This article is written by Mr. Vinay Kumar and appeared in The Hindu newspaper on 20th July 2007. Source: Mr. Nazir Ahmed.

In the age of nasal singers, the heart longs to listen to Mohammad Rafi once again. Remembering the superstar singer in the run-up to his anniversary. More than a quarter century ago, the golden voice of Mohammad Rafi fell silent. The gentleman-singer of Hindi filmdom that had ruled the ’50s and ’60s of Hindi movies like an emperor suddenly called it quits, departing for his heavenly ab ode, leaving millions of his fans dejected. His recordings now remain the only source of solace. Rafi Saab, as he was fondly called by one and all, will never be there to give a live performance.

Thousands of Rafi’s songs and his music will remain etched in the memory of his fans and followers forever. In ways more than one, the soul of Rafi Saab would have expressed gratitude at the altar of destiny for taking him away at a time when melody still ruled over Bollywood music directors. The days of talent hunt shows would have only dealt a fatal blow to Rafi Saab had he been alive to experience the music of loud beats, rhythms and nasal tones. It remains a strange coincidence that all the three male voices of Bollywood who were contemporaries and strode the scene of film music like a colossus – Mukesh, Kishore Da and Rafi Saab – died in their fifties.

Born on December 24, 1924, in Lahore, Rafi took his lessons in music from Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. He got his break in films 20 years later with “Gul Baloch” but his best was reserved for the ’60s when he lent his voice to all top stars of the day – Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar, Pradeep Kumar and Guru Dutt. Recipient of a galaxy of awards, he was honoured with the National Award and the Filmfare Award. He was awarded Padma Shri by the Government in 1965.

He was a bit lucky too: lyricists during his time included greats like Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Hasrat Jaipuri, Kaifi Azmi and Jaan Nisar Akhtar. Theirs was not the poetry to suit the rhythm. Goodness gracious, it was not the age of speeding cars, plastic money, ATMs, EMIs, BPOs and instant noodles. Perhaps, today’s music which can neither appeal to your head nor move your heart, is also reflective of the current times. It is not the age of “shayari” and “mushairas”, the times are not conducive to stop and ponder over Rafi Saab’s immaculate rendering of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s “Na Kisi Ka Aankh Ka Noor Hoon” or the classic in Guru Dutt’s movie “Kagaz Ke Phool” where he laments in Sahir’s words, “Ye Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To Kya Hai.”

Rafi’s repertoire had a wide range from ghazals and romantic, frolicking songs depicted on screen by Shammi Kapoor to classical numbers like “Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dhir Dhare” and “Man Tarpat Hari Darshan” from “Baiju Bawra” where veteran composer Naushad created a magical spell with Rafi’s voice.

Great fan following

Even today, Rafi commands a respect and fan following that spreads from Kerala to Kashmir. In fact, many a critic has remarked that Rafi’s fan following and adoration has grown by leaps and bounds after his death.

Veteran playback singer K.J. Yesudas observed that “studying Rafi Saab can help a budding singer more than any textbook on music do.”

Even Mahendra Kapoor, another of Bollywood’s great singers, regarded Rafi as his “guru”. A time came in Rafi’s career in the late ’70s when he was reduced to playing second fiddle to Kishore Kumar who was dominating Bollywood’s music scene, but Rafi came back with his typical romantic renditions in “Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahi” and also sang for Amitabh Bachchan in “Naseeb”, “Abhimaan” and “Dostana”. Can you imagine today’s crooners rendering “Mere Mehboob Tujhe Meri Mohabbat Ki Qasam” or “Ek Hasin Shaam Ko Dil Mera” or “Khoya, Khoya Chaand”? This was Rafi’s range and versatility.

Any number of adjectives to describe Rafi’s innumerable qualities of head, heart and soul will remain poor and lacking in any writer’s effort. But remembering Rafi Saab in itself is a journey, a never-ending discovery of his rich repertoire.

The exercise can be taken up at any time, any number of times.

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