Mohammed Rafi - the legend is still alive

Even 28 years after his demise, the versatile and legendary singer Mohammed Rafi is alive in the hearts of millions of his fans and ardent music lovers. The soulful renditions of Rafi Sahaab are still remembered by people of all age groups.

CJ: Md Mudassir Alam

Sat, Aug 01, 2009 14:03:31 IST

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Mohammed Rafi

'DIL KA soona saaz tarana dhoondega, teere nigahen naaz nishana dhoondega, mujhko mere baad zamana dhoondga', the famous couplet reminds us of the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi who left for his heavenly abode on July 31, 1980. In fact, what Mohammed Rafi had sung about in the touchy song from Ek Nari Do Roop is really true. Even 28 years after his demise, Mohammed Rafi is alive in the hearts of millions of his fans and ardent music lovers. The soulful renditions of Mohammed Rafi are still remembered by people of all age groups.

Born 85 years ago in Lahore, Mohammed Rafi served the music world for about three and half decades. During this period he sang over 26,000 songs in various languages such as Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. Known for his magical voice, Mohammed Rafi is also referred as the ‘King of Tragic Songs’. In addition to sad songs, Mohammed Rafi has sung romantic and comedy songs. His voice suited every actor his voice was aapplied to - whether it was the thespian Dilip Kumar or the young Rishi Kapoor. Shammi Kapoor rose to success with the super hit songs of Mohammed Rafi that include the all-time popular song ‘Yahoo’ from the movie Junglee. On the whole, Mohammed Rafi was a true legend; he is still alive through his songs and he will be remembered for generations to come.

Here are some interesting facts about Mohammad Rafi Saahab:
    * His nickname was Pheeko
    * Rafi Sahaab's family owned a men's salon in Lahore's Noor Mohalla
    * He started singing by imitating chants of a fakir in his village
    * His brother-in-law Mohammed Hameed spotted the singing talent in Rafi and encouraged him to sing
    * Rafi Sahaab's gve his first public performance at the early age of 13, when he was allowed to sing at a concert featuring the legendary singer KL Saigal
    * Mohammad Rafi sang his first film song in Punjabi in the year 1944
    * Rafi Sahaab sang his first Hindi song for the movie Pehle Aaap in 1944

In 1948, Rafi Sahaab sang the song 'sun suno aye duniya walon bapuji ki amar kahani, written by Rajendra Krishan, which became a huge hit. He was invited by the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to sing at the latter's house. Rafi Sahaab’s funeral procession was recorded on a very rainy day in Mumbai. It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people in attendance.

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