By Vivekanand Jha*
100 years ago, on December 24, 1924, Mohammed Rafi descended from heaven to bless this mortal world. He was a heavenly figure who dwelt like a colossus on earth, with his velvet voice spinning magic for millions who revelled in the celestial voice of timelessness.
Stepping into my adolescence, I had a greater insight into Rafi’s repertoire of songs which thrilled almost all genres. ‘Asman se aaya farishta‘; ‘Ye Mahlon, ye takhton, ye tazon ki duniya‘; ‘Jane kya dhoondti rahti hain ye ankhen mujhme‘; ‘Meri muhabbat jawan rahegi ‘; ‘Nafrat ki duniya ko chhodkar, pyar ki duniya mein’; ‘Madhuban mein radhika nache re‘ were some of the timeless songs sung by Mohammed Rafi that left an indelible impression in the minds of his fans. They remain a treasure for posterity.
Mohammed Rafi straddled eras and times like a colossus who shone in the firmament of Bollywood as its brightest star. Unequivocally, if Amitabh Bachchan is the millennium star, Rafi was the millennium singer.
In his popular television show Kaun Banega Crorepati, Amitabh Bachchan gave a befitting introduction of Mohammed Rafi: “Wo ek sajjan purush they (He was a gentleman)”.
Rafi had no hubris, especially when far lesser mortals are full of hubris, not an infinitesimal proportion of hubris touched him. He remained an evergreen singer.
With the ascendancy of Kishore Kumar, another great singer who captivated with his yodelling our young hearts when we were growing up, there was a time when producers had almost abandoned Mohammed Rafi. Yet Rafi remained calm and steadfast in his commitment towards his soulful singing. Finally, Rajesh Khanna, the superstar then, who had a well-known fascination for Kishore Kumar, got Mohammed Rafi to sing the superhit song ‘Nafrat ki duniya chor kar, pyaar ki duniya mein‘ heeding to Kishore’s suggestion that only Rafi could sing that song with perfection.
Rafi, apart from ruling Bollywood, also gave his melodious voice to songs in Bengali, Punjabi and even Maithili. His famous Bangla song, ‘Pakhi tar buke jeno teer mero na (Do not pierce the chest of a bird with an arrow)’, continues to sway generations of Bengalese to its unparalleled rhythm.
The joy of my days of juvenility were spent roaming the streets and alleys of South Calcutta where most of my friends were diehard supporters of their Kishore da. I was not an exception till we stumbled upon a senior who helped us discover the greatness of Mohammed Rafi.
Fans of Kishore Kumar may have the right to say that he immortalised the song ‘Tum Bin Jaaoon Kahaan’ in his golden voice even as there was also a Rafi version of the same song. But undoubtedly Mohammed Rafi was a giant among giants. When he sang ‘Teri aankhon ke siva duniya mein rakha kya hai‘, and ‘Ehasaan tera hoga mujh par’, they remained ubiquitous. Both songs were also sung solo by the great Lata Mangeshkar, but then, Rafi’s version refuses to fade away. Let there be no doubt that both are legends and among the greatest Bollywood singers along with Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Manna Dey, and Asha Bhonsle.
Unfortunately for Bollywood, differences cropped up between Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar over the modus operandi of royalty payment. Whereas he, a divine persona, sided with the producers, rubbishing the continuous royalty payments to singers, Lata withstood her ground that the singers should get regular royalty from the producer. This difference of opinions widened, as both fell apart, engendering Rafi pairing with Asha Bhonsale for the duet songs. As he paired with Asha Bhonsale, Lata paired with Mukesh and Kishore. Thankfully, a while later both teamed together.
In an interview, the great Manna Dey emphasised how Rafi and Lata were the two greatest singers of Bollywood to have ever mesmerised the world of music.
‘Tum na jane kis jahan mein kho gaye?‘(You disappeared into the world we know not where?)’. It was on July 31, 1980, his ethereal voice evaporated into the world of transcendentalism. Rafi was just 55 years old then.
44-years after Rafi left this world, none could fill the void of his absence. What more? In such turbulent times as this when the fragility of India is utmost, with the communal divide being at an all-time high, Rafi continues to be the brand ambassador of the Hindu- Muslim unity.
Ironically, whereas the far lesser singers have already been awarded the higher civilian awards, the great Rafi had been only awarded with Padma Shri. This is the biggest irony, which needs an instant course correction: Doesn’t Rafi deserve Bharat Ratna? This is how a grateful nation should pay its tribute to the great singer in his birth centenary year.
*Author, Academician and Public Intellectual
Kishore Da fades in comparison to Rafi