By Kamlesh Narang

By MEHTAB-UD-DIN

Mohali (Punjab, India): Bollywood’s famous playback singer Usha Timothy has said that ‘Royalty was not the main cause of 1960’s Rafi-Lata dispute.  Actually its reason was another one.’  It is the first time that Bollywood’s any renowned personality has expressed such a claim.  During telephonic conversation (which is now available upon YouTube also at this link:  http://youtu.be/CSaoeIqLagE ) from Mumbai Ms. Usha Timothy told Mehtab-Ud-Din, a Writer & Journalist of the Punjab,”Mohd. Rafi Sahib was really a nice person, the Bollywood had.  He always supported the new singers just like me and Suman Kalyanpur.  Lata ji might have not liked Rafi Sahib’s such type of gestures.  That’s why, they were not in the speaking terms for some years.” Ms. Usha Timothy even alleged,” I think, Lata ji had lost her mental balance that she created an unwanted issue with the Great Rafi Sahib.  Royalty was merely an excuse.  (more…)

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…)