http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNnd7yjc2do

par jab royalty ke baat aati hai to unka dhyaan udhar aur chala jaata hogaa.
is liye rafi saaheb ka naam nahi leti hogi….

it’s a commercial world anyway and good sense will prevail someday.

binus

Great to see you here and thanks for that tribute! We really need well informed Rafi lovers like you, here in this forum.

By the way, you know that how much i am listening to Ravi these days, Ravi used to work under hemant as an arranger, and of course, his own music too had the great arrangements and pretty much different from rest of the greats, take “Sau bar janam lenge” for example,music and arrangements of that song alone takes you out of this world, forget other Raf-Ravi songs, don’t you think Ravi was too good and melodious in 60’s, as good and versatile as S-J?

By the way, no one can beat S-J in preludes and interludes music, their prelude and interlude pieces were as good as their compositions, check out the quite long but great prelude by Jaikishan in “Ye mera prem patra ” from “Sangam”.

Anil Ji,

Your views on Ravi will be appreciated, i always find your posts too knowledgeable, and of course! Younger sister will too admit the truth(Aameen!) but first, Let her enjoy her time under the sun to ad nauseam, after all, she suffered a lot living under her didi’s shadow for 40 years(In Haldar Ji words)

Thanks

Haldar-ji, Thanks for posting the other wonderful tribute, it was a treat to read.

Cherian-ji, excellent analysis of the nonsense discussion going on at the other forum. We should not waste our time with such bigots who bring up foolish theories and discussions. No one takes them seriously, and they can only publish that crap on their forum and no where else.

Below is the tribute:

——————–

“Mera favourite gulukaar kaun hai ?. Yeh mere liye shaayad duniya ka
sab se aasaan sawal hai, jis ka jawab dene ke liye mujhe ek lamhe ke
daswe hisse ki bhi zaroorat nahin. Is ka seedha, saaf aur sirf ek hi
jawab hai, Rafi sahab, ek baar nahin hazaar baar. Rafi sahab aur sirf
Rafi sahab !. Aur yeh main is liye nahin keh rahi hoon ke woh ab
hamare darmiyan nahin rahe balke yeh mere dil ki awaaz hai, mujhse
sote main bhi koi pooche to mujhse yehi jawab nikle ga.

Haan mujhe is baat ka afsos hai ke main yeh mazmoon unki zindagi main
kyun nahin likh saki. Shaayad main is tarah us azeem fankar ko khiraj-
e-tehseen pesh kar sakti. Rafi sahab khush to kya hote kyun ke woh in
choti choti baaton se bala-tar the, na tareef se khush hote the aur na
burai se ranjeeda, albata itna tha ke meri yeh tehreer dekh kar unhein
yeh andaza ho jata ke mujhe bhi ache bure ki kuch parakh hai aur main
un ke fun (art) ki azmat ko kuch kuch samajhane main kamyab rahi hoon.

Afsos ke main kahli karti rahi aur aaj woh azeem hasti hamare darmeyan
nahi rahi, ab yeh lines main us mahaan kalakar ki yaad main
shradhanjali ka taur par pesh kar rahi hoon, un ke karoron fans ki
tarah main bhi un ki aik adna si fan hoon aur un ke fun ko aur un ki
kala ko salaam pesh karna chahti hoon, yeh mere dil ki awaz hai.

Main bachpan se hi Sehgal ki badi qayel thi, badi hui aur gaane ka
shaukh hua to Begum Akhtar aur Noor Jahan se impress hui. Us waqt main
ne socha bhi nahin tha ke main film main geet gaoon gi. Movies main
aayi aur Rafi sahab ko sun, unhain gaate dekha, un ki lagan, kala ke
liye un ki tadap aur un ka khuloos dekha to bas un ki garveeda ho
gayi. Fun ke liye apne aap ko waqt kar dene, khud ko sangeet ki lehron
main gharq kar dene ki baat main ne Rafi sahab se hi seekhi.

Rafi sahab mujh se aik saal pehle filmi singing ke maidan main aa
chuke the aur un ke ek do geet bhi famous ho chuke the, bahut purani
baat ho gayi koi tees batees saal ho gaye, ab yeh to yaad nahin ke un
ke saath pehli baar kab gaya tha aur woh konsi film thi magar yeh yaad
hai ke pehli hi mulaqat main, main un se impress ho gayi thi. Woh bade
sada dil the, woh bila-takalluf hamare ghar aa jaate aur hum ghanto
sath sath rehersal karte rehte. Un dino hamara ghar Nana Chowk main
tha aur Rafi sahab Bhindi Bazaar main rehte the. Un ke sarparast aur
bhai Hameed the. Woh Rafi sahab ko le kar aksar hamare yahan aate, din
bhar rehte, khana khate aur baatein karte rehte, mujhe ab tak yaad hai
ke meri maan ne ek baar gold ka button banwa kar Rafi sahab ko gift
kiye the.

‘Baiju Bawra’ pehli film thi jis main hamaari jodi khoob jami, hum
dono ne kai do gaane gaye, yeh gaane mulk bhar main bahut maqbool hue
aur aaj tak logon ki zuban par hain, “Tu ganga ki mauj….” aur
“Jhoole main pawan ke…..” jaise geet aaj bhi jawan hain aur main
samajhti hoon ke is long lasting pasandeedgi main Rafi sahab ki
zindagi se zyada bharpoor awaaz ka bada hissa hai. Phir to hum ne
hazaron geet sath sath gaye. 32, 33 saal saath raha, duets ka sehi
count batana to mumkin hi nahin.

Rafi sahab ke saath gaye kuch geet to aise hain ki main unhain bhoolti
hi nahin, e.g. ‘Dulari’ ka geet “Raat rangeeli mast nazare……”,
‘Andaz’ ka geet “Yun to aap sa main bigadte hain…..”, ‘Kohinoor’ ka
geet “Do sitaron ka zameen par…..”, ‘Taj Mahal’ ka geet “Paon chhoo
lene do……”, ‘Ganga Jamna’ aur ‘Leader’ aur taaza tareen misaal
hain ‘Sargam’ ke gaane.

Hum dono ki awaaz ka acha istemaal Shankar-Jaikishan, Roshan aur L-P
vaghaira ne kiya magar jitna khoobsurat istemal Naushad sahab ne kiya,
jaise geet unhon ne gawa diye woh unhi ka hissa hain. Rafi sahab bhi
Naushad sahab ki bahot respect aur badi qadar karte the.

Main khud gulukaar hoon is liye Rafi sahab ki sehi qadr-o-qeemat janti
hoon, un ki sab se badi khoobi (jis se doosre sabhi gulukar mehroom
hain) yeh thi ke woh har qisam ke geet easily gaate the, qawwali ho
bhajan ho, ghazal ho pakka gana ho, halka phulka geet ho ya phir
Shammi Kapoor style ka zordaar gana, sab kuch gaa lete the. Aur jis ke
liye gaate us ke honto pe apni awaaz jaise chipka dete. Un ki stage
range itni thi ke bahut kum gulukaron ki hoti hai, woh sur kitna hi
ooncha uthate awaz bhurrati nahin thi. Us ki mithaas aur loch baaqi
rehta tha, yeh ek aisi khudadaad salahiyat thi jo sirf Rafi sahab ko
mili thi.

Rafi sahab ke saath mere bade ache relations the, woh hamesha mere
saath taawun karte rehe, lekin budqismati se ek baar un ke aur mere
darmeyan kuch ikhtelaaf ho gaya, do teen bars hum dono ne saath saath
nahin gaya, phir Jaikishan-ji ne hamara milan kara diya aur hum ne
Saira Bano ki bhai Sultan ki film ‘Palkon Ki Chaon Main’ ke liye ek
duet record karaya. Main darte darte recording ke liye pahunchi ke
pata nahin Rafi sahab kis tarah paish aayen, magar un ke raviyye main
to koi farq tha hi nahin, woh mere liye phool le kar aye the. Bas
baatein shuru ho gaye, wohi un ka meetha meetha dil ko moh lene wala
andaz, jaise kuch hua hi na ho. Aaj sochti hoon to sharmindagi hoti
hai, is saare maamle main ghalti meri hi thi warna Rafi sahab jaisa
shareef insan aur kisi se ikhtelaf ! sawal hi peda nahin hota.

Unhein doosron ki bhalai ki fikr har waqt rehti thi, hasad aur jalan
ka maada to un ki under tha hi nahin, unhon ne kai baar Talat Mehmood
ki sifarish kai maosiqaron se ki, Mahendra Kapoor ko aage badhane ke
liye badi koshish ki, naye logon ki hamesha himmat afzai karte rehe,
woh chahte the ke sab mil jul kar rehain, kahin koi ranjish na ho.

Ek baar Shankar (Jaikishan) ke saath meri kuch un bun ho gai aur main
ne un ke liye gaana band kar diya. Main gaati to sirf Jaikishan hi
music dete, Jaikishan-ji guzar gaye to Shankar-ji par kaam kum ho
gaya, tab ek din recording ke maoqa par Rafi sahab ne mujh se kaha
“Lata, Shankar-ji ache aadmi hain, tumhein un ke liye gaana chahiye”
aur mujhe Rafi sahab ki baat ke aage sar jhukana pada.

33 bars ka saath hai, kitni yadein hain, suhani, madhur aur ab rula
dene wali. Kis kis baat ka zikar karoon. Yeh meri khush qismati hai ke
Rafi sahab ne apni zindagi ka akhri gana bhi mere sath hi gaya, yeh
gana film ‘Aas Pas’ ka tha jo un ki wafat se do din pehle record hua
tha.

Rafi sahab bade mazhabi aur khuda tars insan the, un ke under funkaron
wali masoomiat thi, main ne kabhi un ke munh se kisi ke liye kabhi
bura lafz nahin suna, har ek ki baat maan lete the, chalaki jasi cheez
se to jaise un ki shanasai hi na thi.

Rafi sahab se doosre teesre din mulaqat hoti hi rehti thi, kisi sound
studio main, kisi taqreeb main, kabhi un ki kami ka ehsaas na hone
paya, kya pata tha ke woh itni jaldi chale jaayenge aur woh bhi
hamesha ke liye, abhi un ke jaane ki umar bhi to na thi.

Woh to phir se jaawan hue the, ‘Sargam’ se phir unho ne apni puraani
bulani hasil ki thi, khushi is baat ki hai ke woh jis shan se aye the
usi shan se gaye, warna aksar kalakaar gumnami ke andheron main khone
ke baad badi takleef-de maut marte hain.

Un ki maot ki khabar mili to pehle kano par bharosa na hua. 31 July ko
koi 11 baje raat ko mere doctor Rajiv Varma ka phone aaya. “Didi bahut
buri khabar hai, Rafi Sahab nahi rehe”. Suna to laga jaise jism ka koi
bahut aham hissa cut gaya ho. Teen din tak to main so na saki.

Afsos! ab main kis ke saath gaon ki, meri awaaz se awaaz kaun milega,
Rafi sahab nahi rehe meri awaaz ka rafiq bichhar gaya, mera saathi
mujh se door chala gaya, sach to yeh hai ke ab duet gaane ka lutf jata
raha.

Kisi ke chale jaane se duniya ki anjuman main koi kami nahi hoti,
chand din ka sog hai, phir geet gaye jaayenge nay log aayenge, magar
Rafi Sahab ki jagah pur na ho sakegi.

Rafi, Rafi the, koi doosra un ki jagah nahin le sakta, koi aur Rafi
nahi ban sakta !. Doosra Rafi ab peda nahi ho sakta, is liye yeh jagah
ab hamesha hamesha khali hi rehe gi.”

Let’s enjoy sweet immortal yesteryear golden music.

But, before registering off i would like to state what i read in an interview with lata ji on the demise of mohd rafi immediately after :

said she ” we were the same wheels of a train ” in the film industry. after rafi passing away i could not sleep for six weeks and my doctors gave me medicines for the same.

i always knew that the mangeshkar’s had the highest esteem for rafi saaheb and her comments now ( very very lately published – is nothing new ) like those of millions of rafi fans everywhere.

both are immortal to music – in any century – frm now on.

binu nair, rafi foundation, mumbai : binus2000@hotmail.com

I’d be remiss if I don’t mention where I got Lata di’s tribute from. The original Hindi version came out in Hindustan Times, but I found the English translation in Hamara Forums. I think the translation was done by our old friend venkat ji, whom I haven’t seen in this forum in a long time. Some of you might recall his and my theories about lata di; it’s good to hear about her insecurities from her own lips. Remember such things are human; it happens in every field whether it’s music, sports or acting.

I’d also like to tell my friends on this forum that whatever problems might have happened between them, lata di always had the highest regard for rafi saab. Her comments may have been guarded at times but she has always maintained that “after Saigal’s death, Rafi never let people feel the void”. After Rafi saab passed away, a visibly shattered Lata di had this to say: “We were like two wheels of the same chariot.”

The Maya incident had always bugged me. All of us had our own theories but we were not sure if they were true. If it were not for Sandeep Nadkarni saab, we would not have known the real truth. But even Nadkarni saab did not explicitly specify Lata’s role in the incident, but reading between the lines, I could connect the dots. Please do not mistake my attempts at getting information about this incident for digging up dirt. Sir Salil’s account (as reported by Raju Bharatan) was so unbelievable that I knew from the start that there was more to it than meets the eye. For that reason, I tried to engage in a conversation with Nadkarni saab, which was frequently interrupted by pests from the other forum.

Dear Kapil,

I always knew who you were; just didn’t want to expose you in front of other people. I thought of saying that Kapil might be very young but has the wisdom of Kapil Muni, but then I thought you might not know people to know about your infamoust(!) past. There are very few people I know who love the music of both Anil Biswas and R. D. Burman.