Rafi Sahab- the Voice of God
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.
Rafi Sahab was no mere mortal though. He sang as if God sang. He sang as if God resided in his throat. Why, even the famous movie maker Manmohan Desai had stated very clearly that if God ever had a voice it was Rafi Sahab’s. No mean compliment this, coming from a shrewd and demanding movie mogul like Manmohan Desai.
Even the smallest banner of films, even the least known music director, even the least recognizable hero of a B grade movie benefitted by the munificence of this Godly singer who gave his very best whether it was a solo, a duet or a chorus-laden number. Whether it was the protagonist for whom he lent his voice or the comedian or even the hapless father of the luckless heroine, the song was always done justice too with no questions asked. I sat down the other day to list out those actors for whom Rafi Sahab may not have sung, and I couldn’t go beyond a few digits on my fingers. Om Prakash gained as much as did Balraj Sahni. Biswajeet did as much as Rajeev or a Sudhir Kumar.
Even today, so many artistes, musicians, anchors, broadcasters and quizmasters earn their keep thanks to the generosity of Rafi Sahab and the legacy he left behind. The number of shows that are held in his honour and memory and the opportunity that is bestowed upon countless persons is the result of the aura of the great man.
Prem Dhawan aptly summed it up in his memorable song from Pavitra Paapi:
Kabhi Kabhi is duniya mein Yaaron
Aise farishte bhi aate hain
Sabhi ko apna sab kuchh deke
Khaali haath chaley jaatey hain
Jaise sukh ki chhaaya deke
Baadal jaaye bikhar pyarey bai Allah hi Allah
Allah hi Allah kar pyaare bhai Allah hi Allah
Rafi Sahab gave his voice for this truly lovable song, but did he know that it was probably his own? That the song aptly described what he had also done on earth for all of us?
He may gently shake his head and point a finger skywards saying- uska karam hai.
But I am sure he knew. Like God does.
But he chose not to rave and rant and shout out from rooftops about it. He chose not to broadcast all those aspects of his personality. He just sang. And sang his heart out.
Such is the greatness of my idol.
Long live Rafi Sahab. Hum aapko bhula na paayenge. Aur duniya aaj bhi aapko dhoond rahi hai. Pyaar ka raag sunney ke liye.
Allahs mysteries can never be understood by men….Mohammed Rafi sahibs voice will never be understood by men..Why Allah gave him such a beautiful voice , is beyond our knowledge…i have spent a life time , analyzing this voice, unfortunately I can not figure out it’s mystery…Only God knows …But one thing i know for sure, it’s not a humans voice….i do not know if I should call it angelic or heavenly, or a miracle…May Allah bless his soul and grant him jannate firdaus.
I totally agree with you Shardoolji and if I remember correctly there is an article written by Sanjeev Dixit where he is writing a letter to the Indian Goverment requesting Mohd Rafi to be considered for the Bharat Ratna award and is asking Mohd Rafi fans to sign the letter on line. I do admire Sanjeevji for putting so much effort into this campaign to ensure that justice is finally done.
I think I’m in the majority when I say it should have been done decades ago in fact whilst the legend was alive but better late than never. I hope all us Mohd Rafi fans will rally around Sanjeevji and help this dream become closer to reality.
Please can The Rafi Foundation kindly give information on links and details of how fans can help Sanjeevji, your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.
With all these sincere words showering their heartfelt remembrances for Rafi the Angel, why does not anyone demand from the Indian Government to honour self b y humbly placing the Bharat Ratna at the feet of this Angel ?
It is indeed so hideous and cruel to deny India’s highest Civilian Award to one who truly consoled, cajoled, cuddled, caressed and gave immense pleasure to all Indians always and forever till Infinity !
It is truly sad and painful and makes all Rafi lovers cry helplessly at this cruelty being ceaselessly done to Rafi the Angel by denying him the Bharat Ratna which he truly deserves !
August 15, is so near and the List of people to be awarded the award is being finalized ….. I am hoping against hope that the people finalizing the list are not cruel, swarthy and selfish as to deny Rafi the Angel the award this year too !
I agree 100% with Achal Rangaswamy views, there will never be a voice like Rafi to sing for us again.
Thank you very much, friends and Rafians for your warm greetings ane encouraging feedback. All this is Rafi Sahab’s inspiration.
Thanks a lot for excellent and truely mentioned about our beloved Rafi Saab. Yes it. has been truly mentioned that if God had voice, it could be Rafi Saab.
My heartiest best regards.
r l arora
No doubt, Rafi was the legends of legend. Lata, Asha, Kishor, Manaday, Mukash, Talat is become hardly half Rafi Sb. Voice of God. I have grown up listening to Rafi Sahib when I was only at the age of 7th. Our affection for Rafi is increasing day by day.
why did he leave us so early ?
Will I ever find a singer like him again, I doubt
Mohd Rafi still with us and will be till end of the eath…
Great human and singer like mohd Rafi will be with us for ever……
Great Great of Rafi Shaab Pyar ka farishta Makhmali Awaaz ka jaadu hum sab ko
diya…Allah se dua h Aapko Jaanatul Waqi me Ala Ala se Ala makaam Ata Farmaye……Aameen…………..
Thanks Achal for writing such a good article on Rafi saab. He is truly voice of god. For meeven today he is still alive. I have grown up listening to Rafi saab songs.
Venkatakrishnan
Achal saab great article. Truely rafi saab was the voice of god.
Long live rafi saab.
Regards, Birendra Singh Bisht
34 YEARS WITHOUT RAFI SAAB’S PHYSICAL PRESENCE;BUT WE FANS HAD HIS VOICE……THE MATCHLESS,PERFECT,HONEYDEW-ED,SMOOTH,SOFT,LINGERING,
LANGUOROUS,ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME……LONG LIVE RAFI SAAB.
Wonderful Article! A Huge Tribute from the Ever growing Countless Tribe of Fans Worldwide, to the Maestro – July 31 is special, the day he left Us to join the Elite world of Gods-our dear Mohammed Rafi Saheb- RAFI (in Urdu) stood for (High ranking, noble, eminent, exalted, sublime) A boundless Ocean of goodness-True to the meaning, he was So Professional, humble, helpful and ethical – (implausible combination in this Kalyug) alas, with all such Qualities, probably he was too ahead of Us, ordinary mortals and may be that is why joined the Gods too early- No amount of Respect and tribute to this Unique Icon, is enough, who was too good to be emulated but even if any of Us possess just One % of (any of) His Qualities, we could still be good Human Beings- I for One, am dedicating my vast respect and high regard, by Performing his gifted Numbers whenever an Occasion arises to the delight of the Connoisseurs and Aficionados of Music to try and spread A Good Feeling and Mutual Respect for Talent and Welcome any initiative to this effect
rafisaab keeps on living like god’s man(farishta) his voice is immortal……we salute to this great soul….his songs have become a way of living for his billions fans all over the globe…..medicine for their all ills…very soon we will be celebrating century of his coming to earth in 2024…..
Achal Rangaswamy Ji,
Great write up.
Rafi’s voice was specially crafted by the Almighty for the golden era, which now only exists in our dreams and imagination.
Long live Rafi Sahab.
Dear Achal ji
Thanks for summing up the emotions of millions of Rafi fans like me on this day, so nicely. For many like me he is like oxygen..cannot survive even a day without listening to his songs. I wonder if anywhere in the world any artiste is so fondly remembered as our Rafi sahab. Today in Mumbai it was a repeat of 31st July 1980..it rained like anything just like how it rained on that fateful day.
Even God is still repenting and crying why He took him away so soon….