This article is written by Mr. Robin Bhat

July 31st is always a sad day for Hindi film music listeners. And again on this July 31, the pain of not hearing the living voice of Mohammed Rafi for 22 long years is as unbearable as it was in 1980.

But in a way, though July 31 is a day of intense regret and nostalgia, it can also be a day of celebration. Because it is the day when Rafi-saab, from being a gift for only the temporal, became a treasure for all eternity. On July 31, 1980, he belonged to the ages….Sitaron se aage bhi Rafi ki manzilein bahut hai.

And this eternity is 22 years young and galloping on. The legend of Rafi grows in the innumerable compact discs, dvds, cassettes and compilations that line the shelves of music stores. It grows in the countless articles written about him. In the worldwide mehfils where some brave soul tries to sing like him, before a skeptical audience. And of course, it propagates exponentially via the medium Rafi would have found maybe even more amazing than his voice – the Internet.

There is of course this premier forum (MAS), which contributes in a significant way to Rafi’s legacy. (Except when it is not discussing Rafi :)) And then, if you go to google.com – seventy pages of links to all things Rafi. Seventy pages. And all those pages would not do justice to even seven of his songs for Shanker-Jaiskishen, Madan Mohan, S.D. Burman or Naushad, to pick only a few names from the over two hundred and thirty (yes, 230) music directors who would be in another profession were it not for him.

Rafi, Rafi, Rafi. After listening to today’s music, coming back to Rafi (and for me, also to Kishore, Mukesh and their peers) is like the ‘Welcome’ sign on the door, the ‘yellow ribbon around the ole oak tree’, the warm, comforting fire out of the cold.

As the clich̩ goes, if Rafi did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. (His clones must have thought that way too, except they forgot one lesson from Greek mythology Рyou cannot reach the sun on wings of wax.)

So, on this July 31, I take a few liberties from Hasrat Jaipuri to pay my humble tribute to this name that needs no adjectives, since it is its own superlative.

Mere Rafi, tere dum se hai duniya pe bahar
Varna is gham se bhari duniya mein kya rakkha hai
Varna is gham se bhari duniya mein kya rakkha hai…..

Tere awaaz mein tera jadoo nazar aaya hai
Is liye dil teri mehfil mein mujhe laaya hai
Raasta bhool gayaa, ya meri manzil hai yehin
Raasta bhool gayaa, ya meri manzil hai yehin
Koi batlaaye ke kya khoya hai kya paaya hai..

Mere Rafi, tere dum se hai duniya pe bahar
Varna is gham se bhari duniya mein kya rakkha hai
Varna is gham se bhari duniya mein kya rakkha hai…..

Teri geeton mein nazar ayee hai jannat mujhko
Meri jannat tere geeton ke siwa koi nahin
Main tasavvur mein tere jhoom liya karta hoon
Main tasavvur mere tere jhoom liya karta hoon
Meri daulat teri chahat ke siwa koi nahin…

Mere Rafi, tere dum se hai duniya pe bahar
Varna is gham se bhari duniya mein kya rakkha hai
Varna is gham se bhari duniya mein kya rakkha hai…..

Zindagani mein kayin rang ke mod aate hai
Teri yaad salamat rahe shayir ki dua kehti hai
Chand ghat-ta hai ghate, shaan teri badhti rahe
Chand ghat-ta hai ghate, shaan teri badhti rahe
Mai rahoon ya na rahoon, meri wafa kehti hai..

Mere Rafi, tere dum se hai duniya pe bahar
Varna is gham se bhari duniya mein kya rakkha hai
Varna is gham se bhari duniya mein kya rakkha hai…..

Robin Bhat
31st July 2002

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