PADHARO SE
(traditional welcome address in Rajasthani)
Article by A S Murty, Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter
PADHARO SE
A S Murty as the Anchor of the programme informing the assembled music lovers of the activities of the Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter and elsewhere
Thus when the management of Dhola-Ri-Dhani, a Rajasthani fun-n-frolic resort on the outskirts of Hyderabad invited the Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter to hold a musical show in their exquisite and sprawling resort, we jumped at the offer without even as blinking an eyelid. We were provided with transport from a central point in Hyderabad, an exclusive open-air theatre, sound system and mikes, etc. The arrangement for the Birthday Cake cutting was impeccable again. The banner of Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter was placed prominently on the stage by the staff of Dhola-Ri-Dhani. Dinner was served to all our members at the end of the show. Advertisements were placed in prominent dailies by the Dhola-Ri-Dhani for general public to take notice of our programme.
Banner of the Rafi Foundation welcoming all the music lovers to the show
We reached the picturesque location at around 4.00 p.m. and a good half hour was devoted for arranging the stage, sound system, banner, etc before the start of our actual programme. After garlanding the photograph of Rafi Sahab, we had to celebrate the 84th Birth Anniversary of Rafi Sahab by cutting of the cake.
Mrs Sumitra Shastry, one of the visitors and an ardent Rafi-fan was invited to ‘cut’ the Birthday cake. Cheering her are Chandar, Ramakrishna, Subramanyam, A S Murty, Raghavendra Rao and Mrs Meenakshi
The Birthday Cake
The first of the visitors who had seen the advertisement in an English daily of Hyderabad were two ladies with the newspaper in their hands. The septuagenarian lady and her daughter, it was learnt later, were fans of Rafi Sahab for all of their life. They had traveled quite a distance to reach Dhola-Ri-Dhani to enjoy the celebration of Rafi Sahab’s Birthday and enjoy his songs. We invited this elderly lady to cut the cake on behalf of Rafi Foundation. Once this got over, the singing of songs were taken up by our members. Soon more music lovers still enjoying the lovely locates within Dhola-Ri-Dhani outside the open-air theatre started spilling in. These are the days of intense security checks at all public places and Dhola-Ri-Dhani enforces them like any other event holder. However, words like “Rafi” or “Rafi Programme” or “Rafi Foundation” had a mystical and magical effect on the security staff and they permitted everyone inside if they had anything to say on Rafi Sahab. All visitors to Dhola-Ri-Dhani are given traditional welcome at the entrance in typical Rajasthani style. There are these Rajasthani folk artistes too to join us in our entertainment programmes.
Traditional Rajasthani dhol being sounded while the Birthday Cake was being cut
Our programme started with the famous “Duniya Na Bhaye Mohe Ab To Bula Le” from Basant Bahar and the impact of this songs reverberating the surroundings saw many visitors (holiday enjoyers) rushing towards our venue – Jhumar Ghumar (the name of the Open Air Auditorium). Soon members of Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter, belted out scores of songs in all classes – solos, duets, quawwalis, bhajans, romantic moods, etc. The two ladies sat through the entire four hours, relishing the sweetness of Rafi Sahab’s songs to their heart’s content. Braving the somewhat cold conditions at the Open Air Auditorium, these ladies declared that they will join Rafi Foundation and be our regular members. Our members presented close to 30 songs to the enjoyment of all. The small orchestra band accompanying us too gave a professional helping. The last song – Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawanon Ka from Naya Daur was rendered by a group of our singers and all the members and visitors came upto the stage to dance and cheer and clap to the beats of this rustic but very patriotic fervor song. This was sung as a tribute to the motherland’s martyrs who have defended our country against all evil forces from time immemorial.
Members of Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter, enjoying the programme on the steps of Ghumar Jhumar at Dhola-Ri-Dhani
Traditional Rajasthani delicacies were served in a sumptuous dinner to all our members and transport provided for us to reach Hyderabad late in the night. The success of the programme could not have come on a better occasion than the 84th Birth Anniversary of Rafi Sahab and we felt very elated. It was as though Rafi Sahab himself was welcoming all the music lovers of Hyderabad in typical Rajasthani style – PADHARO SE.
murtygaru – i can see it – it still under – moderation – posted on 27th november 2009 at 12.05 a.m.
still under moderation along with these two posts today. 28th november 2009.
please tell pradeepjee to come donw to this old post in rafi foundation archive.
ramesh.
murtgaru – i had left my heart views so very nicely few days back.
it reflected – awiaitng moderation. now this appears only after you pressed the submit comment button.
i am so sorry – uss samai joh mood aur khayaal the usey dubaaraa dohraanaa mushkil hai.
pradeepjee yeh kyaa kardiyaa aapney. kahaan kho gayaa mere dardbharey alfaas.
ramesh.
murtygaru – der aayi durust aayi – i thought and i was literally mesmerised into registering my views on an event which happened way way back in time.
the reason why i meandered into your write up presentation of this gala get to gether in hyderabad, was to get an idea of how rafi foundation was garnering into one of the best rafi fans group.
upon reading your well written description of the beautiful gathering and the event itself and also the various comments by rafi fan admirers, i realised that, we at bengaluru, are truly blessed in having you all over, and spending some memorable moments together.
we rafi fans have become that much richer after interacting with you all, so full of abundant talent, highly expressive, extremely friendly and sincerely loving in your mannerisms and approach.
there was instant bonding and we found you all much much better than what we had expected via exchange of emails all these months.
the warmth, the exuberance in each any human with regard to music and the richness in presentation – all coupled into an amazing bunch of simple human beings all out to love and be loved with the blessings of our dear rafi sahab.
indeed, when i read people say things like you lead the flock so very well and astutely, we at bengaluru got a taste of it.
your rafi holiday idea is going to be a rage and the flock is going to grow in huge numbers, the frequency is going to engulf us all and we are going to tread grounds where none have gone before.
jai ho jai ho jai ho – rafi sahab.
tussi great ho – rafi sahab.
hum sab aapkey shukr guzaar hain – rafi sahab.
ramesh narain kurpad.
member – bbr
rafi fans – egroup
rameshkurpad@gmail.com
Dear Murty Sir,
Congratulations for that grand function. The Delhi chapter also hosted the birthday party, the report for which will be published in a few days.
But definitely the way the Hyderabad Chapter organised the function, it is unique as of now. And as Rafi Sahab said :
“Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Akele The Hum, Mil Gaye Tum Toh Dil Ko Sahara Mila, Aa Gaye Ik Naye Raaste Par Kadam, Jab Se Hathon Ko Daman Tumhara Mila”
I can see the forthcoming truth in above words pertaining to various chapters of Rafi Foundation.
Long Live Rafi Sahab !
Regards,
Zorawar Chhugani
Rafi Foundation Memorial Society
DEar Murty sir,
Terars flew down my eyes when I saw the birthday cake .It felt as if our dear rafisaab is still alive and very near to us.I will not congratulate you but thank you from bottom of my heart for the effort taken by you all.
Hearty congrats Mr.murthy.Reading report of the function I wish I should have been hyderabadi native! We feel happy&delighted whenever we read Rafi saheb’s related memorable functions.Here in mysore city every year there will be musical programmes during july/august.Wish you all success in your future programmes.
we at rafi foundation, hyderabad chapter would like to thank all the rafi fans who have sent us congratulatory messages. khaja aliuddin sahab, shashank chickermane, mohd parvezbhai, anil cherian sahab, biman baruah sahab, binu nair sahab, narayanan sahab, azgar khan bhai, d p bijoor sahab, abhishek taparia sahab, etc have all lent their compliments for our musical show. besides the above, members of rafi foundation, hyderabad chapter like santosh kumar, s chandar and n r padmanabhan too have aired their sentiments. rafi foundation, hyderabad chapter today is a strong organization (though still small in numbers) but the commitment of our members is to be seen to be believed. any call for an ‘event’ and they all readily agree and contribute in full measure. ‘through thick and thin’ as they say, our members pool together all the available resources and the success of our programmes is purely a result of their total involvement. we have members in the age group which ranges from the 20s through 70s and the binding factor is again “rafi sahab”. from a perhaps “let us see” approach maybe a few months back, today the membership “demands” a date for our musical sessions (which incidentally are organized twice a month without fail). ask for subscriptions and the matter is settled in minutes (s chandar is doing an exceptionally good work as our treasurer) and no time is “wasted” on this score, so that maximum time is spent in singing of songs at these musical sessions. regular contacts through phone calls and emails between the members is again one very positive and healthy sign. communication is at once with each and every member (fortunately all our members are internet inclined) and if a detailed reporting of any of our musical sessions is delayed even by a day, the members would not ‘tolerate’ (all our musical sessions are lively and hence the reporting at the end of each one of them). members come up with newer and ‘the lost songs of rafi sahab’ for e.g. Zamane Mein Maare (Baharon Ke Sapne), Dekha Hai Sabhi Ne Chaand – (Dil Ne Pukara);Dil Ke Aiyeene Mein (Aao Pyar Karein);Apna Hai to Begana Nahin (a rare Rafi Sahab song);etc. etc. The ladies too sing with a lot of passion and come up with solos (of lataji, ashaji etc) and also join in for duets of rafi sahab. there are a few youngsters too who are very committed fans of rafi sahab and their knowledge of songs of rafi sahab is highly impressive. some of them are born in the 1980s and their passion for rafi sahab’s songs is to be seen to be believed. all in all, a very musically inclined and rafi-centric group is what the rafi foundation, hyderabad chapter is and the membership is growing with each passing month. our members have a mission on hand. they will do everything within their means to propagate the evergreen and immortal songs of rafi sahab. it would not be out of place to mention two more names of rafi-bhakts, apart from all the above named, that of shirish kulkarni and raju korti of mumbai who are in constant touch with us and to repeat the phrase above – ‘though thick and thin’. long live rafi sahab.
Janab Mohamed Parvez Sahab,
Congratulations for a such beautiful blog dedicated to our Rafi Sahab. Song selection is beautiful. After a long time I heard the song of ” Milan ki Raat”.
Keep up the good work.
Long live Rafi Sahab,
Dr. Khaja Aliuddin
Janab Murthy Saheb,
Hearty Congratulations!
“Mai akela hi chala tha janibe manzil magar
Log saath aate gai aur karwan banta gaya”
Keep up the good work.
Long live Rafi Sahab,
Dr. Khaja Aliuddin,
I will congrulate Mr.Murtyji & ur entire group for the grand function of Mohdrafi. Keep it up!
shashank chickermane
i would like to congragulate murthy sir and whole team of rafi fondation hydrebad chapter for celibrating rafisaabs birth anniversary in a unique way
i have created a blog dedicated to rafisaab kindly visit my blog regularly i will be up dating regularly
http://rafifanblog.blogspot.com/
Please accept my hearty congratulations, Murthy sir, Chandar sir and team. Hats-off…..
as one who had actively participated in the programme, i must congratulate murty for reporting the event for the benefit of a larger audience. we, at Rafi foundation hyderabad, are a bunch of amateur singers held together only by the lilting music of rafi sahab and his ilk. many of us had never performed on stage earlier. However, once the names were announced and it was our turn to perform, some divine power drove us to perform without any initial hesitation or nervousness.
friends, having experienced this feeling first hand myself, what i actually want to convey is this. many of us have not undergone formal music training but have listened, enjoyed and hummed the tunes for ourselves, not gaining that courage to sing even in front of friends, family etc. lot many talent has simply vanished for lack of self-imposed exposure. through this, i simply want to state that it is time that we come out of our inhibitions and realize the potential within us. we will not only become better singers but avid listeners too.
the hyderabad chapter is a nascent organization. the year 2008 ended on a tumultuous manner for all of us. dhola ri dhani was a very big achievement. yet, we at hyderabad will have to keep in mind that what was the crowning glory for 2008, has become the threshold for 2009. In other words, we will have to gear up like never before to achieve greater heights in this year because last year nobody expected big things from us. this year dawns with much higher expectations. i am confident that all of us will take it up as a challenge rather than threat. through this forum, i wish all rafi fans the best of musical happiness in this new year.
Respected A S Murty Sa
hearty cogratulations for sharing , narrating, describing such a nice event in a remote resort on the birthday of our great Rafi Saheb. Please keep it up such a nice efforts.
with very best regards to all
biman baruah
Well Done – Hyderabad team. Very Novel. Very Innovative. Great Job. Fellow Rafi Lovers could take a leaf out of the successful event and spread rafi songs for the benefit of those mohd rafi lovers.
keep it up – and scale greater heights – as always.
binu nair, mumbai rafi foundation.
Well done Rafi Foundation Hyd chapter spearheaded by Murty saab, Ramakrishna Saab, Chandar sir, Padmanabhanji and all others…
Truly a memorable tribute in marwari style….
Keep it up
Since the article is by Mr A.S.Murty, he has not resorted to self-praise. But, we as members of Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter will be failing in our duty if we do not mention a few words praising Murty Gaaru. He is like the thread in a “Moti ki Mala” (Threaded Pearl Necklace). The Moti ki Mala is meaningless if it is not bound together by the common thread. It gets its appealing shape when all the pearls are woven together by a common thread. All of us from divergent backgrounds, but with a common love for Rafi Saab, have to be brought together. In an office, either you are the boss or the subordinate but in a setup like ours nobody is the Boss nor is anybody a subordinate. There is every likelihood of members drifting away. But the way our Murty Gaaru has kept the flock together is really commendable. Regarding his qualities as a “Compere” I can, fearlessly, compare him with the legendary Amin Sayani of Binaca Geet Mala fame. Holding the audience together for well over 3 hours is no small achievement. He had shown his skills while compering the program in which Mubarak Bequm was honoured by us on 5th July’08. I myself have done “Compering” on certain occasions but nothing compared to Murty Gaaru. I think even if the program had stretched a little further, Murty Gaaru would have held us all spellbound with his oratorial skills.
May his tribe grow. We look forward to having more such programs.
S.Chandar
Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter
Kudos to the Hyderabad chapter for conducting a great program.
The credit goes specially to Mr. Murty for his efforts put together for a successful program.
Thanks very much abhisek tapariasa for the correction of the title. Yes indeed the words should be “padharo sa” and I have noted the same for future.
Excellent narration of the entire programme in a meaningful, concise way using pithy statements.
This article rejuvenated and recapitulated the 24th Dec event.
Feeling good reminiscing that programme while reading through the article.
Thanks for coming up with this article on this website, which will make it immortal till this website exists.
Dear Murtyji(sa),
Good article n good to know tht such resorts r also interested in hosting musical shows.
the only glitch is its ‘Padharo Sa’ n not padhato se where ‘sa’ means ‘ji’ in marwari(i’m a marwari) so it would be like murtysa….!
great a s murty sir!!!
Aapka pyaar dekhkar na jane kyoon ye aak bhar aayee. kitne pyare & dulhare the hamare rafi saab ke hum labzo mein nahee bayan kar sakte.
Hum nachiz bhala unke bare mein kya keh sakthe hai — sirf itna kee aap kee yaad & chabee hamare khoon mein hamare marte dum tak yoon hee kayam rahe — ye allah talha se request
Amar rahe hamare rafi saab!!!