Dungeons of the Forgotten Treasures
This article is written by Mr. A.S.Murty, Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter.
Mohd Rafi
Hundreds of songs sung by the legendary singers of the golden era of film music in India are on the lips of millions of music lovers who enjoy listening and singing them again and again. Several decades after they first hit the stands, these songs have given millions of music lovers solace, taught social messages, inculcated in them a fervor for nationalism and patriotism, spread brotherhood and a sense of god-fearing among the masses. They have enlivened several kinds of rituals, functions, programmes and enriched the thriving industry of music in all forms.
Many a RJs of yore, music companies, artistes, stage singers, musicians etc have all made a successful career playing these immortal hits from the Hindi film industry. Scores of good playback singers have etched a name for themselves and are household names across the length and breadth of our country. Undoubtedly several of these playback singers have to their names many immortal songs, crafted to perfection by their singing abilities, the wonderful and meaningful lyrics and the perfect harmony of musical instruments developed by the eminent music directors.
Many consider K L Saigal as the front-runner in playback singing, followed by the other legends like Pankaj Mallick, Talat Mahmood, Mukesh, Manna De, Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Surraiyya, Noorjahan, Shamshad Begum, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Suman Kalyanpur, to name only a few. The order of the day in the 1940s was entirely different from what it transformed into in the 1960s and hence the vast difference in the styles of singing emerged. Innovations and experimentation by the poets (read lyricists), the music directors too paid rich dividends and they exploited the richness of the playback singers, giving rise to the more melodious and highly romantic songs that were absent in the 1940s.Â
[audio:http://www.mohdrafi.com/audio/YehDilNahinHai_Aabroo.mp3]
Listen to Yeh Dil Nahin Hai from Aabroo
While individuals may have their choice of the best among these legendary singers, it has to be understood that the songs of K L Saigal, Talat Mahmood, Pankaj Mallick and to a lesser extent Mukesh too, tended to be of more sober and tragically inclined songs. The comic songs or the romantic songs were yet to surface then. Mohd Rafi too had his share of similar songs in the early part of his career and had little of chance of showcasing his innovating styles or experimenting with the mood of the scene for which the recording was to be done.
That era was still a distant dream maybe. But it goes to the credit of Rafi Sahab to have put in some extra effort even in his earliest recordings to the extent of immersing in the song picturisation. He put the essence of the lyrics, the mood of the song, the scenery of the song in his vocal chords and carried it throughout the song. So much so that the recordings produced much more impact on the storyline and gave an impetus to the characters enacting the scenes. A very laborious and painstaking effort was also due to the music directors who gave very apt tunes as the scenes and the story demanded.Â
Now let me take you on a different path. The name of Mohd Rafi spells magic in the minds of music lovers and there is near unanimity that he remains the greatest singer of all times. The depth, range, the softness of his voice, the ability to adapt to the song and bring out the richness in rendition, the perfect expression and diction of even the most uncommon of words from Hindi/Urdu are the trade marks associated with this one name. The attributes come straight out of fables, never personally experienced by ordinary mortals. Best of musicians will acknowledge with esteem that these traits were unique to Rafi Sahab. Yesudas had once remarked – “God has been partial towards Rafi Sahab†and there was reverence when he uttered those words.  Nothing can as near a description of this tallest of all legends.Â
Mohd Rafi
Rafi Sahab went on to record several thousands of greatest compositions which have been part of our growing up and have remained on top of the pyramid of multitude of Hindi film songs. Generations after generations have been transported to divine bliss listening to his immortal songs. Take the name of Rafi Sahab in front of anyone even as remotely understanding Hindi songs and a quick list is instantly prepared. Most popular numbers are one everyone’s lips and these run into several hundreds by themselves. But there are several hundreds of his songs that have, over the years, been a subject of neglect by the music lovers in general and the musicians (read singers and organizers of musical events) and the countless fans of Rafi Sahab.Â
The most popular category songs have been playing into our eardrums for close to five decades, without as much as loosing their sheen. They will continue to charm us for ever, and live through the eternity. They are time tested and stand out as hand picked creations of the best ever musicians of the Golden Era of the Hindi Film Music (1950s through 1980s). Here lies the catch. Several hundreds of equally great songs of Rafi Sahab have not got their due share of interest, propagation and liking by the music industry and musically inclined fans. Anything that is thrust continuously is bound to make an impact. They say that even the rope made of jute can make an impression on the stone made walls of a well, when continuously rubbed against it for drawing water. Then why not these superb and precision crafted creations of songs ? On the other hand the best of machines will not work, when left to idle for a long time. They could gather dust and rust due total neglect.Â
I have often wondered when a “Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki†from ‘Dulari‘ can be among the most popular songs of Rafi Sahab, then why is a gem of a song for instance – “Main Kaun Hun, Main Kahan Hun, Mujhe Yeh Hosh Nahi†from the film ‘Main Chup Rahungi‘ is sadly never played on the radio, never shown in any programme telecast on the telly, never has been sung in any musical show, never perhaps has been sung by the fans of Rafi Sahab in any musical gatherings. The essence of pointing out these two songs was only to reinforce my firm belief that it is we all collectively who have left the latter type of songs to gather dust. I would like to emphasize here that music lovers must listen to this second named song in its entirety to realize that it is second to none as far as superlative rendition and musical composition is concerned. Everything about this song is of top order. The perfect lyrics, the synchronized musical beats and the greatness of Rafi Sahab.
Sadly however, I have found on several unfortunate occasions, that these type of songs have been brushed aside by even those professing by the name of Rafi Sahab and by those who would proclaim to under music better than others. Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki remains my favourite too for all the right reasons. But I insist that there are scores of other equally good recordings by Rafi Sahab which need a better deal from all of us.Â
Of these several hundreds of songs that have been ‘gathering dust, if you will’ due to our own apathy, I am listing here only some of the gems and hope the music lovers would appreciate my feelings and that this will goad them to list out several more of similarly ill-fated but beautiful gems of songs. One score of songs too many.
- Zara Sun Haseen Aye Naznee Mera Dil ….
- Aye Mussavir Mere Mehboob Ki Tasvir Bana
- Yeh Dil Nahi Hai Ke Jiske Sahare Jeete Hain
- Zindagi Ke Mod Pe Jo Koi Raasta Mila
- Abhi Na Phero Nazar
- Meri Mehboob Kahin Aur Mila Kar Mujhse
- Main Kaun Hun Main Kahan Hun
- Aye Jaane Tamanna Aa Bhi Jaa
- Main Tooti Huyi Ik Naiyya Hun
- Tu Hoke Bada Ban Jana Apni Mata Ka Rakhwala
- Abhi Kamsin Ho Nadaan Ho Jaane Janan
- Mehka Mehka Roop Tumhara Behki Behki Chaal
- Zindagi Aaj Mere Naam Se Sharmati Hai
- Diwana Keh Ke Aaj Mujhe Phir Pukariye
- Dil Ke Aaiyen Mein Tasvir Teri Rehti Hai
- Kya Ajab Saaz Hai Yeh Shehnai
- Koi Aur Duniya Mein Tumsa Haseen Hai
- Tere Pyar Ne Mujhe Gham Diya Tere Gham Ki Umre Daraz Ho
- Nanhe Se Farishtey Tujhse Yeh Kaise Naata
- Aaj Ki Raat Badi Shokh Badi Natkhat Hai
I have deliberately cut short this list of songs, certain that fans of Rafi Sahab will add to this list. The above list is also not as per any particular order, all of these songs being my all time favourites, among the several hundred more from Rafi Sahab. Each of these songs will throw open a plethora of newer horizons when we put our good ears to them once again. Rafi Sahab excels in these songs too. They have wonderful and meaningful lyrics and are composed with the best of accompanying music. If ever ratings were to be given to some of them listed above, they would take away all the stars on offer. Take for example the sixth song in the above from the film “Ghazalâ€. These are from a different class altogether and would compare with the best compositions and renditions ever. Â
Then there are also several duets and chorus songs of Rafi Sahab that too have not been our favourites  for a very long time. As an example I quote this wonderful duet : Mujhe Pyar Ki Zindagi Dene Wale, Kabhi Gham Na Dena… or a Resham Ki Dori, Resham Ki Dori Kahan Jaiho Nindiya Chura Ke Chori Chori. Confess dear readers if we have heard these songs in recent times.
Reams of paper must have been used describing in the best text the greatest of songs of Rafi Sahab, but songs as are mentioned above have hardly been patronized by the writers, film critics, music lovers.Â
I have been told several times by many good friends that songs that have ‘commercial value’ will be popular too. I beg to disagree once again. I invite organizers of musical shows to train their singers and prepare a list of songs of the ones mentioned above (from the not so famous category if that looks a more apt description) and I am confident that this ‘different’ kind of show too will be the talk of the town. Only a beginning has to be made and this does not require much gutso too as is feared by the professional singers. I must admit that there are certainly many Rafi-centric singers who have tried to present the so called “rare†songs every now and then, but have fallen back to the same old time tested songs in shows after shows.Â
We all must have spent a good part of our lives living with the ‘most popular’ category of songs and is it not the prudent idea to also enjoy the scores of these beautiful and masterly gems which unfortunately have been shelved by us all these years to languish in the dungeons of the forgotten treasures.
Revival is the need of the hour by all concerned. I am fortunate in the last one year and more to have been able to gather many of such songs which I had heard decades ago and had not had the opportunity to listen to them as they were not available as freely as songs can be had today. These were the songs that remained etched in my body and soul but only shades of these songs were touching my thoughts and mind and occasionally.
I would present a continuation of my thoughts in a second edition, only if I find that I have not treaded in a path where I am walking alone or with a few like minded friends.
[audio:http://www.mohdrafi.com/audio/YehDilNahinHai_Aabroo.mp3]
Listen to Yeh Dil Nahin Hai from Aabroo
I would also like our friends to listen to this song from Aabroo – Yeh Dil Nahin Hai Ke Jiske Sahare Jeete Hain, Lahoo Ka Jaam Hai Yeh Subuho Shaam Peete Hain. Perhaps it will give more meaning to what is narrated above. The adayigi in song rendition is perhaps the understatement. HE lived the character – that is Rafi Sahab.
Hello Murthy sab,
Kya baat hai !! Thanks very much for bringing out such a beautiful article
and in the bargain, I got to listen to ‘ Yeh Dil Nahin Hai Ke Jiske Sahare
Jeete Hain’.
They are treasures indeed. yes, some forgotten but thanks to Worldspace
Farishta channel, we get to listen to those rare gems of Rafi, recreating
interest in them which makes us bhakts yearn for more listens.
I am already replaying ‘ yeh dil’. It is songs like this which doesn’t
allow any kind of saturation, if I am allowed to use the term.
That makes Murthy sab’s writeup pop up in our mind, each time you
listen to those songs in the list. Girishji, yes, ‘woh hum na the ‘
is a fabulous song with haunting andaaz. Had this as my hellotune. I
just love the way he sings ‘ paalki bahaarki’. The drawl… Uff yun maa.
Shukriya
Nagesh Sidhanti
Hussein Sheikh Bhai….. thank you very much for sending the song “tere pyar ne mujhe gham diya” from Chaila Babu. I have been hearing the song again and again.For those who have not heard this song, please hear it. The song is so simple but When Rafi Saab sings, it turns into a masterpiece
a big thanks to all friends who have sent in their comments and also provided many more of such ‘uncommon’ songs. i had only wanted to convey that such songs are not the order of the day on the radio, television, musical programmes, stage shows or musical mehfils, etc and not that these songs are not known to many singers. most of the rafi sahab’s fans who visit this site are endowed with very deep knowledge and have most of the songs mentioned in my own list. it is only that we tend to listen to them or sing these songs less and less and that they need to be popularized more often than is being done now.
one more song comes to mind : “film : suhana safar : saari khushiyan hain muhobbat ki zamane ke liye, maine to pyar kiya aanso bahane ke liye:”
and many thanks to all of you for your condolence messages too, though I would not prefer this website to be platform for personal messages. my email id is rafimurty@gmail.com and for any communication of any nature, i would prefer my personal email id be used. will come back with some more gems of songs that i feel have been neglected.
mehbooba teri tasveer kis tara me sonaaoo – ishq par zor nahin
yeh juki juki nazar tumhari
kahoo kya tumse – ginny aur johny
dil ke aayne me – aao pyaar kare
reshma jawan hogayee
kaanto me phasa aanchal joolfo me phasa ye dil
mehfil ye teri – kaajal
tang aa chooke hai kashm kashm se zindagi se hum-pyaasa
etc etc
Dear a.s.murthyji,
it is a thouhtful article indeed.i was waiting from you
a nice article.i am a fan of rafi saab for 34 years and
even today i am hearing songs of rafi saab which is
not yet heard.may be it is a fact that i was not in a
position to hear it since i have settled in kerala and
have not the chance to hear.i am sure that even people
who had the chance to hear old hindi film songs regularly
could not hear all the songs rendered by rafi saab.only
rafi saab know which are all the songs rendered by him.
by hearing the songs of rafi saab which is not yet heard
my respect and admiration to rafi saab increasing day by day.
Chandra sekhar mani ji… i have mailed the song twice to you, but it seems your e-mail ID doesn’t work. Please let me have your another e-mail ID, if any.
melodiousrafi@gmail.com
Rare Songs : There is a B grade movie by the name ” My Love ” released in the seventies. Music is by Shri Daan Singh now settled in Rajasthan. What compositions. Great lyrics…. from anand bakshi.
woh tera pyar ka gham, by mukesh ji. and, if i am not wrong the next song : Jikra hota hai jab kamayat ka, teri nazron ki baat hoti hai….. Please excuse errors in the lines if any.
the movie has in the lead : shashi kapoor and sharmila tagore. Can someone send me the songs please.
binu nair, binus2000@hotmail.com & rafi foundation : mumbai……
Thanks for the well-intended article Mr. Murthy. However, the list of the songs given by you are, fortunately, not locked up in the dungeon, but they are popular as well. I understand that it is not easy for us to really come up with the list of unknown songs of Rafi Sahaab. I believe that his songs fall into the category of Popular, Very Popular, Most Popular. These songs would pertain to the Nineteen-Fifties, Sixties and the Seventies. So in my opinion, we need to look at the songs of the Forties and the Eighties which would provide us with the list of such lesser known, but melodious, songs of Rafi Sahaab. Of course, many songs have been well-documented in the Rafi Songs Data Base here. One such song which I don’t find here is the HAAY RE DUNYA from the 1945 film Zeenat. Of course we are not discussing the non-filmi songs.
Happy hunting!
Girishji:
Thank you for introducing me to the ‘woh hum na the’. Yes sir, it is a fab song and I am linking it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKlAwoOtJAQ
Sanjayji:
You have mentioned some of my personal favourites in your listing. Here is one of them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMzRKuPC94E
Don’t you think Chitragupta is one of the most under-rated composers? Personally speaking, this song and ‘aaj is darja pila de….’ should rank among the best of Rafi sahab.
Here are some more songs mentioned in the article:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK03bZVujDU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBBqveiTVM8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAHBxmoePj0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb8JAGTK4fw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deApgJGEW7s
post 37: Please do not forget another fantastic number from ‘Cha Cha Cha’ and the song is – ” Ek lalli ghar se chali…”.
refer mail no.25, the song is – Dil ne pyaar kiya hai ek -shararat-md ganesh,director the great manmohan desai sahab and the last song – dil ka soona saaz- is from -ek nari do roop,
TWO MORE RARE GEMS
1) MERA YAAR BADA SHARMILA- MILAN KI RAAT – LP
2) RAHOGE KAB TAK HUM SE DOOR-WOH LADKI- V.BALSARA
Hello Shri Murthy Sahab,
Well researched topic.
I fact if we analyze the entire span of Rafi Sahab’s GAAYEEKY (Singing), we will come across many incredible gems which may be unknown to the music world.
Great Work Done !!!
Please keep it up.
Anilji – Post 30
There is one more fantabulous song “woh hum ne woh tum na the” from the same movie. Iqbal Qureshi saab, Neeraj saab & Rafi saab have weaved their magic in such a way that once you hear the song one cannot simply forget it.
Dear Murty ji,
Please receive bundle of condolence from my side for demise of your father. May Almighty Allah provide you and your family enough power to bear this great loss.
“Jane walon ka ghem to hota hai.
Umr bher kaun kis ke liye rota hai.”
(Another rare gem from Rafi Sahab!!!)
For this article, many many congratulations to you! Very few articles are able to put their impact on readers, but see what this one article has done. It has not only shown its immense impact on all readers, but it has really created and raised a compaign for collection and exchange of rare gems of Rafi Sahab. While reading the above posts, I amazed how a simple article can place this much amount of impact on readers. So accept my appreciation and admiration for this article.
Thanks and best regards.
Anwar-ul-Haque
Post 34: Chandra Sekhar Mani ji, mail me if you need the song from “Chhaila Babu”.
melodiousrafi@gmail.com
Dear Sirs,
Another song which has touched me is “Tere pyar ne muje gham diya” from Chaila Babu. Rafi saab puts so much emotion in this song that we are moved to tears. A song so simple but beautifully rendered. If anyone has this song I would request to send it to me.
Some more rare gems of Rafi Saab
1 Rome Ki Vaadiyon Se Do Spy In Rome
2 Tauba Yeh Nazare Dillagi
3 Abhi Kamsin Ho Nadan Aaya Toofan
4 Dil Ki Tamana Thi Gyraah Hazaar Ladkiyan
5 Zindagi Kya Hai Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya
6 Hai Hai Teri Aankh Mr.India
7 Phir Who Bhooli Si Begaana
8 Yaar Jinhe Tum Bhool Who Din Yaad Karo
9 Doobte Huve Dil Ko Kahin Aur Chal
10 Mujhe Le Chalo Sharaabi
11 Yeh Baat Hoti Majboor
12 Tera Husn Rahe Do Dil
13 Haseeno Se To Bas Ustaadon Ke Ustaad
14 Meri Nigaah Ne Kaam Mohabbat Isko Kehte Hain
15 Soja Sanam Rocky Mera Naam
16 Bahane Kyon Karti Ho Saheli
17 Mujh Ishq Hai Tujhee Se Umeed
18 Nazar Aati Nahin Kaanch Aur Heera
19 Pardah Zara Hatao Murder In Circus
20 Dekhna Wale Dekh Love And Murder
21 Mujhe Dard-e-Dil Ka Akaash Deep
22 Mere Dil Pe Andhera Ek Phool Ek Bhool
23 Ae Janeman Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyan
24 Agar Dil Kisi Se Bada Aadmi
25 Raaz-e- Dil Unse Apna Bana Ke Dekho
Murthy Sahab : Read about the sudden demise of your father,may his soul rest in peace.
dear sir,
we all admire rafi sahib and you are doing noble work , you are rightsongs mentioned by are diffcult to lisen, now i really enjoy internet ,i have some unreleased songs of rafi sahib hope you have also the same.
my good wishes for the articles and thanks to your efforts .
anil nakra
09351712312
Dear Murthyji: A very thought provoking article indeed.We ,the Rafi fans around the world,have to take the blame for immersing deeper and deeper into the abyss,all these so-called less-popular gems voiced by our God Rafi,because of our self proclaimed popularity promotions and fanatic demands and acceptances for our favourite numbers at all forums.The task of listing such gems itself is Herculean, what to say about the effort to bring them to the fore and popularising them!If your article provokes even 10%of the required action,a yeoman service to music would have been rendered.
Without attempting to add to the list of rarely heard songs,I wish to cite just one song:
Film: Insaniyat(1955);MD:C Ramchandra;Lyrics:Rajinder Krishan
“Apni chaya mein bhagwan bita de mujhe”
Just listen to these lines:
Ab mujhe gam ka gam naa kushi ki kushi
Hai andheraa bhi mere liye roshani
Main jiyoon jab talak aajmaa le mujhe
Main hoon teraa tu apna bana le mujhe
Can a prayer be sung more reverentially than this?Will this song not bring tears in the eyes of any good human being?And yet,when have we heard this song ?
Thanks a ton Murthysaab,for bringing such a topic to the table.
Best wishes.
Went through Girishji’s listing and found an all-time favourite of yours truly. Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoZ1iMLUA1M
The singing is incredible. How on earth can someone pack so much power in a voice that is so soft and silky. God is really partial to him.
Murthy Sir:
Sorry to hear about you father’s demise. May the almighty give you enough strength to tide over the sad times.
Your article is wonderfully informative and entertaining (as usual). Please accept my compliments.
Let me post some of the songs that are being mentioned in the article:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRu0Q2-zc4Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5i9EN6_aOg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvxCGOcxif4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZrlTX-iIpQ
(Sorry for the mediocre audio quality, coldn’t find a better version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqK_efSADnA
Hope to post more of them, soon.
Sandeep Nadkarni saaheb : My apologies for mis-interpreting your surname. Sorry sir…..
binu nair…mumbai…
few points :
I am very Happy that a Movement has started to dig out old gems of mohd rafi. we should continue this activity and ensure that 100 percent mohd rafi gems are collected and given to rafi lovers. The mechanism has to be worked out.
mr.raju korti, mr.sandeep deshapande and many of our rafi saaheb fans can play a big role in the same.
listening sessions of music lovers must be started by rafi lovers atleast once every month. in borivli, mumbai the rafi foundation would be giving free programmes to elder citizens of rare rafi song at two venues monthly. this has to be carried forward like our friends are doing in thane, dadar, chembur and other places in mumbai.
I also support the writers who have supported the mission and the sentiments expressed – to ensure 100% collection of mohd rafi songs.
A national library of mohd rafi songs is a must.
regards,
binu nair, rafi foundation, mumbai….
Mr A S Murty Saab,
“Aap yoon hee agar hamesha likhate rahe thho ek din sachh muchh pyaar ho jayega”
Brilliant write-up, well handled and indeed thought provoking & well researched piece bringing forth the nostalgic memories of the by-gone yester golden years.
Such rare songs in my personal opinion are plenty in numbers which are hardly heard by the generations including my own self.
But Murtyjee the very big & complicated question that lies here is to how to get hold of these rare gems. Yes a couple of solutions & sources which I can suggest is 1) Vividh Bharati of Mumbai and 2) Radio Ceylon of Sri Lanka OR 3) Mumbais Chor Bazaar. But who will bell the strong belted cats mainly since money, time, patience & definately the value and the price for each of these songs has its own price & indeed fat costing affair.
Or the very old timers or collectors may help if a proper platform is set. But who will take the initiative is a very big question of the day.
I am very much of the opinion that a library can be very well formed with immediate effect if we all the dear fans & admirers of Rafi Saab come together and discuss this issue at length.
In fact it was & still is my distant dream to collect & treasure all the songs in which Rafi Saab has partaken ranging from his very first song from the film “Gulbaloch” (1944) to his last song from the film “Aaas Paas” (1980).
But alas I was left very alone without any help.
I personaly feel & believe that this great & noble job should be entrusted to the like-minded Rafi Fans & admirers including Mr A S Murty, Mr Venkat Brahmandam, Mr Haldarjee, Mr Guru Murthyjee, Mr D P Bijoor, Mr Nitin Dhareshwar, Mr Biman Barua, Mr P Narayanan and several others under the able leadership of Mr Binu Nairjee — Rafi Foundation.
If such a platform is established and once the club or the Association starts functioning the required results will automatically flow.
Above all I myself shall guarantee my full support to the club by virtue of the required statistics and also my personal contribution in the form of cash & kind.
So Binujee — please take-up the initiative with immediate effect mainly since we all are with you.
Murtyjee I indeed feel very sorry for the sad & sudden demise of your beloved father, which indeed is a great loss. My prayers to the Almighty for giving you and your dear family the required courage to confidently face the irrepairable loss.
Murty garu,
At the outset, sorry to hear about your personal loss. My heartfelt condolences to U and your family members. May the Almighty rest the departed soul in peace.
I can remember few gems which could not become popular in their time but were nevertheless brilliant musical creations….. to name a few….
1. Sacha hai pyar meraa sanam… film jhug gaya aasman
2. Zhoom Ke Gaayun Aaj Mere Dil ….. film Patanga
3. Humne Pyar Kiya Hai Ek Bewafa Se… film ?
4. Joodhey mein gaazra maath bandadoo….. film Dhoop Chaon
5. Dilka Soona Saaj Tarana Doodhega.. film Khoj.
and many more… forgotten gems..
Dear Murty saab,
Thanks for bringing some forgotten gems to our attention! While it is tempting to say that there must be a logic (even if undiscovered) that makes one song more popular than another, I must agree that there is an equally plausible argument that popularity is a random thing. Whichever is true, your article serves to draw attention to some of these lesser known songs, and affords us Rafi bhakts to walk the road less traveled.
Thank you!
Murtysaab
The dungeons of forgotten treasures are filled with unrecognized diamonds that shine as brilliantly as the ones that are recognized. As you have rightly put into context, most singers in the musical shows do not go or even attempt to go beyond the conventional popular ones that the audience are familiar with. It is hard to fathom whether they underestimate the audience’s knowledge or find it difficult to sing these “unpopular” numbers. Let us hope atleast that in the near future organizers / singers will make attempts in concerts to bring out these diamonds to the notice of the public.
Just by scratching the surface of these dungeons one can pull out diamonds like –
tum ek baar mohabbat ka imtihan to lo – babar
phool sa chehra – raat aur din
maine shayad tumhe – barsaat ki raat
dil khush hai aaj unse – ghazal
hai kali kali ki lab par – lala rookh
deewana aadmi ko banati hai – kali topi lal rumaal
ya kehde hum insaan nahi – chhaya
mere dilbar mujhpar khafa – dhartiputra
aayi baharon ki sham – wapas
main ye sochkar – haqeeqat
tumhari zulf ke saaye mein – naunihal
mujhe dard-e-dil ka patha – aakash deep
abhi jo raat baaqi hai – bandish
itni nazuk na bano – vaasna
maine rakha hai mohabbat – shabnam
jaane kya dhoondthi – shola aur shabnam
mein apne aap se – bindiya
taqdeer ka fasaana – sehra
bina tumhare mazaa kya hai – street singer
subah na aayi sham na aayi – cha cha cha
phir woh bhooli si – begaana
……… diamonds are forever.
murtysaab
All Rafifans offer you their heartfelt condolences on the sad & untimely demise of your father. May his soul rest in peace.
Dear Murty ji,
Many many congratulations to write such a great article. One can easily feel immense sorrow of your heart regarding these rare gewels of Rafi Sahab by reading this article.
Actually the number of songs sung by Rafi Sahab are very large, but the amazing fact is that the number of great songs are also equalled that. This is the reason, in my opinion, why peoples could not do justice with these rare gems.
In case of me, I try very hard to collect these rare gems; as listening any song of Rafi Sahab for first time is a greatest joy for me.
A confession from me: Despite my efforts for collecting unheared (rare) songs, I just have 1300 songs of Rafi Sahab in my database and I consider my self as a novice in deep deep music ocean of Rafi Sahab.
Thanks and best regards.
Anwar-ul-Haque
there are no words fort the writer’s feelings about the Greatest Mohammad Rafi Saheb.undoubtedly there is agreat music treasure given to music lovers by the legend.Congtaulations Mr Murti who shook our feelings and love to Rafi Saheb.The lost treasure still can be revived through extra devotion .i dont agree the concept of commercial value if the recording companies do something about the old gems they definitely gain the huge profit by this project.This music heritage must not be left aside it should be conserved for future generation.I have about 2000 songs of THE LEGEND in my treasure which are available on esnips folders and 4shared.com.any one can have these song from me by emailing me on
abidkhalil@yahoo.com
regards to all
beloved murtiji,congradulation! u had presented an excellent article.there are hundreds of such songs not broad casted by our radios etc.songs like ‘o..o meri baby doll, ‘mai kaise aaja beebi (filim dever babi)similarly songs from zind bad the sailor, sarfarosh,alam ara, miss india, zabak, shehene e hathim,chandini chawk etc not heard from our vivid barathi.in its golden times radio ceylon broad casted all these melodious songs.we expect the remaining part of this article.
Dear Murthy ji,
A timely article I would say.
Over the past one year, I myself have been collecting these rare songs of Rafi Saab and I must confess that I have missed out on at least 6 of the 20 songs you mentioned in this list. I know I must be missing out on hundreds more. One friend of mine from Burundi has been so considerate enough to share his collections with me. May God bless him!!! Hussein Saab, I am talking of you.
That shows how true your words are, Murthy ji. I am only 46 now and I started listening to Rafi Saab sometime around 1968 or so when I was six years old. My dad was an ardent Rafi fan, but he could not treasure those old songs, due to various reasons. This must be a dilemma being faced by many of the Rafi fans in my age group. We are just unable to lay our hands on many of these hidden treasures.
The true service we could render to Rafi Saab is to bring out these songs and let the young generation listen to them
Otherwise, we will hold on to the current set of popular songs we hear again and again and future generations may not realise the true greatness of RAfi Saab.
Murthy ji, I am placed in Dubai, I am a good friend of our Binu Nair.
Please tell me, what I could do, with my limited access to such songs, that we can consider this as a mission and revive those hidden treasures !!!!
I am ready to contribute my might to this effort.
You can get in touch with me any moment on saif_1962@yahoo.com
Let us together work towards this great mission, if I may call it that way.
Long live Rafi Saab !!!
Thanks
Saifullah
Dubai
Dear Murty Saab,
As i am listening to Yeh Dil Nahin hai jiske sahare I understand your feelings about the forgotten gems from Rafi saab’s never ending stable. It is true some of these are as good if not better than the popular ones. I have resolved to listen to 5 less heard songs per day. Please continue your wonderfully penned article and let us know more about these forgotten gems.
M V Krishnan
Dear Murtyjee,
I am extremely sorry to hear the very sad news of your dear fathers sudden demise. We all the fans & admirers of Rafi Saab collectively join in our very humble prayers to the Almighty to usher the required strength to you & your dear family to enable all of you to equally face the vacuum created by the irreparable loss.
Dost “Jaane wale kabhee nahee aate magar jaane waloon kee yaad zaroor aatee haiâ€
Nurty ji , Adaab Rafi !
You have touched the chord of all music lovers by saying that we should have a dedicated program on Rare Rafi Magic songs which are not commonly played in radio/programs.
We from Baar Baar Rafi Fan Club would like to act upon this suggestion and plan to play the same in our get together as when possible.
Thanks
JANAB MURTHY SAHAB I WILL QUOTE ONLY 1 SONG ,HUNDRED S I WILL QUOTE SUBSEQUENTLY,LET ME QUOTE FROM LP`S EARLIER MOVIE-`NAAG MANDIR`
`KHAMOSH ZINDAGI KO KYON AWAAZ DE RAHO HAI`
Dear Sir, first of all I would like to congratulate you for beautiful title of your article. “Dungeons of the forgotten treasures†And the songs enumerated by you are really rare & melodious. I will be adding these songs to my own collection and I am sure all the Rafi Saab fans also. Thanks & regards
Dear Murtybhai,
“aap andhon ki nagri mein aaina bechane nikle hain”……… what do you expect from these so-called music lovers who can’t differenciate between Naushad and Nashad? This is the age of Himesh Reshamiya who is neither a singer nor a musician, only a creation of media-hype and see how these music -lovers are crazy after him.By his low quality music and singing he has corrupted the taste of younger generation. The present generation is quite clueless about the golden period of music and like the third rate stuff which is offered to them.
Your have written a very sensible article for genuine music-lovers. There are many hidden gems of Rafi Saheb which should be digged out and presented before musically inclined fans. I only want to add some more, i couldn’t resist…….
Mohabbat zinda rehati hai……………Changez Khan
maine chaand aur sitaron ki tamanna ki thee…….Chandrakanta
Daulat ke jhoote nashein mein ho tum………Oonchi Haveli
Pyaar ki raah dikha duniya ko…………….Lambe Haath
Hazaron rang badalega zamana………….Shireen-Farhaad
Kahan jaa raha hai tu ai janewaale………Seema
Apna hi ghar lutaane deewana ja raha hai…….Adle-Jehagir
Aasmaan ko chhonewale dharti ko pehchaan……Abhimaan
Ai ishq humein barbaad na ker with Suraiyya………Naach
What a singer….the feel he gives to the song is just amazing…it can even thrill a corpse.
Keep on writing.
Regards
Arun Bajaj
Murthygaru,
How true. We always listen to the same Rafi numbers on all occassions (though they are all wonderful songs), but forget some real gems. I suggest to revive these songs,
1. Organisers should insist on including atleats 5 such songs in every program.
2. Real Rafi Bhakts can share such gems with fellow Rafi Bhakts.
I have a fairly good collection of such songs. If any body is interested they can contact me at hvgurumurthy@yahoo.co.in.
murthy ji: there is a treasure of mohd rafi songs. the commonly heard solos and duets are good to be heard only occassionally. there are so many gems which are less heard from mid forties onwards that can be heard and enjoyed. Some of them needs to be played at music concerts.
however, these will not be enjoyed by many only for the reason that listeners have not heard them before. but, songs which have remarkable compositions need to be brought to the fore in listening sessions and private gatherings.
a library of 100 % songs also need to be created.
binu nair, rafi foundation, mumbai…
Recently there was a tragedy in hyderabad. mr.a.s.murthy lost his dear father and we all rafi lovers and rafi foundation members condole the sad departure. May his soul rest in peace is our prayer and may god give the family of murthy saaheb the strength to move forward.
binu nair, mumbai : cell 9833 250 701
Brilliant, Murty. One can feel your heart-felt lamentations on these forgotten gems. Rafi Sahab had been so prolific in his career in which he belted out thousands of songs in various languages doing justice to each and every one of them. Therefore, it would be our misfortune if we let these gems of the bygone era be consigned to obscure corners. He sang with missionary zeal, it is for us to carry that mission forward. Thanks for bringing us out of our slumber.
Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter.
Janab Murty Saheb, Bahuth Khoob, Aapne to ghazab kardiya, Aapne to kamal kardiya. Excellant article. Sahir ne kya khoob kaha hai. It looks like this sher was written for Rafi Sahab.
“Mera fan, meri umeeden, aaj se tumko arpan hain
Aaj se mere geet tumhare dukh aur sukh ka darpan hain”.
With regards to all rafi lovers.
Please keep up the good work.
Long live rafi sahab,
Dr. Khaja Aliuddin
Murty garu, your choice of topic is timely. I agree that we get to hear the same old songs again and again. They are some of the best, no doubt. You have beautifully traced the musical journey of Hindi films and chronicled them in a very readable way. Fantastic and fabulous. Still these words are not enough to say how beautfully your article has dusted the forgotten gems and gave them a sparkle.
You took us through a musical journey and I wish you hadn’t stopped it. Waiting eagerly for your next edition.
The songs you have mentioned, especially the Main chup rahungi one is a song that delights me. It is rarely played on Vividh Bharati.
Two other songs which are my faves __ the forgotten melodies __ one is a solo and another a duet. The first one is Mehbooba teri tasveer from ishq par zor nahin. When Rafi saab says tere jaisa koi kahin dekha na suna hai,,especially kahin dekha na suna hai __ he packs it with the nasha of romance. The duet is very ahtke in terms of the raag __ Masoom chehra tumhari yeh ankhen from Dil tera deewana _ rafi, lata–I can go on listening to it forever. It is similar to the Lata-Talat duet from Prem Patra Yeh sawan ki raaton mein aisa bhigotha hai. Wah, both songs are heavenly.
Thank you for giving us this wonderful write-up. Friends, this is a must-read.
Regards
Utthara
Certainly the singer who sang so many songs, all with same effort, there sure are numbers which couldn’t gather much attention by masses. But for the true music collectors, they are of much importance.
Good article!
Nice article Murty ji….. songs mentioned in the article are/were made for Rafi Saheb only. Anybody need above songs can mail to me.
melodiousrafi@gmail.com
melodiousrafi@yahoo.com
dear murtyjee,
what i read in all the above lines is absolutely superlative and thought provoking. even the songs which were being played in the times of radio ceylon (subsequently srilanka broadcasting corporation) as ‘bhule bisare geet’ and as such known to us during those days are now forgotten. these songs are revived when i go through the treasure available on the most popular website on videos. one can also find that there are countless number of songs by rafisaab which even we the ardent fans are hearing / seeing for the first time.
further, even in these days some of the rare numbers which are being featured in ‘triveni’ programme of vividh bharti – the songs like; ‘mati ke putle itna na kar tu guman pal bhar ka tu mehman’, ‘mat bhul are insaan teri neki badi nahin us se chhipi’, ‘sur badle kaise kaise dekho kismat ki sehnai’, ‘bhala karne wale bhali kiye jaa’ etc. which convey deep philosophy of life and hence invaluable a lesson to all living mortals if followed in right spirit, remain restricted for this programme only.
in short, a true rafisaab lover would be more happy in finding unknown songs (probably listening for the first time in his / her life) and thereafter continue to listen them with equal or even more enthusiasm / happiness which they find in listening popular ones they used to listen since ages.
with regards
ashok parekh
The author has chosen a theme that has been in my mind since very long. In all modesty, let me claim that I too have a decent collection of such rare, forgotten but extremely brilliant songs sung by our Rafi saab. All these gem of songs are in the danger of extinction. We as Rafi fans owe this to our dearest Rafi saab and also to future generations to keep these songs alive. Javed Akhtar once in a TV interview recently said that these old songs of Lata & Rafi are our national heritage and should be protected/ preserved like any heritage monuments. It was a wonderful observation. But unfortunately our government has been very unfair to Rafi saab (otherwise how is it that the ‘singer of the millennium’ that Rafi is, got only a Padma Shri as Padma award- What a shame!!). I would like to appeal to recording companies to come forward and help in preserving these songs by bringing out albums of such songs without bothering about commercial interests. (I am sure that Rafi fans are so many in numbers that such albums would be welcomed by them with open arms and recording companies commercial interests will not be hurt). Also, the author’s suggestion to include such songs in the live shows dedicated to Rafi saab is praiseworthy.
Murtyjee Fantastic,
What an emaculate piece directly flown from the core of your heart.
I have no words to express the way you have formulated this superb article. If possible please arrange to provide all of us the required link to the 20 songs as enumerated above.
God Bless You and please keep the flow continuing