100-foot-tall ‘Rafi Minar’ to come up in Amritsar

Mumbai, December 23

The stage is set for year-long celebrations to mark the birth centenary of Mohammed Rafi in Mumbai and erecting a 100-foot-tall ‘Rafi Minar’ at his birthplace in Amritsar, starting from Sunday.

The event will be held on Sunday at the Shanmukhananda Hall in collaboration with the World of Mohammed Rafi Welfare Foundation (WMRWF) and the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha (SSFASS).

“The centennial will have 12 special concerts featuring only Mohammed Rafi songs on the 24th date of each calendar month. We shall invite popular ‘Rafi specialist’ singers from all over India to perform and bring alive the memories of Rafi Sahab,” said NR Venkitachalam, Founder-Director, WMRWF.

The SSFASS and the WMRWF would be constructing a 100-feet tall ‘Rafi Minar’ in memory of Mohammed Rafi at his birthplace in Kotla Sultan Singh village, near Amritsar.

“The ‘Rafi Minar’ will be made of steel and have 100 top songs of Rafi Sahab engraved on it along with the lyrics to remind all future generations of his valuable contributions to enrich human lives through his singing. The memorial will be ready in the first half of 2024,” said Venkichalam.

Additionally, two organisations are also revamping Mohammed Rafi’s alma-mater, Government Elementary Urdu School where he studied till Class IV before moving to another higher educational institution in the village.

“We shall completely renovate Rafi Sahab’s school with all facilities. A music section will also be started in his memory,” said Venkitachalam, who had built the ‘Mohammed Rafi Memorial’ and arranged to rename a road in Bandra, Mumbai, in 2016 on the singer’s 92nd birth anniversary.