Happy 100th Birthday Rafi Saab

It is Christmas Eve and the holiday cheer has already started spreading. The joy of holidays is here and the hope for a promising new year. As I pack my bags for my holiday ,this will be my last post for 2024. ?

Here’s wishing you & your family Merry Christmas & a Happy 2025!

As a Rafi fan, I could not have asked for a better year ending post. A tribute to my favourite singer, the phenomenal? Mohammed Rafi on his 100th Birthday! An artiste connected to the #voiceinme.

As I write this, the song I am humming is,?“Tum mujhe yun bhula na paoge,Jab kabhi bhi sunoge geet mere, Sang sang tum bhi gungunaoge, Haan tum mujhe yun bhula na paoge”

‘Sau saal Pehle’ was when the magic happened & the gift called Mohammed Rafi was born on 24th December,1924. He was a complete singer!? What however? stood out was the fact that he was an amazing human being too. His humility & ability to be a voice so distinctly different for each actor he lent his voice to , made him one of the most mellifluous voices of the Hindi Film industry. His musical repertoire is proof of the genius he was. For almost 3 decades his voice meant melody & success. A tribute to the unforgettable Rafi Saab in his centenary year!

A huge fan of boxing, meeting Muhammed Ali was a fan moment for Rafi Saab. The Child in him was alive till the very end.

The genius of Rafi Saab was identified by music director Shyam Sundar, when he sang as a 14 year old in a Saigal concert as a stop gap till the power was restored. The music director invited him to Mumbai with his elder brother. The little Rafi's ability to listen to a mendicant walk by his house every day singing a song with a mesmerising voice drew the little Peeko (Rafi’s pet name) to follow him to the end of the village & learn the song of the day. This was also his practise sessions to master his vocal? abilities to sing , that he was noticed by the villagers.?

When he moved to Bombay,he started off with Gul Baloch & Gaon ki gori in 1940s, set to tune by Shyam Sundar. ?However, it was Naushad who honed the skill of the versatile singer. One of my all time favourites of this pair is the popular( Rafi Saab’s favourite too) “Suhani Raat dal Chuki” set to tune in 1949 from the film Dulari. We may not remember the hero but the song has remained timeless. It was a friendship and their teaming with Shakeel Badayuni that gave us amazing songs. My favourite are all songs of ‘Baiju Bawra’ especially the popular Bhajan “O Duniya Ke Rakhwale” . I remembered I cried as I watched this song on TV, as a little girl , when the statue of God had tears rolling down. The voice & the pitch stayed with me. “Man tarpat”, “Dukh mein sab Saathi” are all proof that he had an amazing connect with the Divine.

Different aspects of what made Rafi Saab a phenomenon, relevant even today that participants in reality shows, even today sing his songs to prove their versatility are :

An Actor’s singer:

It also was the teaming of Dilip Kumar & Rafi Saab. Some of the films, Raam aur Shyam, Ganga Jamuna, Kohinoor, Naya daur, Leader ,Mughal e Azam … Each a gem still remembered. He continued to rule the roost creating stars out of Bharat Bhushan, Rajendra Kumar & Pradeep All had superhit films because of their amazing songs. Jo wada kiya, Man re, Zindagi bar nahi, Yaad Na Jaye Beete Dinon Ki, Mere mehboob ….the endless list of superhit songs.

Shammi Kapoor considered Rafi Saab his voice, His hits.. Yahoo, Tareef karoon, o hasseena zulfon wali, badan pe, main gaon tum so jao….?Whether it was Dev Anand,? Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan , Jeetendra, Joy mukherjee, Johnny walker, Mehmood, Gurudutt , Manoj Kumar, Biswajeet, Sanjeev Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, each had their list of hit songs? & the voice distinctly suiting their acting style. He was one of the first singers who emoted the songs to suit the actor. He acted while he sang making it easy of the actor to emote on screen.

Music Director’s Singer:

Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan, S.D. Burman, C. Ramachandra, O.P. Nayyar, Lakshmi Kant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, R.D.Burman, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Ravindra Jain, Ravi,? Jaidev and so many other directors, made the most of his gift. Rafi Saab was ready to sing for anyone who came to him. Singing was worship or Ibadat?for him. Money was never the driving force. He never rejected any director, especially the new ones who were struggling & needed a Rafi song in their composition. In fact when Laxmikant Pyarelal decided to collaborate, they went to Rafi Saab first. He willingly sang their first song & even divided the fee they paid him between them , wishing them the very best. He went on to sing the maximum songs with them.

Love this story that when Naushad Saab went over to Rafi’s house, he noticed a one rupee coin that was framed. When he enquired, he realised, it was the same coin he had given Rafi as a young boy. When Rafi started off his career as a chorus singer with Naushad, the director had to cancel the recording. Seeing Rafi wait ,inspite of being asked to leave, Naushad asked him if he needed anything.? Rafi told him that the one rupee he had , was spent on reaching there. Naushad understood that the boy did not have money to return. He gave him a rupee. That framed coin was the same one rupee. That day Rafi walked back home grateful to Naushad for his help. This framed coin was a? constant reminder to? Rafi Saab of his initial struggles & gratitude for the help he received when he needed it. Obliging every composer who came to him, was? his way of paying back.

Respected amongst Peers:

His pleasant demeanour, humility,? his constant smile, his willingness to learn?, take feedback, made him earn respect for his craft. Manna Da loved Rafi Saab & gave such glowing tributes in this interview, I had the honour to host as an RJ for a Rafi special.

Manna's favourite Rafi Playlist

It is said Kishore Kumar adored Rafi Saab, In fact, in his house, he had only two photographs on his wall , one of God and the other of Rafi Saab. When at one time Kishore was busy fulfilling his film roles, the only singer to have sung for? Kishore Kumar was Rafi Saab. His humility and ability to mingle made it easy for him to be cordial to all. Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Geeta Dutt, Mubarak Begum, Suman Kalyanpur were all the co- singers having? a popular pairing with Rafi Saab.

Versatile Singer:

Manna da in his interview calls Rafi Saab’s style as Rafi Gharana.

His song list included classical numbers , romantic songs, sad songs, happy and peppy songs, patriotic, rock n’ roll& disco numbers, bhajan, qawalis, and every other genre. His was one of the most recorded voices and will be remembered as an iconic playback singer from the golden age of Hindi film music. His rich repertoire of thousands of songs that helped him scale the popularity charts for over 30 years from the late 1940s to 1980 & is proof of the genius. His gift for expression be it? philosophy?-Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya to a seductive aura Yeh Jo Chilman Hai or Choo lene do or a comical “Hame Kaale hai toh kya hua”, justified his versatility. 5 of his 6 filmfare awards came in the 60s. He went on to win the Padma Shri & the national award for "Kya Hua tera Vada” . Rafi has a beautiful body of work.

He was loved by Nehru and had a huge fan following amongst general public.

Anand Bakshi’s tribute to Rafi Saab sums up the impact of the singer on all:

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A Rafi fan, I can listen to his songs the whole day.

Would love to know what are your favourite Rafi numbers.

Catch you in 2025.

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The genius of Rafi Saab was identified by Shyam sundar when he sang as a14 year old in a Saigal concert as a stop gap till the power was restored. His ability to listen to a mendicant walk by his house every day singing a song with a mesmerising voice drew the little Peeko( Rafi’s pet name) to follow him to the end of the village & learn the song of the day. This was also his practise sessions to master his vocal? abilities to sing , that he was noticed by the villagers.?

Starting off with Gul Baloch & Gaon ki gori in 1940s,set to tune by Shyam Sundar,? it was Naushad who honed the skill of the versatile singer.One of my all time favourites of this pair is the popular( Rafi Saab’s favourite too) “Suhani Raat dal Chuki” set to tune in 1949. We may not remember the hero but the song has remained timeless. It was a friendship and the teaming with Shakeel Badayuni that gave us amazing songs. My favourite are all songs of ‘Baiju Bawra’ especially the Bhajan “ O Duniya Ke Rakhwale”. I remembered I cried as I watched the movie on TV, as a little girl when the statute of God had tears rolling down. “Man tarpat”, “Dukh mein sab Saathi” are all proof that he had an amazing connect with the Divine.

An Actor’s singer:

It also was the teaming of Dilip Kumar & Rafi Saab. Each movie, Raam aur Shyam, Ganga Yamuna, Kohinoor, Naya daur, Leader Mughal e Azam … Each a gem still remembered. He continued to rule the roost creating stars out of Bharat Bhushan, Rajendra Kumar & Pradeep All had superhit films because of their amazing songs. Jo wada kiya, Man re, Zindagi bar nahi, Yaad Na Jaye Beete Dinon Ki, Mere mehboob ….the endless lists of superhit songs.

Shammi Kapoor considered Rafi Saab his voice, His hits.. Yahoo, Tareef karoon, o hasseena zulfon wali, badan pe, main gaon tum so jao….

?Whether it was Dev Anand,? Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan , Jeetendra, Joy mukherjee, Johnny walker, Mehmood, Gurudutt , Manoj Kumar, Biswajeet, Sanjeev Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, each had their list of hit songs? & the voice distinctly suiting their acting style. He was one of the first singers who emoted the songs to suit the actor. He acted while he sang making it easy of the actor.

Music director’s Singer:

Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan, S.D. Burman, C. Ramachandra, O.P. Nayyar, Lakshmi Kant Pyarlalal, kalyanji Anandji, R.D.Burman, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Ravindra Jain, Ravi,? Jaidev and so many other directors, made the most of his gift. Rafi Saab was ready to sing for anyone who came to him. Singing was worship or Ibadat? for him. He never rejected any director, especially the new ones who were struggling & needed a Rafi song in their composition. In fact when Laxmikant Pyarelal decided to become a collaboration, they went to Rafi Saab first. He willingly sang their song & even divided the fee they paid him between them , wishing them the very best. Love this story that when Naushad Saab went over to Rafi’s house, he noticed a one rupee coin that was framed. When he enquired, he realised, it was the same coin he had given Rafi as a young boy. When Rafi started off his career as a chorus singer with Naushad, the director had to cancel the recording. Seeing Rafi wait ,inspite of being asked to leave,Naushad asked him if he needed anything.? Rafi told him that the one rupee he had , was spent on reaching there. Naushad understood that the boy did not have money to return. He gave him a rupee. That framed coin was the same one. That day Rafi walked back home grateful to Naushad for his help. This framed coin was a? constant reminder to? Rafi Saab of his initial struggles & gratitude for the help he received when he needed it. Obliging every composer who came to him, was? his way of paying back.

Respected amongst Peers:

His pleasant demeanour, humility,? his constant smile, his willingness to learn? and take feedback, made him earn respect on his craft. Manna Da loved Rafi Saab & gave such glowing tributes in this interview,

Sound cloud.

It is said Kishore Kumar adored Rafi Saab, In fact, in his house, he had only two photographs on his wall , one of God and the other of Rafi. When at one time Kishore was busy fulfilling his film roles, the only singer to have sung for? Kishore Kumar was Rafi Saab. His humility and ability to mingle made it easy for him to be cordial to all. Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Geeta Dutt, Mubarak Begum, Suman Kalyanpur who were all the co- singers with? a popular pairing with Rafi Saab.

Versatile Singer:

Manna da in his interview calls Rafi Saab’s style as Rafi Gharana.

His song list included classical numbers , romantic songs, sad songs, happy and peppy songs, patriotic, rock n’ roll& disco numbers, bhajan, qawalis, and every other genre. His was one of the most recorded voices and will be remembered as an iconic playback singer from the golden age of Hindi film music. His rich repertoire of thousands of songs that helped him scale the popularity charts for over 30 years from the late 1940s to 1980 is proof of the genius. His gift for expression be it? philosophy?-Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya to a seductive aura Yeh Jo Chilman Hai or Choo lene do or a comical “Hame Kaale hai too kya hua”, justified his versatility. 5 of his 6 filmfare awards came in the 60s. Moving on to win the Padma Shri & the national award for "Kya Hua tera Vada” Rafi has a beautiful body of work.

A Rafi fan, I can listen to his songs the whole day.

Would love to know what are your favourite Rafi numbers.

Anand Bakshi’s tribute to Rafi Saab sums up the impact of the singer:

?? ?????? ????? ???? ??? ????

??????? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????

???? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ????

???? ??????? ?? ???? ?????

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