry who was active for 3 decades from 1960s to 1980s. She was born in Gwalior in 1942 and her father, Manohar Khanna was a lyricist and singer. But she had no formal training in music, often take inspiration from Arabic Music. Popular music director O.P. Nayyar introduced Usha Khanna to Sashadhar Mukherjee initially who assigned her to compose two songs per day for one year. Later on Mukherjee hired her to composed music for his films like DIL DEKE DEKHO (1959) and HUM HINDUSTANI (1961). She started her career as a composer at the age of 17. (more…)

By Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Dixit and Gurbeer Singh from Lucknow.

Rafi Sahab Ko Bharat Ratna Kyon Nahin?

I have posted the letter requesting Bharat Ratna on 1st July 2010 to our respected PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Ramvilas Paswan and Mr. Navjot Singh Sidhu. Navjot ji is a MP (BJP) from Amritsar which is the land of birth of our beloved Rafi Sahab,therefore requested Sidhu ji to please put our demand in parliament as well as in media. This letter also has been published in the article form in a magazine “Avijit” of lucknow and I am trying to publish in news papers also. (more…)

By Sanjeev Kumar Dixit, Lucknow

Aadab Rafi friends, I visited the House of Rafi Sahab,”RAFI MANSION” and his holy Grave on 5th & 6th june 2010.

I reached mumbai in the morning of 5th june and Miraz ahmed saab (elder son in law of Rafi Sahab) has given the time to visit Rafi Mansion at 7:30pm to me. I reached to Rafi mansion at 7:30pm and met with Nasreen didi (elder daughter of Rafi sahab). Miraz saab could not arrived at time because he was in hospital for delivery of his grandson and Nasreen didi was also going there. (more…)

Written by Dr. Khaja Aliuddin

Mohd Rafi and Sanjeev Kumar

Hari Bhai (Sanjeev Kumar) was my favourite actor. His association with our maestro Pheeko (Rafi Sahab) was great and unforgettable. Pheeko gave innumerable and mind blowing songs to this prominent Indian actor. Hari Bhai, ( Harihar Jariwala ), who was born in Surat, Gujrat on July 9, 1938 and died at a very tender age of 47, on November 6, 1985.

In the early part of 80’s, I remembered reading in “India Tribune” from Chicago, that Hari Bhai had coronary bypass surgery at Baylor’s Heart Institute, in Houston, Texas, USA. (more…)

Written by: J.K. Bhagchandani

This piece is inspired by the write-ups of some distinguished writers on this forum describing how they became a Rafi-fan. I thought to pen down my account on this subject.

Mohd Rafi

The music and especially the film songs fascinated me from as early days as I can remember. Those were the days when radio and especially Vividh Bharti was the main source of access to film music. In early days, the songs of all singers like Rafi saab, Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, Talat Mehamood, Kishore Kumar etc. fascinated me with no specific favorites.

But slowly my liking graph of Rafi took an ascending path. His voice mesmerized me like a magical spell. While all singers were great but I found his voice having that something extra, something indescribable which can only be felt. The most notable feature being the wide spectrum of songs that he sang with seemingly effortless ease. In those days it was quite common that two or three consecutive songs of Rafi saab were played on Vividh Bharti. And more often than not, these songs used to be contrasting in nature. For example: Na kisi ki aankh kaa noor hoon……. followed by Baar baar dekho.… or Nain lad jaee hain to…… followed by ‘Yaad na jaaye beete dinin ki….’. I was wonder-struck by his range. (more…)

Ghazal written by Sarah Modi.

Mohd Rafi

I am a huge fan of Rafi. Here is my tribute to him in form of a ghazal I wrote and composed for him. It is only for Rafiana. This song is copyrighted and unauthorized copy or distribution of it is prohibited.

badhawaasi ke is shor mein
ek sukoon ki sadaa hain rafi
mohabbat ke noor ki
ek haseen adaa hain rafi (more…)