RMIM Archive Article "58".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: The Immortal Rafi
# Author: Masood Ansari
# Source: Deccan Chronicle.
#
# Posted by: pkd@duke.cs.duke.edu (Pavan Kumar Desikan)
# Transcribed by: Srichand (IIT Madras)
# and Ravindra.U.V. (uvr@tata_elxsi.soft.net)
Here is the piece from Deccan Chronicle (Any hyderabadis around?) typed in
by Srichand and Ravindra, IIT Madras.
Read it and enjoy it.
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MOHAMMED RAFI: THE SONG GOES ON
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part I
~~~~~~~~~
-- Masood Ansari
(Deccan Chronicle)
It was on July 31, 1980, during the holy month of Ramzan, that
Indian filmdom lost one of its most versatile playback singers,
Mohammed Rafi. The date of his passing away was, perhaps,
divinely pre-ordained, for it is said that one who dies in the
holy month goes to heaven. There was no person more deserving of
that status than the pious and God-fearing Rafi, who never touched
a drop of alcohol, who never told a lie, who never had a harsh
word for anyone, and who worshipped his work. A man whose songs
wiped away many a sorrowful tear from the eyes of those who were
struggling under the burden of life and brought tears of ecstatic
joy to many more.
Within hours of getting news of Rafi's untimely demise, hundreds
of mourners gathered at his residence in Bandra to pay their last
homage to a man who had them bound by the magic spell of his voice
for nearly four decades. Thousands braved a heavy downpour and
joined the funeral procession the next day. Most of them could
not believe that Rafi was no more - just a few days ago, many of
them had heard him singing at his best at Bombay's Shanmuganada
Hall for three hours. This was destined to be his last public
appearance.
Today, nearly a decade and a half after Rafi's death, it is still
difficult to believe that one like him is no more. Rafi lives on,
eternally, in his songs. Born on December 24, 1924, in Punjab's
Amritsar district, Rafi showed an aptitude for music at a very
early age. His father used to recite religious poetry in praise
of God and the Prophet, and his elder brother Mohammed Deen was
also a considerably good classical singer. Young Rafi was sent
for training first with Ustad Chote Ghulam Ali Khan, then he took
classes from Pandit Jawaharlal Mathu and Feroze Nizami. He was
greatly influenced and encouraged by Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan. Rafi
belonged to a very orthodox and conservative Muslim family. He
used to sing at friends' places. During one such occasion, when
Rafi was still only 15, Nasir Khan, one of the top producer-actor-
playback singers in films, heard him sing and offered to take him
to Bombay and groom him as a playback singer.
Nasir Khan sought permission from Rafi's father, but the latter
refused point blank. The very idea of Rafi taking up singing for
films as a career was severely frowned upon. Rafi was being
trained in classical music at that time by Ustad Abdul Waheed
Khan. When Nasir Khan persisted with the offer, Rafi's elder
brother, Deen, convinced his father to let Rafi go to Bombay. With
great reluctance, Rafi's father agreed to this.
Before leaving for Bombay, Rafi had already recorded his maiden
film song for Gul Baluch, a Punjabi film, on February 28,
1941. The song became very popular and he was invited by the
Lahore radio station to be a permanent singer with it. Rafi made
his debut as a playback singer in Bombay in 1942 with Laila Majnu,
a Nazir-Swarnalata starrer with music by the late Pandit
Govindram. He sang a qawwali as part of a chorus, and even did a
bit role in the film. Later on, he acted films like Samaj Ko
Badal Dalo and Jugnu. In Gaon Ki Gori, he sang a duet with Noor
Jehan, the then reigning queen of Indian film music, under the
baton of Shyam Sunder.
Then, somehow, Rafi was able to get a recommandation letter from
Naushad's father and met the maestro, who was then composing music
for Pahle Aap. Naushad offered the young singer a place in the
chorus of the song "Hindustan Ke Hum Hain, Hindustan Hamara" along
with Alauddin. After that he was given a chance to sing a line in
a chorus for Naushad's Shahjehan, which had K.L.Saigal's immortal
voice in it too. After these initial choruses, Rafi now wanted to
sing solos and he was given that break also by Naushad, who had by
then become not only a good friend of Rafi's but a great fan as
well. This song was in Dillagi and the song was "Is Duniya Mein
Aye Dil Walon Dil Ka Lagana Khel Nahin," which brought him to the
forefront of playback singing alongwith K.L. Saigal, G.M. Durrani,
Talat Mahmood and others. His impeccable voice quality and
immaculate singing led to inevitable comparisons with these
stalwarts and the comparisons were always favourable. The climb
that started then stopped only when Rafi breathed his last.
--------
MOHAMMED RAFI: THE SONG GOES ON
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part II
~~~~~~~~~
-- Masood Ansari
(Deccan Chronicle)
Rafi saab's speciality was his versatility and a very vast
range. In his 38-year career, he rendered more than 28,000 songs,
which include the whole range sung in Hindi films. Take the
classicals like 'O Duniya Ke Rakhwale,' 'Madhuban Mein Radhika
Naache Re,' or "thumris" like 'Aye Na Baalam Wada Karke' and 'Gori
Tere Nainva Kajra Ban.' There were folk songs like 'Nain Lad Jai
Hain' and 'Tan Rang Lo Ji Aaj Man Rang Lo,' bhajans like 'Mujhko
Shiv Shankar Mil Gaye' and 'Duniya Na Bhaaye Mujhe,' and "geets"
and ghazals like 'Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki,' 'Abhi Na Jao Chhod
Kar,' 'Chaudvin Ka Chand Ho' and 'Ai Mere Shah-e-Khooban.'
The incredible variety of the man encompasses ghazals like 'Tere
Kooche Mein Armanon Ki Duniya,' 'Teri Zulfon Se Judaai To Nahin
Maangi Thi,' and the evergreen 'Tumse Se Izhaar-e-haal Kar
Baithe,' patriotic songs like 'Watan Ki Raah Mein Watan Ke
Naujawan Shaheed Ho,' sentimental songs like 'Mayoos To Hoon Wade
Se Tere' and 'Tukde Hain Mere Dil Ke.' There were light songs
like 'Sar Jo Tera Chakraye,' 'Aye Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahan,'
and 'Jangal Mein Mor Naacha Kisi Ne Na Dekha,' and non-filmi
ghazals like 'Na Kisi Ki Aankh Ka Noor Hoon' and 'Lagta Nahin Hai
Dil Mera.' He sang fast numbers like 'Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee
Kahe,' 'Aji Aisa Mouka Phir Kahan Milega,' and qawwalis like 'Meri
Tasveer Leke Kya Karoge,' 'Chaandi Ka Badan' and 'Yeh Ishq Ishq
Hai...'
The list is practically endless and to include every variety of
song that Rafi saab sang would be a Herculean task if not exactly
an impossible ne. There probably wasn't a single hero through
almost three decades for whom Rafi saab did not playback. From
Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Biswajit, Joy
Mukherjee, Rajendra Kumar, Raj Kumar, Guru Dutt, Dharmendra, Sashi
Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Sanjeev Kumar, down the ages to Rajesh Khanna,
Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor and other youngsters, the list of
heroes for whom Rafi Saab sang is virtually endless. Then there
were others like Johnny Walker, I.S. Johar and Mehmood. The vast
variety of songs that Rafi saab sang can well be imagined.
I still remeber, as if it were yesterday, meeting him backstage
for an interview during one of his last performances in Bombay.
That was in May 1980. He seemed greatly disillusioned with the
deteriorating standards of film music. He seemed visibly pained
that the emerging trend among music directors of signing films by
the dozen -- and at the overwork contributing towards
deteriorating the quality of the music in films.
Lapsing into a flashback, Rafi saab had said "Film-making wasn't
merely a business proposition during those days when institutions
reigned supreme and freelancing hadn't become popular in the film
industry. Believe it or not, I used to be paid Rs.75/- in those
days for a song! That was a fortune in those days. When I
entered the line, there were, of course, popular singers like
Saigal saab, G.M. Durrani and Khan Mastana. Instead of considering
me as competition, they encouraged me to give my best.
"In fact the first time I met Saigal saab was at Lahore, where he
had come to give a concert. The mike had failed at the last
minute. While it was being set right, I was asked to keep the
audience engaged by singing a couple of songs. I was only 15
then. I had not yet met Nasir Khan or Shyam Sunder. Saigal saab
blessed me that day and predicted that a day would come when I
would be a much sought-after singer".
How true Saigal's prediction came to be! Mohammed Rafi was one of
the most popular playback singers for Hindi films till he breathed
his last.
--
Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0129
Internet: pkd@cs.duke.edu
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian