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Doha Waves to hold music programme
Web posted at: 7/11/2007 6:43:45
Source ::: The Peninsula
Doha • Doha Waves, an Indian cultural organisation in Qatar, will host its annual Rafi Ki Yadein (remembering Rafi) programme at ICC Ashoka Hall on August 2. The event marks the 27th death anniversary of legendary Hindi playback singer Mohammed Rafi, said Doha Waves general secretary Vijay Seshan.

Doha's talented singers will present Rafi's popular Hindi songs at the function. As part of promoting singers, this time the organisers will give chance to new faces to perform at the event. Interested singers can contact the organisers for registration. Phone-5212021 or 6558248.


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SANGEET KA SAFAR NEWS

Bollywood's Lahori connection
posted by Hasan Mubarak at 1:09 PM on May 02, 2006
I knew about Yash Chopra, who used to live in Chauburgi Quarters. Here are a many more of Indian celebrities who have had their roots or big breaks in Lahore:

"Many high profile Indian actors and singers lived in the Walled City in the 1940s and Lakshmi Chowk was where the film fraternity got together in tongas decorated with maroon flowers, foot bells and lamps on the side."



"Indian superstars Pran, Muhammad Rafi, Om Parkash, Balraj Sani, Dev Anand and many less known artistes started their film careers from Lahore. The film life in Lahore was very high profile and animated in those days. Lakshmi Chowk was the hot spot for formal and informal film gatherings."

"The subcontinent's legendary singer Muhammad Rafi lived in Bhaati Gate. He was from a family of barbers and ran his own barbershop. Rafi had a beautiful voice and most of his customers would often ask him to sing for them while they got their hair cut or got a shave. A man from the film industry introduced Rafi to film director Gul Baloch who gave Rafi the opportunity to sing three songs for 'Gul Zaman'. The film proved a launching point for Rafi's film career in Lahore and by the time he migrated to India in 1947, he was an accomplished singer. In Bombay Rafi got a breakthrough in 'Jugnoo'. The hero was Dilip Kumar and heroine Noor Jehan."
DHALL

Excellent information bhai

sangeet ka safar this news.

Yeh Zindagi ke mele, duniya mein kam na honge, Afsoos! hum na honge....

--- A Mohammed Rafi song

MOHAMMED RAFI is one lucky man in history. The adoration for this legendary singer, who died 23 years ago, is phenomenal by all standards. Accepted by the connoisseur and the layman alike, Rafi's posthumous fame has been greater than what he enjoyed during his lifetime. Rafi fans outnumber those of any contemporary singer.

Even people who compered his shows, such as Shahid Bijnori, became famous after Rafi's demise (the compere's sole claim to fame being that he was a part of Rafi shows). All the more reason for the organisers of a commemorative programme on `Rafi saab' to be careful about the choice and presentation of songs and singers.

About 20 singers featured in a Rafi remembrance show organised in the city recently by the Swaralaya and the Mohammed Rafi International Foundation. Veteran playback singer K. J. Jesudas inaugurated the show.

Unfortunately, this much-awaited programme, performed to a packed hall, fell victim to unimpressive selection of songs and poor diction. The introduction to the songs too was naive.

Knowledge of Hindi becomes a drawback while attending such programmes, since the chances of the lyric being mutilated are aplenty.

Only a few singers such as Pradeep Somasundaran, K. K. Naushad, Thoppil Anto, Babu Thunderbirds, Imtiaz, Manjari and Bombay S. Kamal got their diction right.

The songs of Rafi are known not only for their achievements in music but also for their lyrical richness. Rafi belonged to the golden age of Hindi lyrics, when the likes of Sahir Ludhianvi, Shailendra, Kaifi Azmi, Hazrat Jaipuri and Majrooh Sultanpuri were in full form.

On the face of it, many of the singers at the show went in without doing their homework. B. Arundhati, who was supposed to sing Ehsan tera hoga mujh par (the masterpiece from `Junglee') preferred the word `Pehchan' to `Ehsan', to the utter disappointment of the language lover. She sang Tum ne mujh ko sapna dikhaaya; rone kahooge, ro lenge ab... (meaning `You showed me dreams; I'll shed tears if u want me to...!) instead of Tum ne mujho hasna sikhaya; rone kahooge ro lenge ab (meaning `you taught me how to laugh; I'll cry if you want me to... ')!

Adding to the woes of listeners was the introduction to each song, with flawed phrases that kept the audience guessing.

Another drawback was the selection of songs. Of the 26,000-odd songs that Rafi rendered, the ones chosen were the oft-repeated.

No effort was made to unearth the not-so-popular gems from Rafi's corpus. None of the Guru Dutt classics was touched.

Nevertheless, the show was made memorable by some very good rendering by Pradeep Somasundaran, Yassin Nissar, Sainoj and Gopan. The find of the evening was K. K. Naushad, who hails from Kozhikode. Naushad chose to sing the hit, Duniya ke Rakhwaale, from `Baiju Bawra'. He modelled his rendition on that in Rafi's London concert (1979), which has, of late, become more popular than the original track.

Vijay Jesudas, singing Baharon Phool Barsao. (`Suraj') and Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche (`Brahmachari'), was technically sound, but the emotional content of the songs never came through. Gopan did an excellent job with Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare (`Chitralekha'). So did Pradeep Somasundaran, with Madhuban mein radhika nache. (`Kohinoor'). Yassin Nissar, who sang Chahoonga main tujhe (`Dost'), did a perfect job except for the undue stress on technicality.

Remembrance is an art in itself. As Jesudas said in his inaugural address, "Studying Mohammed Rafi can help a budding singer more than any textbook on music do."

Rafi songs are not only the gateway to sublime music but also the treasure trove of language.

A Rafi song leaves in the mind of the listener a feeling of goodness and love. His immortality lies not merely in the huge number of songs to which he lent his voice, but also in the way he approached each of his 26,000 songs.

Yaad na jaaye...

Mohammed Rafi was born in Lahore, on December 24, 1924. He took his lessons in music from Ghulam Ali Khan. The break in films came in 1944, with `Gul Baloch', which was directed by Shyam Sunder.

Rafi peaked in the Sixties. His voice was identified with almost all film stars of the day, including Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and Guru Dutt.

Rafi was awarded the Padmasri in 1965.

Recipient of a number of awards including the National Award and the Filmfare Award, Rafi ruled over his contemporaries like an emperor. With the emergence of Kishore Kumar in the first half of the Seventies, Rafi's career suffered a major setback. Kishore Kumar came to be accepted as the `voice of Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan'.

Rafi staged a brilliant comeback in the latter half of the Seventies, with Kya hua, tera vaada (`Hum Kissi Se Kam Nahin') and Ramji ki nikli sawari (`Sargam').

He went on to deliver hits such as the ones from the Bachchan starrers, `Naseeb', and `Dostana'.

Rafi's last song was recorded by Lakshmikant-Pyarelal for `Aas Paas': Tu kahi aas paas hai dost...


good news MASTERS ALL: (From left) arranger Sebastian, singer Mohammed Rafi, flautist Sumantraj, composer Shanker and director Raj Kapoor during the recording of `Ramaiyya Vastavayya'

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sangeet ka safar show news

Budding singers show their mettle
By Devinder Bir Kaur

YEAR after year die-hard fans of Mohammed Rafi throng Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh to enjoy the evergreen songs of an era gone by when melody was king, lyrics were poetic and meaningful and voices of the singers gifts of gods. Recreating that magic was the annual function, Rafi Award-99, organised by the Yaadgar-e-Rafi Society last Saturday.

Besides paying homage to the immortal singer on his death anniversary (July 31), the society offers a platform to budding singers of the region to expose their talent through a song competition.

This year too boys and girls vying for the awards presented their vocal talent before a discerning audience and judges Ms Meera Gautam, B. M. Kalia and Atul Sharma. While the top honours could be had by only one singer each in the male and female category, the audience had its own favourites. M. Naushad deservedly won the Best Singer trophy for the poetic Aap ke haseen rukh pe aaj naya noor hai... (“Baharein Phir Bhi Aayeingi”). He did a clean sweep for the judges’ choice round by belting out the comedy song Bade miyan deewane, aise na bano... (“Shagird”) with that added lilt that made all the difference. His duet Din sara guzara tore angna... (“Junglee”) with Nikhat Ali too was beautifully rendered.

The First Runner-up in the male category, Amarjit Singh, has proved his mettle time and again. This time too he won over the audience with the romantic number Zara sun haseena-e-nazneen... (“Kaun Apna Kaun Paraya”) sung in his satin-smooth voice. For the judges’ choice he came out with Rafi’s lovable Punjabi number Pyar de bhulekhe kinne sohne sohne kha gaye... (“Bhangra”). His duet Chali chali re patang meri chali re... (“Bhabhi”) with child wonder Prachi was as zestful as the original number.

Quite close on the heels of the winners was Devendra Kaushik. He sang Chehre se apne aaj to parda uthaiye... (“Palki”), but proved his talent by showing his grasp on the classical song Akhiyan sang akhiyan laagi aaj... (“Bada Aadmi”) . He reinstated this aspect in another classical number, a duet, Jeevan mein piya tera saath rahe... (“Goonj Uthi Shehnai”) which he sang with Darshan Saini. He missed the winner’s trophy but not the audience’s appreciation.

A pleasant entrant on the singing scene was Ramesh Kumar. He belted out the melodious Deewana keh ke aaj mujhe phir pukariye... (“Mulzim”) and the patriotic Nafrat ki lathi todo, laalach ka khanjar phenko... (“Desh Premi”). However, it was his duet Dil tera diwana hai sanam... (“Dil Tera Diwana”), with another new entrant, Sana Gaffar, which was greatly appreciated.

Another singer to get a hearty response from the audience was R.S. Kala for Itni haseen itni jawan raat kya karen... (“Aaj aur Kal”). For the judges’ choice he sang the devotional Ishwar Allah tere naam, sabko sanmati de Bhagwan.... For the duet with Komal Rajdev, he got the all-time favourite Main chali main chali... (“Professor”).

R.L. Anand sang the tragic Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin... (“Dil Diya Dard Liya”) Bringing out the pathos of its lyrics. His solo Suhani raat dhal chuki... (“Dulari”) and duet, with another regular Pushpa Saxena, Kabhi raat din hum door the, din raat ka ab saath hai... (“Aamne Samne”) were well rendered.

Ravinder Syan, Second Runner-up, too sang a sad number Mayus to hoon wade se tere... (“Barsaat ki Raat”) and a Punjabi song Ni Chambe di band kaliye.... His duet, with talented Rimmi Chopra, Sau saal pehle, mujhe tum se pyar tha... (“Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai”) was better appreciated.

The Best Singer trophy in the female category was won by Rimmi Chopra. In a flawless voice, which exhibited an easy grasp of the high pitches, she sang Nagma-o-sher ki saugat kise pesh karoon... (“Ghazal”). Perhaps, she also scored marks for her fast number the delightful Daga daga vai vai vai... (“Kali Topi Lal Rumal”). Her performance in the duet Sau saal pehle... too was just as good.

Nikhat Ali, First Runner-up, was good in the ghazal Yoon hasraton ke daag... (“Adalat”) and the devotional Allah tero naam... (“Hum Dono”). The excellent duet Din sara guzara tore angna... too obviously brought her marks.

But the surprise of the evening was Prachi, a child wonder. Without opening her mouth much and minus contorted expressions, she sang the gem Agar mujhse mohabbat hai... (“Aap ki Parchhaiyan”) with an effortless ease. For the judges’ choice too, she selected the old classic Bachpan ki mohabbat ko, dil se na juda karna... (“Baiju Bawra”). She reminded one of the young Lata of “Barsaat” days. Her duet Chali chali re patang... too was beautifully rendered. Expectedly, she was among the winners and got the Second Runner-up trophy.

Another very young entrant on the scene was Sana Gaffar who sang the old classic Mushkil hai bahut mushkil, chahat ka bhula dena... (“Mahal”). Her Punjabi pop song Likhadi haan tera naam... was peppy. But she showed her actual verve in the duet Dil tera, deewana hai sanam... which she sang with great zest.

Darshan Saini sang Mujhpe ilzam-e-bewafai hai... (“Yasmeen”) and a non-film song Saare sapne kahin kho gaye.... However, she made a commendable effort for the duet Jeevan mein piya tera saath rahe..., especially with the alaaps.

Komal Rajdev sang Hum pyar mein jalne walon ko... (“Jailor”). She was especially good in the popular Punjabi number Mera long gwacha.... Her duet Main chali, main chali... too was well rendered.

Pushpa Saxena had to her credit the lovely ghazal Jurm-e-ulfat pe hamein log saza dete hain... (“Taj Mahal”). For the song with the classical touch she rendered Koi matwala aaya mere dware... (“Love in Tokyo”) and exhibited her grasp on the medium. She also brought out her high-pitched tones in the duet Kabhi raat din hum door the....

Like always the orchestra team — Parveen Rathi, Suresh Naik, Subhash Naik, Manish, Puneet Talwar, Veval Sharma and S.P. Sharma under the baton of Raman Kant — added to the success of the programme. Raman Kant’s creation of the sound of thunder for the duet Dil tera diwana hai sanam... was marvellous and loudly applauded.

Whatever the outcome of the competition, one thing that stood out was that old film songs were still greatly appreciated. The musical programme kept everyone mesmerised for a good part of the four-hour show.

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sangeet ka safar give news to news.

Thank you for the music, Rafi saheb
P.M. KUNJLI Soppy's life revolves around the legendary Hindi playback singer Mohammed Rafi. Soppy's home is named Rafi Manzil. His son is named Mohammed Rafi. Soppy's instruction to the teenaged Mohammed Rafi is: "At my funeral, you must play Janewalle kabhi nahin ate ... my all-time Rafi favourite."

Forty-four-year-old Soppy is a coolie at Alapuzha's Zackaria Bazar. Every July 31, he holds a lavish Rafi Nite in this south Kerala city to mark the death anniversary of the King of Melody.

"I hold Rafi Nite annually with my own funds," says Soppy, who has steadfastly refused to accept contribution in the name of his idol. Aap bus, Rafi Saheb ki awaz suno (Just enjoy Rafi Saheb's mellifluous voice), I can take care of the money needed, so long as my health permits me to so," he tells us, as he hoists a sack of rice on his back.

Soppy does not even touch the money generated by the show. All of it goes for charity. "I had to overcome several hurdles. Initially, almost everyone laughed at me. But they gradually saw my absolute devotion to Rafi saheb, and became very supportive," he recalls.

The first 'converts' were Soppy's own and extended family. Every year, the entire clan - comprising his six sisters, 21 nephews and 16 nieces - gets together to help out with the Rafi Nite. Such is Soppy's devotion to the late singer, he has even built a unique bus shelter in Kallupalam to commemorate the memory of his Rafi saheb.

Last year, this Good Samaritan donated Rs 3,001 each to five persons of his locality to pay part of their wedding celebrations. He also arranged for a special Rafi Nite to collect funds for soldiers who served in the Kargil last year.

Ironically, Soppy doesn't know much Hindi. But ask him to sing a Rafi number and he'll surprise you. Soppy met The Man himself in Ernakulam in the early 1970s. "I met Rafi saheb at a concert. After his death, I became a good friend of his son Shahid, who sought me out after he heard I was a great fan of his father," Soppy recalls.

Not surprisingly, Soppy is a storehouse of anecdotes about the legendary singer. "I probably know so much about the life and times of Rafi saheb, I could write a multi-volume book," he says. Soppy's only regret is that Mohammed Rafi's memory has not been commemorated with a Bharat Ratna. "He was a giant. Only a Bharat Ratna could do justice to his memory."


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sangeet ka safar this story.

evolution of the hindi film song - part 5

Even as India attained independence in its aftermath came the aftermath of partition - the partition resulted in a mass migration from the Film Industry as well to Pakistan; stalwarts like Khursheed, Master Ghulam Haider and Noorjehan chose to make Pakistan their new home. But though somewhat crippled by their departure, the Indian Film Industry more than survived as much new talent had entered it in the early 1940s and was to provide it with its golden age in the 1950s and 1960s. We saw the late 30s and early 40s responsible for the entry of singers such as GM Durrani, Arun Kumar, Parul Ghosh, Zohra Ambala, Amirbai Karnataki, Rajkumari, Shamshad Begum and Suraiya. Now a newer generation of singers followed them. Among the male singers, Shankar Rao Vyas introduced Manna Dey with Ram Rajya in 1943, Naushad introduced Mohd. Rafi to Hindi films with Pehle Aap in 1944 and Anil Biswas introduced Mukesh in Pehli Nazar in 1945. Of these perhaps the most important talent was undoubetly Mohd. Rafi.

Born in Kotta Sultansingh village in 1924, he moved to Lahore when he was 14. There he studied music under Khan Abdul Waheed Khan, Jeevanlal Matto and Ghulam Ali Khan. He was introduced to radio Lahore by composer Feroz Nizami and made his film debut as playback singer in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch in 1944.He moved to Bombay the same year where Pehle Aap happened. Rafi began his career being influenced by GM Durrani with songs like Tera Khilona Toota in films like Anmol Ghadi before attracting notice with his duet with Noorjehan in Jugnu (1947), Yahaan Badla Wafaa Ka Bewafaiee ke Siva Kya Hai. If Mohd. Rafi owes his break to Naushad with Pehle Aap, then he also also owes his breakthrough to the top courtesy Naushad. The film was Dulari (1949) and the song, the all time favourite Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki. From then on Rafi ruled as the undisputed top male playback singer of Hindi films right till 1969 when Aradhana saw him overtaken by Kishore Kumar.

Rafi's advantage was he could sing anything for anyone. At one stage in the 1960s Rafi was the voice of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Johnny Walker, Sunil Dutt, Biswajeet, Joy Mukherjee, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and Raaj Kumar! From the classical Madhuban mein Radhika Nachi re to the swinging Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera, from the soulful Hum Bekhudi Mein Aapko Pukarein to the comic Sar jo Tera Chakraye, from the philosophical Dekhi Zamaane ki Yaari to the frivolous Aiaiya Karoon Main Kya Sookoo Sookoo, he could sing anything! In fact Rafi was blessed with such a range that he could easily sing in three octaves without veering out of control.

If Mohd. Rafi was the undisputed top male playback singer of the day, few equalled Mukesh for his ability to breathe a thousand shades of despair and distill a lifetime of heartache in the few minutes it took to record a song. No other singer was capable of projecting emotions in their raw, unfurnished state the way he could. His was a voice that could on one hand be deeply melancholic and on the other hand exude a profoundly innocent and mellifluous sweetness. It was an exquisite blend of torment and anguish, tenderness and joy.

Mukesh came from a middle class family in Delhi. The first person that noticed him from the film Industry was Motilal, a distant relative.Motilal brought him to Bombay and kept him at home and groomed him as a singer under Pundit Jaganath Prasad. His first break as mentioned was in the film Pehli Nazar when Anil Biswas used him for the song Dil Jalta Hai. Though a popular song, it sounded as if Mukesh was just another Saigal imitator. It was finally under Naushad and Anil Biswas in the 1948-9 period that Mukesh discovered his own identity as a singer with Mela, Anokha Pyaar and Andaaz. Andaaz was a major triumph for Mukesh. All his songs in the film were raging hits and interestingly though he was identified later as the voice of Raj Kapoor, Naushad used his voice on Dilip Kumar while Rafi known later as the voice of Dilip Kumar.

But it is impossible if you think of Mukesh and don't remember Raj Kapoor. The partnership with Raj Kapoor started with Aag in 1948 where Raj's feelings of despondency and despair were vividly caught by Mukesh in Ram Ganguly's composition Zinda Hoon Is Tarah, and ended with R.D. Burman's Ek Din Bik Jaayega in the film Dharam Karam in 1975. In its course was an endless list of hits.

The other most important male playback singer introduced in the forties was Kishore Kumar. Kishore Kumar Ganguly was born in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in 1929. At the age of 18 he came to Bombay where elder brother Ashok Kumar was a major star with Bombay Takies and Filmistan. His first break as a singer came in the Bombay Talkies film Ziddi in 1948 where he sang for Dev Anand. Like Mukesh being an ardent fan of Saigal, the song was sung in Saigal's style.

Ziddi was a major success at the box office and made Dev Anand into a star. But Kishore Kumar found few offers forthcoming as a singer. Ziddi's music director Khemchand Prakash gave him another assignment with the film Rhim Jhim in 1949 and S.D. Burman utilized his services the following year in the Nargis-Raj Kapoor starrer Pyaar (1950). Kishore struggling on his own approached Burmanda. Burmanda gave him the song Qusoor Aapka in Bahar (1951) which became a hit. Gradually Kishore got more singing offers as well as acting offers as well. However apart from singing for himself, Kishore Kumar chose to do playback only for Dev Anand and for no other hero! However in spite of a rising acting career, Kishore Kumar however was taken lightly as a singer and it was not until Dukhi Man Mere from Funtoosh released in 1956 that music directors took him seriously as a singer.

While Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar went on to rule the Hindi Film Industries from the 1950s, there were other male playback singers whose contribution could not be denied - Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood and Hemant Kumar but more about them later. Meanwhile the 1940s had also thrown up some of the best female talent in playback singing - Meena Kapoor, Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt and of course the one and only Lata Mangeshkar…



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sangeet ka safar have rafi ji fan.

Immortal Rafi

There are fans and there are fans, Dr Prabhu Ahuja is the type any artist would be privileged to have. Salim Dolare gets the low down on how Ahuja expresses his devotion for Rafi’s music.


Rafi’s fans celebrated his 82nd birth anniversary on December 24. The Rafi fan club of Ulhasnagar presented a live program to pay tribute and love to this legend and his golden voice at Town Hall in Ulhasnagar. The theme of the program was Mohammad Rafi sings for Shammi Kapoor. The program was convened by Dr Prabhu Ahuja, a surgeon and a great fan of Rafi. Ahuja has been organising this program since last eight years.

Ahuja is an ardent Rafi fan. So much so that he has purchased a flat and named it Rafi Hall. Ahuja has also got a road sanctioned from UMC and named it as Padmashri Mohammad Rafi Marg. All the Rafi fans meet every Wednesdays and Fridays after 9 pm and sing Rafi’s songs alongwith the musical instruments, sound equipment and also a classical teacher to teach the fans to sing the songs sung by Rafi in fine tune as rendered by the artist himself.

“ Tum mujhe yun bhoola na paoge, jab sunoge tum a geet mere sung sung tum bhi gun gunaoge is a haunting melody, I feel as if Rafi sahib is somewhere around singing for me. I was a great fan of Rafi since my childhood, I once went to attend Rafi’s birth anniversary at a club in Ulhasnagar but I found everyone drinking and eating.

There was no sign of any tribute to this great person, I was so annoyed that I told them from next year I’ll conduct the programme and since last eight years I am doing so. Every year the theme and songs are different, we never repeat the songs, and only Rafi fans are allowed to sing,” says an emotional Ahuja.

The fan club painstakingly selects rare Rafi songs to commemorate his birthday. “I learnt a very good lesson from Rafi i. e. Do your duties sincerely and dedicate yourself for the same. Rafi devoted all his life for singing only, he never tried to gain success in acting or directing films. People should follow his foot steps to succeed,” says Ahuja.

Interestingly Ahuja’s wife Dr Aasha Ahuja also is a great fan of Rafi. She also sings Rafi’s songs with great dedication and helps the fan club run smoothly. Rafi’s fans from all over Thane district attend the singing session regularly and the membership is free and open to all. “ Many of the Rafi’s fans have also landed jobs in hotels, orchestra and are also invited to perform in programmes, most of them earn their livelihood by singing but never forget to attend the musical get-together at Rafi’s Hall at doctors place. “Now we also celebrate Rafi’s death anniversary on July 31. On his birth anniversary we sing all his happy and hit songs. Whereas, on his death anniversary we sing all his sad songs. On his birth anniversary we also sing popular songs like Badan pe sitare lapete huye, aye jaane tamanna kaha ja rahi ho... for the public to participate and dance. Where as on his death anniversary we choose songs that are emotional like, O jab yaad aaye bahot yaad aaye, gamme zindagi ke andhere mai humne chirage mohabbat bhujaye jalaye,” concludes Ahuja emotionally.


thanks rafi ji fan.

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sangeet ka safar have rafi ji fan

Only Rafi...

He eats, drinks and breathes Rafi’s songs, Naresh Keshavlal is a Rafi fanatic, says Salim Dolare


“Aaye bahaar banke lubha kar chale gaye”
Naresh breathes Rafi’s songs, especially the songs of 60’s and 70’s picturised on Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar and Shammi Kapoor. He has the collection of all the 5769 filmi and non filmi songs sung by Rafi, collected in the form of audio cassettes, song books and even handwritten. He cherishes this treasure, he has collected over the years.
55 year old Naresh Keshavlal Shah from Kalyan west no just another Rafi fan. “It all started in the year 1966 when I was in school, we had only a radio at home, and surprisingly I was attracted by Rafi’s songs only, I used to forget evey thing for some time and get totally immersed into his voice. My favourites from that time were his duets with Lataji like “Din saara guzara tore angna” from Junglee and “Din dhal jaaye par raat na jaaye” from Guide. Slowly I started singing along him to catch up with his tunes. As my parents were very conservative Hindus they did not like my singing romantic songs loudly at home, they used to put off the radio. Even my sisters didn’t like me singing because they too were Rafi fans, they used to throw me out of the room for distorting the tune,” recalls Naresh.

He started spending his pocket money on hearing songs on the Juke box installed in many hotels those days and also on collecting songs books sold in the cinema halls. He not only remembers the songs but also the lyrcists and the music composers on tip of his tongue. Now he does riyaaz daily morning for two hours singing as may songs as he can. In 1972 Naresh bought his first tape recorder and also attended local sangeet classes. “ I started singing in get togethers and local functions, though people wanted to pay me I didn’t accept money for sheer love for Rafi. My first public appearance was at Model college Dombivili in the year 2002. When I sang “O duniya ke Rakhwale” and “Ye chaand sa roshan chahra.” Even though the audiences were youngsters they were spellbound and were very enthusiastic. I realized that Rafi has his fans in new generation too,” says Naresh.
From 2004 he started singing for Saraswati Class orchestra of Dombivili. He has classified all the song in different categories, like sad songs, fast track songs accordingly. “I met Mohammad Rafi for the first time in the year 1968 through one of my friends at the recording, I was so overwhelmed that instead of greeting him I fell at his feet and did not speak a single word. I just took his blessings and walked backward as if I met some avtaar of God. When Rafi died on 31.7 1980, I was at my shop, as soon as I heard the news, I just walked out of my shop without informing any one and attended his funeral. I also carried his coffin on my shouders for a small distance,” he adds with tears rolling down his eyes.

“Yeh zindagi ke mele duniya mai kam na hoge afsos hum na honge” was the song that haunted Rafi all the time. “Whenever I sit alone I hear the song “ Tum mujhe yu bhula na paoge jab suno ge tum geet mere sung sung tum bhi gun gunaoge,” as if Rafi is still singing it for me. Rafi has no substitute, his song ‘Dil ka suna saaz tarana dhundega, mujh ko mere baad zamana dhundega’ is a fact,” he philosophises.

Naresh has kept Rafi’s photo next his God’s pictures and performs pooja twice a day at home and also at his office with Shlokas chanted for God. “ Every year I visit his grave yard in Bandra on his death anniversary and offer flowers and singing, ‘Aap ke pahlu mai aakar ro liye daastane gum suna kar ro liye’ and come back after sitting there for few hours,” he confides.

Naresh plans to leave his treasure with his daughter Dimple Kesarya, who is a Rafi fan too. ‘O jab yaad aaye bahot yaad aaye,” he concludes melodiously.


very thanks rafi ji fan

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Rafi remembered!

Fans of legendary singer Mohammed Rafi celebrated his anniversary, despite the torrential rains that engulfed the suburbs.

A Correspondent, Santacruz

Sunday, July 31, was the 25th death anniversary of India’s raja of rhythm, Mohammed Rafi. Even as the official Rafi fan clubs went about their job of commemorating his anniversary in style, a small bunch of people from the suburbs carried on their own ‘Rafivaar celebrations’ in memory of the late singer.

Juhu-resident Bharat Dave and his friends went to Mohammed Rafi’s grave at Santacruz and offered floral tributes. They followed it up by going to Bandra at Mohammed Rafi chowk and offering flowers again.

Later, they proceeded and listened to the late legend’s immortal songs. “I have over 80 audio cassettes of Rafi’s songs and know more than 500 of his songs by heart,” said textile-designer Dave, for whom living with the memories of Rafi is a way of life.

Call it eccentricity or attachment, but this motley group even planned to visit Ahmedabad to celebrate his birthday.

“Rafisaab had three passions – gaana, khaana aur patang udana. We plan to fly a huge kite with the number 80 written on it, as part of the celebrations this year.”
For Dave, there may be plenty of other talented singers, but none of them is a patch on Rafi.

“He was a versatile singer and perfectly at ease lending his voice to any actor – whether it was a serious Guru Dutt, a happy-go-lucky Shammi Kapoor or a jocular Johnny Walker,” said Dave.

The best compliment to Rafi that Dave has heard, came from none other than Amitabh Bachchan.

“Rafi was not only a good singer, but also a great human being,” Bachchan had told Dave, when they met years back on the sets of Mard in Juhu.

The singer may have departed on July 31, 1980, but till the likes of Dave and his friends are around, Rafi’s memories will live on.



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MAHAKALI’S ALM’S RAFI NITE RAISES FUNDS FOR BLASTS VICTIMS


A. Purushottam, WEH


’Twas was a musical nite with a difference. ‘Ek Shaam Rafi Ke Naam’, Mahakali ALM’s fund-raiser for the blasts victims sure had the Canossa Convent auditorium reverberate with optimism, bringing that much-needed ray of hope to Mumbaikars.

Says Anoop Talwar, An ALM member, “Our Mahakali ALM is a registered trust, formed in 1999 with the aim to beautify the Mahakali area. We’ve taken up several issues such as the deplorable road conditions, garbage disposal, vermiculture, cleaning of storm-water drains, traffic congestion, encroachments of reserved plots, distribution of tree saplings, plastic bags menace etc. But, soon we realised that we had bitten more than we could chew. These social causes had to be at the expense of our jobs and families. Hence, now, we’re concentrating on fewer projects, but the more important ones, and making a success of these rather than spreading our resources too thin. And, this initiative is our small contribution to ease the pain of the blasts victims.”

The programme, conducted by Suman Mishra of Neptune & S. G. Creations and Swapnil had audiences regaled with their rendition of Mohammed Rafi numbers. They were accompanied by Pallavi, singing Asha Bhosale and Geeta Dutt numbers, and Gautam also presenting some unforgettable Rafi gems of Hindi films, whose enthusiasm was palpably infectious.

After amateurs had set the stage, it was playback singer Mohammed Aziz’s turn to take the nite to a different height. He sang some of the beautiful romantic ’70’s numbers. Singer Purnima took stage to reverently recollect how she had recorded her first song with Rafisaab in Andaaz – ‘Hain na bolo bolo...’ as a child artiste, and had sung with the late singer for Naseer Hussain’s ‘Hum Kisise Kam Nahin’ as well. Rendering Rafi numbers in her own inimitable voice, she had everyone in a frenzy with the ‘Teesri Manzil’ masterpiece ‘Aaja aaja main hoon...’ Then, a senior artiste, Deepak Adhikari, sang some of Rafi’s devotional classics ‘Man re tu kahena dheer dhare...’ from Chitralekha and a few others. The evening ended with Swapnil and his team of musicians recreating the RD Burman-Rafi magic.

The State Minister, Shri Suresh Shetty, the Chief Guest for the event commended the Mahakali ALM for their work and related his experience of the tragic 7/11 blasts, and how he took a victim to the hospital. “You must visit the garden the Mahakali ALM has been maintaining to know their good work,” he commented. Javed Akhtar, who couldn’t make it to the function, instead sent across his message. Other celebrities present were Roshan Abbas and Javed Anand (he’s associated with an NGO). Said Anand, “This bonding amongst Mumbaikars is enough to silence the sounds of terror.” We couldn’t agree more


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SANGEET KA SAFAR BIG WAY GOING ON.


A tribute to Rafi

A Thane-based cultural forum organised a show on the occasion of Mohammad Rafi’s 26th death anniversary. Dr Asha Mandpe reports


Nawa-e-Fun, a cultural forum from Thane organised a musical programme titled Voh Bharat Desh Hai Mera, in memory of legendary singer Mohammad Rafi, on occasion of his 26th death anniversary. The event was held on July 31 at Gadkari Rangayatan.

Singers Rajesh Pandya, Abhijit Patil, Sangita Arnake, Sandhya Vartak and Mona Kamat toiled hard to do justice to Rafi’s songs. Subhash Malegaonkar was the music organiser. The show commenced with the song Voh Bharat Desh Hai Mera. It was followed by a number of popular Rafi numbers such as Hasina Man Jayegi, Dil Ka Bhavar Kare Pukar, Akhiyan Sang Akhiyan and duets like Tasavir Teri Dilmein, Deewana Mastana and Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliyan.

Kawwali singing was Rafi’s specialty and the singers were promising. Songs like Parda Hai Parda was presented with the same spirit and vigour as the original. A Marathi song - Ha Rusava Sod Sakhe - and a ghazal were appreciated by the audience.

Jamil Ahmad Kazi, President of Nawa-e-Fun was the anchor of the show and kept the audience glued to their seats with his informative and interesting narration.

Manjusha Ballal accompanied him in the compering. "Rafi was born in Sultan Singh Kotla, a small town near Amritsar. From childhood he had a burning passion for music and was groomed in classical music under the tutelage of Ustad Wahid Khan. At the tender age of 13, Rafi started singing on radio and lent his voice for the first time to a Punjabi film Gul Baloch," said Kazi.

Speaking about Rafi’s induction to Bollywood, Kazi said, "For better prospects, Rafi came to Mumbai and his career blossomed. He worked with 260 music directors in his career and for three decades Rafi ruled over the Hindi film music industry. He was blessed with a surila and impressive voice with amazing range and he could easily impersonate his voice according to the style and mannerisms of the actor for whom he was singing. He had sung for all the leading heroes of his period and other characters in the films. He was an extremely kind, good natured and pious person whose virtues reflected in his singing."

District Collector Nandakumar Jantre was the chief guest of the event. He said, "Rafi was the voice of the nation. I believe that he was the symbol of national integrity." Thane Mayor Rajan Vichare applauded Nawa-e-Fun’s effort. He said, "Events like this spread cultural harmony amongst people."


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SANGEET KA SAFAR BIG WAYS. LAST YEAR2006

A TRIBUTE TO RAFI
Nawa-e-Fun, a cultural forum from Thane is celebrating legendary playback singer late Mohammad Rafi’s 26th death anniversary on July 31 at Gadkari Rangayatan. On this occasion district collector Nandkumar Jantre will felicitate Suresh Mohite, chairman, TMC transport division and in charge Nikolas Piramal India Ltd.

With ’Jeevan Gaurav Award’. Among the other dignitaries who will grace the function are MLA Jitendra Avhad, Shiv Sena Leader Anant Tare, and Industrialist Nana Sawant. Among the guests of honour are Vijay joshi, Milind Ballal, Kailash Mhapadi and Shahid Latif.

The felicitation ceremony will be followed by a musical programme "Voh Bharat Desh Hai Mera’ based on Rafi’s evergreen Hindi and Marathi songs. The participant singers are Rajesh Pandya, Abhijit Patil, Sandhya Vartak, Dr, Sangeeta Arnake, and Mona Kamat. The music arranger of the show is Subhash Malegaonkar. The anchor persons are Jameel Ahamad Kazi and Manjusha Ballal.
For passes contact - Nawa-e-fun on - 9869725200

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SANGEET KA SAFAR 2004 RAFI JI SHOW

Woh jab yaad aaye

Thane commemorated Mohammed Rafi’s death anniversary over the

Dr Asha Mandpe

Nawa-E-Fun cultural forum Thane, organised a musical programme on July 31 at Gadkari Rangayatan to mark the 25th death anniversary of legendary playback singer late Mohammad Rafi. The choicest songs of Rafi were presented by local singers.

Jamil Ahamad Kazi, president of the forum, Shashikant Dongre, Ujjwala Kale Dr Mujib Khan, Jawed Shiekh and Dr Prakash Shendarkar worked hard to make the event successful. Kazi and Sushama Rege hosted the show. Their narration was informative and interesting.

The participant singers were Chirag Panchal, Rajesh Pandya, Abhijit Patil, Amin Khan, Sandhya Vartak, Dr Sangeeta Arnake, Neha Khandekar and Puja Joshi. “We are celebrating Rafi’s death anniversary for the past four years. All the participant singers are from Thane and surrounding area. We aim to encourage young talent through such programmes,” said Dongre.

Rafi was blessed with a deep and vivacious voice which had an amazing range. His voice was so flexible that he could sing in each actor’s style whether it was Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor or Dev Anand with such accuracy, that on the screen viewers would feel that it is the actor is himself singing.

The show opened with Jahan dar dar par that was followed by a trail of melodious songs including Dil ke jharokhe se, Aye bahar, Aye dil, Tu Kahan, Ajahun aye and Marathi song Shodhisi manava that made the listeners nostalgic. Speaking to Thane Plus Panchal said, “From my childhood I’ve been listening to Rafi’s songs and I’m a great fan of his. My father is a singer and he guided me in studying Rafi’s style. In each song I try to give expressions like him.” Another participant Abhijeet Patil, who is learning classical music said, “It is hard to give full justice to Rafi’s songs. One has to practice hard to sing such expressive songs. Rafi’s Aj hun aaye is my favorite”. All the accompanying artists added colour to the performance.

About Rafi

Rafi was born in 1924 at Kotla Sultanpura, a small town that is now in Pakistan. He sang his debutant song for a Punjabi film. In 1944 music director Naushad gave him first break in Hindi films and after that Rafi never turned back. Hundreds of his songs are unforgettable. Even after winning heights of success Rafi remained gentle and humble. The magic of his songs charm music lovers.



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