Remembering the King of Melody

Mohammed Rafi, who would have turned 99 today, has been rightly given the title of King of Melody. Rafi possessed a unique voice quality, distinct style and abundant humility. He was a man of few words and quite shy too. Having an insatiable curiosity to learn and improve, he sang nearly 25,000 songs, out of which a huge number remain evergreen and immortal.

Rafi aka ‘Pheeku’ was born on December 24, 1924, at Kotla Sultan Singh village near Amritsar. He had a passion for singing since childhood, but his father Haji Ali Mohammed was strictly against it. Rafi could not oppose his father but continued to indulge in his passion.

Rafi made his singing debut with the song ‘Sohniye nee, Heeriye nee’ for Punjabi film ‘Gul Baloch’ (1944) and never looked back. The singer recorded many superhits with well-known music directors like Shankar-Jaikishan, Naushad, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji and Madan Mohan. Some unforgettable ones include ‘Aaja Tujh Ko Pukare Mera Pyaar’ (‘Neel Kamal’), ‘Yeh Duniya, Yeh Mehfil’ (‘Heer Ranjha’), ‘Baharo Phool Barsao’ (‘Suraj’), ‘Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache Re’ (‘Kohinoor’), ‘O Duniya Ke Rakhwale’ (‘Baiju Bawra’) and ‘Chahe Mujhe Koi Junglee Kahe’ (Junglee’).

Rafi also acted in some films like ‘Laila Majnu’ (1945), ‘Jugnu’ (1947), and ‘Samaaj Ko Badal Dalo’ (1947). These movies did good business at the box office but his heart remained in singing.

Rafi lent his voice to all the top stars of the day. He won the Filmfare Award for best singer six times and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1967. His immortal voice was voted as the Greatest Voice of Hindi Cinema in a 2013 poll, 33 years after his death.

According to Yasmin K Rafi, daughter-in-law of the versatile singer and author of ‘Mohammed Rafi: My Abba — A Memoir’, “Rafi saheb had a thoroughly innovative mind and was well dedicated to his profession. Though he attained the pinnacle of perfection, he never forgot that he was a humble child of poverty-stricken parents who lived in a less privileged and mud-walled house at Kotla Sultan Singh, a little-known village in Punjab. He was grateful to Almighty God that Pheeku, a poor boy, had become the most sought-after bard of Bollywood.”

Mohammad Rafi recorded his last couple of songs for ‘Aas Paas’ (1981) — ‘Tu Kahin Aas Paas Hai Dost’ and ‘Shehar Mein Charcha Hai’ — a few days before his death on July 31, 1980. His melodious voice will remain immortalised in the memory of all music lovers.

In the run-up to the centenary celebrations, diehard fans are planning a series of events, including music shows, one of them being ‘Sau Saal Pehle’ by his grandson Fuzail Rafi. Also in the works is the construction of a ‘Rafi Minar’ at his birthplace.