100 years of Mohammed Rafi: Remembering the giant

Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj from Baiju Bawra (1952) is arguably one of the best, if not the best, bhajan from films. The way Mohammed Rafi has sung it, like a man in trance singing solely for the almighty, transcends the bounds of singing. He ceases to be a singer here and instead becomes a sufi, someone who is lost in prayer, losing sense of time and space. It’s this quality which separates Rafi from the others. And mind you, those days songs were recorded with a live orchestra. The composer was Naushad, famous for his exactness, for his discipline, and for his 100 piece orchestra. To reach such high notes seamlessly in such surroundings speaks of his mastery. Rafi went on to sing many more bhajans like Insaaf ka mandi hai yeh (Amar, 1954), Brindavan ka krishna kanhaiya (Miss Mary, 1957), Jai Raghunandan, Jai Siyaram (Gharana, 1961), Radhike tune bansuri churayi (Beti Bete, 1964), Ishwar allah tere naam (Naya Rasta, 1970).

Mohammed Rafi, a Punjabi by heritage, was the second eldest of six brothers born to Allah Rakhi and Haji Ali Mohammad in a Punjabi Jat Muslim family. The family hailed from Kotla Sultan Singh, a village located near present-day Majitha in the Amritsar district of Punjab, India. Known by the nickname “Pheeko,” Rafi’s musical journey began by mimicking the chants of a fakir who would roam the streets of his native village. In 1935, Rafi’s father moved to Lahore, where he ran a men’s barbershop in Noor Mohalla, Bhati Gate. It was here that Rafi studied classical music under the guidance of Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo, and Firoze Nizami. At the age of 13, Rafi had his first public performance, singing in Lahore alongside KL Sagal. And yet this singer, having his roots in Punjab, could sing in Bhojpuri like a native. Ab aayi gavanwa kii sari, from a non-film album, is a prime example of that. Songs like Nain lad jaiyen (Gunga Jumna, 1961), Mere pairon mein ghunghroo (Sunghursh, 1968), Sukh ke sab saathi (Gopi, 1970) from Hindi films and songs like Sonwa ke pinjra mein (Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo, 1963), Gorki patarki re (Balam Pardesia, 1979), Jaldi jaldi chal re kahara (Dharti Maiyaa, 1980) from Bhojpuri films are testimony to that. Apart from Bhojpuri, he has also sung in Konkani, Assamese, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Magahi, Maithili, etc. Apart from Indian languages, he also sang in some foreign languages, including English, Persian, Arabic, Sinhala, Mauritian Creole, and Dutch.

Rafi didn’t just sing for the lead stars. His songs for Johnny Walker are equally famous. He gave it all to lighthearted songs filmed on Johnny Walker, like Jaane kahan mera dil gaya ji (Mr and Mrs 55, 1955) Ae dil hai mushkil jeena yahan (CID, 1956), Sar jo tera sarkaye (Pyaasa, 1957), Suno re bhaiya (Paigham, 1959), Mera yaar bana hai dulha (Chaudhvin Ka Chand, 1960), Suno suno miss Chatterjee (Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi, 1966) and many more. According to internet sources, Rafi sang 155 for Johnny Walker, 190 songs for Shammi Kapoor, 129 for Shashi Kapoor, 114 for Dharmendra, 100 for Dev Anand and 77 for Dilip Kumar. If Kishore Kumar was the voice of Rajesh Khanna, then Mohammed Rafi can be said to be the voice of Shammi Kapoor, though he sang well for almost all the stars from the 50s to the 80s and has even sung for Kishore Kumar. 

A complete teetotaler, he could yet sing in a voice dipped in wine. Songs like Mujhe duniyawalo sharabi na samjho (Leader, 1964), Chhoo lene Do nazuk honthon ko (Kaajal, 1965) and Chhalka yeh jaam (Mere Hamdam Mere Dost, 1968), immediately come to mind. Some say his forte lay in sad songs. He really could give voice to a broken heart and in the process, offer catharsis to those who loved and lost. Hum bekhudi mein tumko pukare chale gaye (Kala Pani, 1958), Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin (Dil Diya Dard Liya, 1966), Gham uthane ke liye main to jiye jaunga (Mere Huzoor, 1968), Dil ke jharokhe mein (Brahamchari, 1968), Khush rahe tu sada (Khilona, 1970), Yeh duniya yeh mehfil (Heer Ranjha, 1970), Teri galiyon me na (Hawas, 1974) and hundreds more exist to give us solace. 

But why remember him just for his artistry in making sadness sublime. Let’s end this by listing a sampling of some of his most feted romantic tracks. Abhi na jao chodkar (Hum Dono, 1961), Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe (Junglee, 1961), Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar (Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, 1963), Aise to na dekho (Teen Devian, 1965), Tumne mujhe dekha (Teesri Manzil, 1966), Badan pe sitare lapete hue (Prince, 1969), Aaj mausam bada beimaan hai (Loafer, 1973) and literally hundreds, if not thousands more such songs exist, which you can listen on loop and not get bored.

The present generation is sure to find a wealth of riches if they explored him a bit. Mohammed Rafi is physically no longer with us but his songs will stay with us forever. Happy birthday sir! And thank you for the music…

Legendary singer Mohammed Rafi’s birth centenary falls today. Continue reading …Read More