An article by Aftab H. Kola for Times of Oman. http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=22433&pn=local

Muscat -Twenty-five years after legendary singer Mohammed Rafi’s death, some of his best songs continue to haunt music buffs. This was aptly evident at the Meri Awaaz Suno concert held here recently at the lawns of Sheraton Hotel to pay homage to Rafi, who died 25 years ago.

The concert was organised by Melody Music Centre and presented by ‘Musicats’ which has carved a niche in the domain of Hindi music in Oman in recent years.

To lend significance to the show was the presence of Ameen Sayani, the golden voice of radio, and Padmashri Anandji, the celebrated music composer. For decades whose golden voice has been mesmerising people, Ameen Sayani’s presence at the show took the audience to nostalgic heights.

The performing troupe included singers Srikanth (from the Keep Alive Group, Mumbai), Priya Panchal from Mumbai and Shekhar, Venky and Amita, the local Musicats artistes, all of whom rendered vintage Rafi songs. The singers were able to transport the audience to the golden era of filmi music when Mohammed Rafi reigned supreme. The melodious musical tribute to Mohammed Rafi was packed with an interesting audio-visual presentation specially prepared by Ameen Sayani.

These were audiovisuals in which he was seen along with other Bollywood artistes.

These were taken from a show organised to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the age-old popular radio programme, Cibaca Geetmala, and prepared for the concert by his son Raju.

The audience was treated to this presentation which featured celebrated artistes, namely, Naushad, who first gave Rafi a break, Shankar, Laxmikanth, Kalyandji, Asha and Lata who paid glorious tributes and talked about their association with Rafi. Their glorifying words about Rafi’s singing skills and humane nature touched the chords of overflowing Rafi fans.

In between Chitra Sridhar, the key person behind organising the event, described Rafi thus: “Incomparable. It is indeed the right word to describe a man, who with his flawless voice and expressive style enthralled a generation of music lovers. His unparalleled talent and amazing flair for versatility saved many a worthless movie from bombing at the box office. The golden voice that he possessed not only boosted the sagging careers of actors and musicians alike but also redefined Hindi film music for well over two decades that saw him dominating the scene. His genius was so consummate and his passion for singing so complete, that it dwarfed the work of many of his contemporaries, at a time when the music industry was at its brilliant best. Well, that is the peerless Mohammed Rafi, who lent his voice to over 26,000 songs during his illustrious singing career.”

The audience also got a chance to lend their ears to a brief comment from Rafi himself, which Sayani has been treasuring in his archives.

The evergreen compositions which were crooned at the concert included Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki, Meri Awaaz Suno, Mujhe Duniya Walon, O Duniya Ke Rakhwale, Chaudvi Ka Chand, Chahunga Main Tujhe and Tasveer Tere Dil Mein Utari Hain, besides several others.

Ashok Kumar Attri, India’s ambassador to Oman, said it was nice to be in the midst of two Bollywood luminaries and extended them a hand of Indo-Oman friendship. Anandji and Ameen Sayani showered liberal praise on Oman and its people. Anandji also sang a few songs much to the delight of the audience.

A superb orchestra by Anandji’s son Deepak added three stars to the event. In a nutshell, the concert paid a fitting tribute to Mohammed Rafi, though some singers need to further hone up their skills.

By Aftab H. Kola (Times of Oman)
http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=22433&pn=local

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