An Accolade to Raj Kapoor and Mohammed Rafi on their 90th Birthday

By Biman Baruah

Though Mohammed Rafi and Raj Kapoor was not must familiar as a singer and actor, one entity is very common to both of them as they born in the month of December, 1924 in Pakistan of Undivided India. Raj Kapoor was born as Ranbir Raj Kapoor on 14^th December, 1924 in Dhakki Munawwar Shah near Qissa Khwani in Peshawar into a Pathan Hindu family to Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarni Devi. Raj Kapoor was eldest of six children in the family, out of which two died in infancy and had a sister named Urmila Sial. Mohammed Rafi was born on 24^th December, 1924 in Kota Sultan Singh village near Amritsar in Punjab to Hajji Ali Mohammed who further moved to Lahore where he ran a salon in Noor Mohalla in Bhatti Gate. (more…)

By Souvik Chatterji

Renowned music director Ravi Shankar Sharma died on 7th March, 2012, at the age of 86 years. His music had remained immortal over the years.

From the film Vachan and Albeli in 1955 he started his musical journey. In 1960, Mohammad Rafi’s soft ghazal “chaudhvin ka chand” in the film Chaudhvin Ka Chand made him a musical star. Guru Dutt’s picturization was as outstanding as the lyrics and the brilliant performance of Rafi Sahab in both the songs “chaudhvin ka chand ho” and “mili khaak me mohabbat”. Even Rafi Sahab’s songs for Johnny Walker in the film namely “mera yaar bana hai dulha” and “yeh duniya gol hai” caught the attention of the music lovers. From that time it was magic been created whenever Rafi Sahab and Ravi Sahab combined together. In Rajendra Kumar’s film Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan in 1959, Rafi Sahab’s song “ajab hai maalik tera jahaan” was very impressive. (more…)

By Raju Korti

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By Achal Rangaswamy

This time I am not going to fantasise. No stories about concerts in heaven, no tales of dreams that I saw. No narration of a motorcycle journey reminiscing a hundred songs.

I just want to share with you all why I consider Rafi Sahab to be the ultimate role model, for anybody. (more…)

By Ram

What makes Rafi Saheb the ONE and ONLY is a question I have been asking myself all these years.

Probing and guessing galore ! Is it his inimitable voice ? His range – from the deepest bass to the highest octave defying pitch ? His ability to harness the right feelings for the right score ? His effortless ability to emote his voice to suit the personality of on-screen characters? (more…)

By Irshad Ansari

मो. रफ़ी संगीत जगत के ऐसे अनमोल सख्शियत हैं। जिनका दूसरा कोई सानी नही. आज हम उनकी 90वा जन्मदिवस मना रहे हैं।
उनके आवाज़ की जादू और मधुरता बेमिसाल है। क़रीब 4 दशकों तक रफ़ी साहब ने शीर्ष पुरुष अभिनेताओं के लिए आवाज़ की जादू बेखेरी। आपने उस्ताद बड़े गुलाम अली खान, उस्ताद अब्दुल वाहिद खान, पंडित जीवनलाल मत्तो और फ़िरोज़ निज़ामी जैसे महान संगीतकारों से संगीत शिक्षा प्राप्त किया। (more…)

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…)