That Mohd Rafi was the greatest ever male singer to have entertained the millions of Indians the world over is indisputable. Even god wanted to listen to his songs and that's why he snatched him at a very young age from us! His death was a great blow for me since I am a great fan of this immortal singer. Whenever I felt like singing a song, I automatically would hum some Rafi song. That was his impact on me - this feeling remains even today 26 years after his death. Other singers may come and go, but none will be a patch of this great gem. I am not in favour of comparing him with Kishore Kumar or with any other singer. Each had a distinct style of his own. As for my personal favourites from his long list of songs, some are 'Tere mere sapne' and the other 2 solos from Guide, Baiju Bawra's 'Oh duniya ke rakhwale' & 'Man dadpath', 'Pukartha chala hum main', 'Yaad na jaaye, beethy dinonke' from Dil Ek Mandir and hundreds of other songs. He deserves a posthumous award of Bharat Ratna without any doubt. Hope the govt. bestows this award on him at the earliest.
Nobody, simply nobody could have sung 'aap ki haseen rukh' as rafi did...infusing that sense of floating in love and leaving with you a feeling that 'here is romance, this is it'. listen to that song and switch off the tape. Close your eyes..you will feel yourself quite far away. for just that one song, rafi's feet ought to be kissed
Mohd. Rafi is a name firmly entrenched in the hallways of immortality.
By the time I attained a certain level of musical consciousness, Rafisaab had reached a sort of a cul-de-sac in his career. I am talking about the 1969-70 phase, when out of nowehere Kishore broke through and dethroned Rafi from his lofty perch. This was nothing less that a minor miracle for, till the release of 'Aradhana' it was Rafi all the way with Mukesh, Manna Dey and Mahendra Kapoor always being at the fringes of popularity.
It was sometime in 1977, when Rafisaab staged a remarkable comeback with 'Laila Majnu' and 'Dharam-Veer' that my interest in him was rekindled. From then on, I went into a flashback and unearthed all his old songs, which I had never heard until then. Vividh Bharati and AIR - Urdu Service used to play Rafisaab's songs with frequent rapidity and from then on, I was totally hooked to his dulcet voice, which has remained so till date.
I can identify two songs of his which I must have heard over a thousand times, but still sound so fresh with every hearing - 'Pukarta chala hoon main..' from 'Mere Sanam' and 'Aap ke haseen rukh pe...' from 'Bahaaren phir bhi aayengi'.
As a childI reminisce my father playing the song "Hum Bhi Agar Bacche Hote " on every pre-teen birthday of mine and that magical singing voice of the maestro Mohammad Rafi would reverbate in my ears and my heart fill with enormous joy and exultation. Even today that song evokes fond chilhood memories.I have never forgotten Rafi Saab's voice over the years. The greatness of Rafi was his ability to vary the pitch and tone of his voice to suit any mood or situation. Who can forget the melodious strains of "Man Tarpat Hari Har" or " Oh Duniya Ke Rakhwale" from the film Baiju Bawra. Then that great filmmaker Guru Dutt realising the genius in Rafi's voice had him do playback for most of his films, especially "Pyaasa" and "CID"." Eh Mahalo Eh Takado" was an instant hit from Pyaasa. He sang with even more gusto during the Shammi Kapoor era. Songs like "Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Par" or "Diwana Hua Badal" were absolute gems. Rafi Saab will continue to be respected and revered for many generations to come.We miss you Rafi Saab
Md Rafi was my favourite at a time when Kishore Kumar had become very popular. He had a bass in his voice that is incomparable. He could sing all kind of songs, even the "yahoo" type. While we could listen to soft, romantic songs, my mom could feel at ease with his "religious renditions" of "Hari OM, man tadapat hari darhan...". In one song he sings "mujhko merey baad zamana doondhey ga". The world is still searching for a singer like him and has not found one so far. Sridhar
RE:re: Md Rafi
by nadeem on Sep 06, 2006 09:26 AM
Hi Everyone,
Here is a great tribute to the greatest singer of the nation by noushad saab..
tujhe nagmo ki jaan ahle nazar yunhi nahi kahte tere geeto ko dil ka humsafar yunhi nahi kahte dukhi the lakh phir bhi mutmayeen the dard ke mare teri aawaz ke shabnam se dhul jate the gham saare teri taano me husne zindagi leta tha angdaai teri taano me husne zindagi leta tha angdaai tujhe Allah ne baksha tha andaze maseehai tuhi tha pyar ka ek saaz is nafrat ki duniya me ganeemat thi teri aawaz is nafrat ki duniya me
Rafi Sahab ki awaz taa qayamat humare dilo me mehfooz rahegi mehfilo ki daamano me saahilo ke aas paas yeh sadaa goonjegi sadiyo tak dilon ke aas paas
he was a great personality and a singer who had great range. i still love his \\\\\\\"abhi naa jao chhodkar....\\\\\\\" and \\\\\\\"main zindagi ka saath nibhaata chala gaya...\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"tere mere sapnay ab ek rang hai...\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"tu kahan yeh bataa is nashilee raat main...\\\\\\\" \\\\\\\"kyase kya hogaya...\\\\\\\"\\\\\\\"jab pyaar kisise hota hai..\\\\\\\"\\\\\\\"zindagi hai kya sun meri jaan..\\\\\\\" sorry there is no end to this. he can not sing any song without giving his 100% to it. saying something is like saying praise to a great master. and i am nobody.salute and salaam. rafi lives in our hearts.is immortalised by his lovable songs.
