Rafi’s Qawalis
This article is written by Mr. H.V.Guru Murthy
Has any body listened to a good qawali from KK or Mukesh or Talat or Hemantha or even Saigal. Well all these singers were top class in their own way and had their own plus points. Talat was outstanding in Ghazals, Mukesh and Saigal in soulful songs, Hemantha in songs based on Rabeendra Sangeeth and simple Bengali tunes. KK was much more versatile than these singers and could carry any songs but he had his own limitations in classical songs as well as qawalis. We just cannot imagine any of the above singers singing a qawali (Mukesh in spite of “Daag Na Lag Jaye†in MERA NAAM JOKER with Asha and KK even if one considers “Haal Kya Hai Dilon Ka†from ANOKHI ADA and “Waqt Ki Hera Pheri Hai†from HERA PHERI with Mahendra as qawalis). I do not think even Lata Mangeshkar has sung any solo quality qawali.
What is so special about qawalis? In fact, what is a QAWALI? Though I cannot give the theoretical definition of a qawali, with my limited knowledge of music, I think that to sing a good qawali the singer should have a good diction, should be able to sing at a high pitch, should be able to sing fast paced songs, should have rhythm, should be able to hold breath for a longer time as well as should have the capacity to match the co-singer. Picturisation of qawali is also very important to sustain audience interest. If not tuned or sung or picturised properly, any qawali can easily become very pedestrian.
I personally feel, Mannadey and Asha Bhonsle were good filmy qawali singers. Mahendra was also good sometimes. Asha Bhonsle’s “Nigahen Milane Ko Jee Chahata Hai†from DIL HI TO HAI and Mannadey’s “Kisne Chilman Se Maara†from BAAT EK RAAT KI, “Humne Jalwa Dikhaya To†from DILNE PHIR YAAD KIYA with Asha, “Yaari Hai Imaan Mera†from ZANZEER apart from the hilarious qawali from HUMRAAHI with Mahendra immediately come to our mind.
But Mohammed Rafi scored over all others. He has sung umpteen number of qawalis. Especially the JODI of Rafi and Mannadey was great. The following qawalis of Rafiji became big hits and remain unsurpassed even to this day in quality.
Mohd Rafi
- “Yeh Ishq Ishq Hai Ishq Ishq†with Mannadey from BARSAAT KI RAAT.
- “Na To Caravan Ki Talaash Hai†with Mannadey.
- “Qawali Ki Raat†from QAWALI KI RAAT.
- “Meri Tasveer Lekar Kya Karoge Tumâ€.
- “Toone Soorat Chupayi†from MAHAL, beautifully pitcurised on Dev Anand.
- “Parda Hai Parda†and “Shirdiwale†from AMAR AKBAR ANTONY on Rishi Kapoor directed by MMD.
- “Hum Kisise Kum Nahin†from HUM KISISE KUM NAHIN with Asha picturised on Rishi and Zeenat by Nazir Hussain.
- “Yeh Mana Meri Jaan†from HANSTE ZAKHM with Bhupinder.
- “Ab Ja Balabahun Shiddate†and “Wakif Hu Khoob†from BAHU BEGUM with Mannadey.
- “Bhari Mehafil Me Cheda†from PALKI with Asha and Mannadey.
- “Main Tera Gunahagar Hun†and “Raaj Ki Baat Kehdun To†from DHARMA with Asha on Pran and Bindu. Incidentally the film became hit only because of these qawalis.
- “Jeena To Hai Usika†from ADHIKAR.
- “Ek Shok Hasina Se†from CHAANDI SONA with Mannadey.
- “Iran Humne Dekha†from EK MUSAFIR EK HASINA with Asha.
- “Ye Dawa Aaj†from LAILA MAJNU.
- “Aese Me Tuzhko Doondake Laun Kahan Se Maiâ€.
- “Na To Caravan Ki Talash Haiâ€.
- “Kya Kya Na Sahe Humne Sitam†with Lata in MERE HUZOOR.
- “Phir Tumhari Yaad Aayi Ae Sanam†with G L Durrani and Mannadey.
- “Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Hamara†with Asha in THE BURNING TRAIN.
We hardly get any filmy qawalis these days, perhaps due to the fact that Roshan and Rafi are no more, Mannadey and Mahendra have retired, Asha has become more or less a pop singer advertising RDB’s known / unknown / unheard of talents and the present generation of Singers incapable of singing qawalis. But we still have the treasure of good and quality qawalis of yesteryears, which we can always enjoy.
Post 43 Sathyavachanji,
Sirji , In this website n various articles of Revered Rafi sahab we are discussing his unique versatility which I can rate as follows :
In Quavalis Rafi saab is the best…
In romantic songs Rafi saab is the best and Lataji n Ashaji can come upto that level.
In sad songs Rafi saab is the best n Mukeshji comes closer
In comedy songs Rafi saab is the best kishore da can come closer
In fast tapping songs Rafi saab is the best and Ashaji kishoreda comes closer
In philosophical songs with a message Rafi saab is the best
In patriotic songs Rafi saab is the best and Mahndra kapoor comes later..
In classical songs Rafi saab n Manna da are the best….
The muisc lovers do not go by the quantity but also the feelings n melody which the maestro Rafi saab brings in ordinary film or songs is so special n enjoyable…
That is why we all rate Rafi saab the greatest singer of all times.
Vikas Sharmaji,
My e-mail id is hvgurumurthy@yahoo.co.in and hvguru@bhelrpd.com. Please send the song Saranga Teri Yad Me sung by Rafi.
I recently got the recording of a song in the voice of phenomenon janab rafi sahib that is one of the greatest hits of mukesh and i really got amazed to hear it in rafi sahib’s voice the song is –
“saranga tere yaad main”
if anybody wants this song than plz try to give ur email id .
i will try to send it to u.
THANXs TO ALL RAFIAANS,
I SINCERLY THANX ALL RAFI SAHIB FANS ESPECIALLY MR.RAMAKRISHNA,MR.HUSSEIN SHEIKH,NITISH SINHA FOR PROVIDING ME WITH THE INFORMATION REGARDING THE MOVIE ABOUT WHICH I ENQUIRED .I REALLY APPRECIATE UR CONCERN.
DEAR RAMAKRISHNA SIR THANX FOR UR ADMIRATION I HOLD NO RESERVATION WHAT SO EVER CONCERNING ANYTHING ABOUT RAFI SAHIB
HERE I M GIVING MY EMAIL ID AND CONTACT NO-
EMAIL ID – vk23_vicky@rediffmail.com
Phone no(m) = 9872816523
The song Chanda ko dhoondhne sabhi taare nikal pade… is from film Jeene ki Raah, Rafi Saheb sang only 2 lines for actor jeetendra, whereas full song is sung by asha, usha and kamal barot. rafian@aol.in
@Vikash sharma
Chand ko dhoondhne ….. was sung by Asha bhonsle, Hemlata and usha mangeshkar for the film JEENE KI RAAH.. i did not think that Rafi Saab features in this song.
First recorded song of Rafi saab in hindi aaj dil kaboo me ho…for the film GAON KI GORI was also a qawwali.
One of the first major hit of HIM TERA JALWA JISNE DEKHA…for the film Laila majnu was also a good qawwali.
POST 42,
VIKAS JI,
THE SONG YOU ENQUIRED IS FROM THE MOVIE ‘ JINEYKI RAAH ‘.
HERO WAS JITENDRA, MUSIC BY LAKSHMIKANT- PYARELAL.
IN THIS MOVIE RAFI SAHAB HAS GIVEN US ANOTHER EVERGREEN NUMBER ‘ EK BANJARA GAAYE ‘
RAMAKRISHNA
HYDERABAD 0-9949509592
very nice article, good info to know about mohd. rafi, but can please you elloborate rafi’s singing technically. hawaii gungaan to bahut hai, after reading this it feels like there was only one singer, others were ???????
is it true???
I know rafi is great singer because everybody say he is great singer. I can see his songs are calssically good, but he can’t touch manna dey, if u think he is classically good. I agree Manna Dey has very few no of songs but those are good songs. singing a large no of songs is not meter of greatness. if this is the criteria then we can consider Kumar sanu and himesh reshammiya as great singer, {my apologies for comparing with these names.}
I know rafi saab has a place where no one can reach, but please don’t make any comparision between two stars that who is shining more……. everybody has its own place.
I know your anger while reading this …………………….. control yourself.
can anybody plz tell me the name of the movie having the song
“chanda ko dhondne tare nikal pade”
is this song sung by rafi sahib plz clarify i m in doubt.
My all time favorite qawalis are from film LAILA-MAJNU.I think laila-majnu is one of the biggest music blockbusters that have ever been made.
All the songs or qawalis from laila-majnu are mindblowing and it shows the greatness of rafi sahib.No on can come close to him,he is uncompareable and unreplaceable.
no comparisn with mohd rafi, no one can reach to rafi’s place he is the word’s top singer no more els. from razzaq email hyd_razzaq@yahoo,com.in
mohd. rafi is the one of world’s great and most versatile singer we have no replacement of rafi, (never) m rafi was the only one singer who can sing any kind of singing even in future we’ll not get like this singer till end this world.
always i remember pal do pal ka saath hamara but rafi’s saath is ever and ever and ever.
vikas sharma jee,
I am reading your comments. they are so simple & straight from the heart. i really like them. I am collecting the tel numbers of all our rafians,
i request you to kindly give me your cell number & e mail address . if you have any reservation please excuse me.
me Ramakrishna from hyderabad
cell 0- 9949509592
P haldar sir,
Sorry to make u uncomfartable by addressing u as sahib but u see when u are highly intoxicated by a personality like rafi sahib the word “sahib” becomes a comman mean of addressing rafiaans.I apologise for that sir
I myself is from jalandhar(punjab) and i really know that rafi sahib’s mother tongue was punjabi coz he has sung hundreds of superhit punjabi songs ,infact he was the most sought after singer in the punjabi film industry which was very popular in that era .Rafi sahib has rendered some timeless and uncompareable songs with O.P Nayar sahib who was master in creating punjabi folk tunes in hindi films.
But a singer like rafi or lata can’t be limited in any way due to there mother tongue or there place of birth because of there god gifted qualities which
is not possible to be matched.
Rafi sahib was a genius in each and every aspect of playback singing be it bhajans,qawalis,classical soundtracks,shabds(sikh religious prayers),islamic prayers and of course playback singing.
sir u dont need to regret that you were not able to attend nusrat sahib’s performance live because he holds the genius book of world records for the most number of qawali albums with over 125 albums and he had hundreds of live video performances across the globe especially in royal albert hall in london.
Rafi sahib would have adapted unbelievably well if he would have gone for full time qawali singing in the sufi style.However rafi sahib has gifted us with hundreds of magnificient unmatachable qawalis in the hindi film industry.
my personal favorite being the qawali from the film LAILA-MAJNU
” ye dava aaj duniya baar ko dekhlane ke khatir aa”
ref post 35:
Vikas, please don’t address me as “sahib”; it makes feel very uncomfortable. Just Mr. Haldar or even haldar would be fine. You’ve made some pertinent points. Nusrat saab was a great singer; it’s my deepest regret that I couldn’t attend any of his concerts. His father Ustad Fateh Ali Khan saab was also a great qawaal. I’ve attended concerts by qawaals like the Sabri brothers but missed out on the opportunity to attend the real one. Never imagined that he would die so young.
There is something about sufi music that appeals to me. Rafi saab, as you know, sang a lot of bhajans and naats. But the thing about sufi music, especially the qawaali, that I like is its tempo. There is no singer in Hindi film music who had quite the same tempo as Rafi saab. Listen to his duet “Jeevan mein piya tera saath rahe” with Lata (not a qawaali) and you’d see how effortlessly he could build the tempo.
Sometimes I wish the environment in the 70s were similar to the current environment. Rafi saab could have focused on bhajans, ghazals and qawaalis instead of catering to the whims of the matlabi industry-wallahs. But then our so-called ghazal and bhajan singers would have gone out of business. The best bhajan singer, the best qawaal and one of the best ghazal singers — sorry, I can’t ignore Talat — in film music. Contrary to popular belief, Rafi saab’s mother tongue was Punjabi, not Urdu (of course, he knew how to read and write Urdu). Ask someone who knows anything about those two languages, and he would tell you that the two could interact in rather harmful ways. But you hear Rafi saab’s ghazals, you’d think he came straight from Lucknow, the city from which Talat saab hailed. Whether it was his Urdu diction in ghazals or his Sanskritised Hindi diction in bhajans, you would think that he was born to specialize in that genre. And he would have quickly imbibed the essence of sufi music that is a rage now, and would have delivered it without making anyone feel that he was anything but a sufi singer. That’s Rafi for you.
Dear P.Haldar sahib,
according to me rafi sahib would have adapted tremendously well in the field of sufi singing coz of many reasons which are as follows-
1.Rafi sahib had a very sound classical background which is the highly essential part of qawali singing.
2.Rafi sahib had all the spontanity that a qawal needs to have, similar to what nusrat fateh ali khan sahib owned.
3. Rafi sahib had unique ability that could only be found in singers like mukesh,kishore,lata,asha,nusrat fateh ali khan,gulam ali and was his singing both at high pitches and low pitch with equal ease.
4.Rafi sahib’s adapting capability was awesome to such an extent that the tremendous duet qawalis sung by him has even overshadowed other singers like Manna day,mahinder kapoor(who was his disciple)
5. paigambar-e-mosikey rafi sahib’s voice contains such magnificient appeal that he would have attained huge popularity if he would have only sung qawalis (but we are fortunate enough that rafi sahib provided us with all forms of his gems)
P.Haldar sahib i appreciate ur thinking coz this was similar to what i was thinking from the first day when i read this article.
i also would like to thank you for the discussion of the great qawal nusrat sahib and further about the basic difference b/w the pure sufi singing and qawali singing in the indian film industry.
Murty sir ,
Repeatedly read ur article and thoroughly enjoyed.What is next?
Rafi saab had shown the versatality which no co- singer’s could match.
There is one more Quwwali with Asha Bhonsle…Tere Hathon Main Pehana Ke Chudiya…from “Jaani Dushman” 1977….Verma Malik and Laxmikant-Pyarelal….
nusrat fateh ali was shenshah of subcontinent.no can one can dream to compete with him because of his voice and very strong classical knowledge.
while rafi was best among all the playback singers of subcontinent in that genre.it is very amazing also.he looks better than professional qawwalas during singing amazingly.no one play back singer can compete with him.
Tareef teri nikli hai dil se Aayee hai lab par bankar qawali.
for rafi sahib.
ONLY A MAD AND MENTALLY SICK PERSON CAN EVER HAVE THE CAPACITY
TO COMPARE THE UNCOMPAREABLE PAIGAMBAR-E-MOSIKEY JANAB RAFI SAHIB WITH ANY OTHER PERSONALITY.I THINK COMPARING THE LEGEND IS A CRIME AND PERSON WHO TRIES TO DO THAT SHOULD BE STONED TO DEATH.
PAIGAMBRE-MOSIKEY JANAB RAFI SAHIB WILL LIVE FOR CENTURIES TO COME IN OUR HEART SOUL AND MIND
DEAR UNKNOWN BHAI,
I m a die hard rafi fan and i worship him as a god u seem to have misunderstood what i mean to say earlier.I was just saying that the discussion of qawali is not possible without nusrat sahib as well coz he was a full time qawali singer.
IN NO WAY I WILL EVER THOUGHT TO COMPARE RAFI SAHIB EVEN IN MY DREAMS WITH ANYONE COZ HE IS UNCOMPAREABLE.I WAS JUST OF THE VIEW THAT THIS ARTICLE ABOUT QAWALIS SHOULD HAVE A NAME OF THE IMMORTAL QAWAL THE LAST CENTURY HAS SEEN
MY ONLY CONCERN WAS THAT NUSRAT SAHIB SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED BY THE PERSON WHO POSTED THE ARTICLE
BHAI I M NOT THE PERSON WHO STAR COMPARING THE LEGENDS LIKE RAFI SAHIB AND KISHORE DA OR FOR THAT SAKE NUSRAT SAHIB I M A MUSIC LOVER AND NO MUSIC LOVER DO THAT SORT OF THING EVEN IN HIS WILDEST IMAGINATIONS
DEAR UNKNOWN BHAI ,
I m a die hard rafi fan and i worship him as a god u seem to have misunderstood what i mean to say earlier.I was just saying that the discussion of qawali is not possible without nusrat sahib as well coz he was a full time qawali singer.
IN NO WAY I WILL EVER THOUGHT TO COMPARE RAFI SAHIB EVEN IN MY DREAMS WITH ANYONE COZ HE IS UNCOMPAREABLE.I WAS JUST OF THE VIEW THAT THIS ARTICLE ABOUT QAWALIS SHOULD HAVE A NAME OF THE IMMORTAL QAWAL THE LAST CENTURY HAS SEEN
MY ONLY CONCERN WAS THAT NUSRAT SAHIB SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED BY THE PERSON WHO POSTED THE ARTICLE
BHAI I M NOT THE PERSON WHO STAR COMPARING THE LEGENDS LIKE RAFI SAHIB AND KISHORE DA OR FOR THAT SAKE NUSRAT SAHIB I M A MUSIC LOVER AND NO MUSIC LOVER DO THAT SORT OF THING EVEN IN HIS WILDEST IMAGINATIONS
who is nusrat? no one can be compared to rafi saheb.
rafian@aol.in
Qawaalis are part of the sufi tradition in the subcontinent. The ones that we hear in hindi films are far removed from the real ones. In 1976, I had the good fortune of listening to a group of qawaals singing in front of salim chisti’s tomb. Like bhajans, qawaalis are devotional songs sung in praise of the almighty. However, in hindi films, where nothing sells more than love, the qawaali was adapted to be in sung in praise of the lover or a duel between two groups (led by rafi, manna, batish, asha, balbir or jaani babu qawaal).
Of late, thanks to the influence of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan saab, the qawaali is slowly returning to its more devotional form, as exemplified by songs like “Allah ke bande” and “Ya Ali”. I would like to know the thoughts of other forum members on a topic that has been on my mind for some time. How would Rafi saab have adapted to this purer style of sufi singing? Please note that in many of his qawaalis, you could hear the sufi strains, but I’m talking about the kind of pure sufi songs that Nusrat saab sang, devoid of the frills that hindi film music has to offer.
Daer vikas sharma ,
why u want to compare Mohd Rafi with nusrat fateh ali khan plz don’t say that he is better MD than Mohd Rafi boz we know that and Mohd Rafi can be compare only with Mohd Rafi and also we can say after 1980 if u go best singer u will se who copied Mohd Rafi 90% ….plz don’t try to compare as said by many greatest names like Naushand Ali,Manny Dey,Lata.Ash,A man like Madan Mohan said I should not be paid when Mohd Rafi sing for me do u know what that mean and do u know who i Madan Mohan?!!!!!!!!
thanks to gurumurthyji for raking up the qawwali issue. like patriotic songs, rafi excelled here too. of course rafi excelled in whatever he did.
however, i wish to point out one beautifully rendered qawwali by rafi and asha from an oscure film called kala samunder. it had music by usha khanna. that rib tickling qawwali is husnwale husn ka anjaam dekh, doobte suraj ko waqt-e sham-dekh. please listen to this great one.
Today is saturday and today a great concert happens in mumbai’s
famed shanmukhananda hall. ghazals will shower from the lips of
legend ghulam ali – a great lover and admirer of mohd rafi saab.
I will be presenting a copy of – s a r g am to the legend and carry
an article on him in the forthcoming sargam issue. his views on rafi
saab will find prominence.
by the way from next week onwards sargam magazine will be
available at bombays famed music store – rhythem house located
opp. mumbai university and next to jehangir art gallery.
for the sargam magazine copy u may also call me :
at + 9833 250 701 or write at : binus2000@hotmail.com
binu nair…////the rafi foundation//// sargam magazine /// mumbai…
I like Rafi’s voice much more than Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s. Sort of like the way Manna Dey said it. Manna Dey may be better trained for qawwalis – but Rafi’s voice could better relate to the heart of just about anyone. Someone who is proficient and knowledgeable in classical music may be an exception – but for someone like me – that natural, inherent greatness of Mohd Rafi in his amazing voice and expression of emotions makes him #1. Even for qawwalis.
Dear friends and all rafiians i request u all to pay respect to NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN SAHIB THE GREATEST QAWAL AS WELL COZ HE IS THE ONLY SINGER WHO I THINK COMES IN CATEGORY OF RAFI SAHIB,KISHORE DA AND MUKESH IN MALE SINGING
Although nusrat fateh ali khan sahib is the god of qawali world still rafi name come second to mind after that immortal legend.
IF ANYBODY HAVE PICTURE OF NUSRAT SAHIB WITH RAFI SAHIB IT WOULD BE GREAT. TWO WORLD RENOWNED QAWALS TOGETHER WOULD BE OUT OF THIS WORLD EXPERIENCE
Please do not forget the c grade Navin Nischal + rekha movie
dharma.
a c grade movie reached silver jubilee in mumbais naaz cinema
in 1973; due to a great quawali : by rafi and asha..
The number was : Isharon ko agar samjoh , to raaz ko raaz rehne
do… lip sinched by pran and bindu. pran turns in to a new leaf from
a dacoit and bindu will not keep the secret. there is a showdown
between the two and pran tells bindu : isharon ko agar samjho to
raas ko raas rehne do.
One song taking a movie to silver jubilee : i haven’t heard of anyone
else than this movie dharma. do not miss it and do not forget to
register your comments in this thread.
It can only be done by the magic of rafi-asha and the music of
sonik-omi along with the lyricists.
binu nair. the rafi foundation/// sargam magazine/// mumbai..
Although nobody in the world could think of matching or u may say coming close to one of the greatest qawalas the world has ever seen with holding the guiness record for the most qawalis albums with over 126 albums in the market .
“JANAB NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN”
Still rafi sahib was one of the most prolific qawali singer in the film industry that the world has seen.He hold command over every thing because of his sound classical background.
MY FAVORITE QAWALI OF RAFI SAHIB IS FROM LAILA-MAJNU AND THE QAWALI IS-
“YEH DAVA AAJ DUNIYA BAR KO DEKHLANE “
Ashish Kapoor ji..
Yes we all agree as u agree.
what lead u can take – in the issue.. I want to follow u.
Pl. start the Karwan (caravan) and lakhs of people will follow.
Please lead us …
Lakhs of rafi followers are waiting for the greatest initiative for the
sake of music… and music alone.
binu nair. mumbai..
hi all rafians, i fully agree with mr raghu arya on an oscar for our rafi saab for lifetime award for bringing to such great height the indian film music. refer post 12 ,dear s.s makkar sahaab, the qawali mere dilbar mujh par khafaa na ho, is from the movie dharamputra and the qawali aaj kyun humse parda hai, is from the movie sadhna .ashish kapoor. ashkpr@hotmail.com tel-09810087414
dear mansoor and mohd rafi fans
as u said i think this can be achived on global level i think the globel is so small to give award to Mohd Rafi the best ward which got Mohd Rafi no one else can have it in globel explain after 27th still he is at the top and when he went from this globel he was at the top who can give him better award as he got it from GOD……………………
Dear Sri.Guruji
Lajawab article.Please be educating us with such invaluable information on this legend.
Dear Gurumurthyji,
When we hear the qawalis of the one and only rafi saab,we will feel that we are having a fantstic feast with delicious food and sweets.Thank god we have rafi saab to fulfill our hunger.The way he is singing the qawalis means he is playing with the words to give the listners complete satisfaction.Even if we are hearing hundred times the same song each time it gives us just like hearing a a fresh song.That is the magic of rafi saab.
the other great qawwali’s of rafi saab were;
mere dilbar mujhpar khafa na ho: from sadhna, meri duniya lut rahi thi : from mr & mrs. 55 and aaj kyon hamse parda hai : from dharamputra.
of all his qawwalli’s, these three are the most representative of the true sufi flavour that mark out this form of singing.
RAFI SAAB IS THE MASTER.
PL NOTE I HAVE DELIBERATELY USED THE PRESENT TENSE.
Gurumurty Sahabre well done….
This is one of the many aspects of playback singing which only Rafisaab excelled in the industry over even veteran like Lataji..
I think all Rafi fans shall apply to have him nomination for Oscar Award for life time giving of voice to indian cinema as time to come no male singer would have this acheivements . i think this can be achived on global level.let me know your comments
I had the good fortune of listening to Mohd.Rafi when he visited Bangalore and performed at the Shivajinagar Bus Stand. There is no singer equal to him now nor expect any such singer in the near future. His range was superb, and whether in the higher pitches or lower pitches, the voice was mellifluous and constant, and you can actually learn urdu from his diction while singing. The day he died, I felt a great void engulf me, and felt it would never fill, and it remains to this day.
Hi Gurumurthy,
Great analysis,
A small correction – “Yeh Mana Meri Jaan†from HANSTE ZAKHM with Bhupinder. It is not Bhupinder but a Punjabi folk singer Balbir.
Balbir and Rafi have sung another song which a combo of folk and qawaali from Jagte Raho “Ke Jee Main Jooth Boleya”.
There is another qawwali Sung by Rafi, Bhupindar and Amit Kumar under RDB in Aandhi “Salaam Kijiye”.
rafi, manna and asha (in that order) are the best qawaali singers in hindi films. Along with Na to carvaan ki talash hai, Yeh ishq ishq and Tum meri tasveer lekar, Naushad’s Main idhar jawoon ya udhar jawoon (Rafi, manna and asha) is one of my top favourites.
Mehtabh ji : Please read Screen weekly ( 2 weeks old ). Rajiv Vijaykar
the Rafi lover is on record in a signed article. He says : the music
companies are losing heavily due to current music do not ‘sell’ and
they are on the verge of closing down. Unless two or three films do
not do well , well there is ‘doom’ awaiting these companies.
ar rehman led composers are answerable to these companies and to
the listening public – for bringing ‘down’ the quality of film music.
They have made their crores and now must honorably exit the scene
rather than composing thrash and making more losses and more
noise and din..
The directors are also responsible for the ‘chaos’ in which hindi music
has landed.
Binu Nair.
Rafi’s another qawwali form 1954 Mirza Ghalib, ‘Sakhi Sarkar…’ with Bande Hasan (Music Director: Ghulam Mohammed, Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni) was also a landmark qawwali which made you wonder had rafi become the qawwal he would have earned the top name among the famous qawwals. So diverse was mohammad rafi’s talent that you can’t stop marveling at him. God bless his soul.
Respected Rafi Sahib’s Fans,
Very well-written Mr. H.V.Guru Murthy Sir! No critic has written upon this topic. Really Rafi Sahib has rendered so melodious Qawallis that no so-called Modern or Pop singer can reach even near them. Rafi sahib never seemed odd in any type of singing. Singing was his passion, he used to absorb in every unit of song. Such type of dedication is rare now. That is why quality songs have also become rare. We expect such type of more distinctive articles from Guru Murthy Sir.
Mr. Parvez (Kochin) is also doing a great job by sending rare songs of Rafi Sahib through E-Mail to the Fans of the late accentor. The spectators of Mohd. Rafi dot com are also missing Mr. Anmol Singh & Mr. Mohan Flora. We are all with Mr. Binu Nair (Mumbai) and Mr. P. Narayanan (Bangalore) in their campaign of Bharat Ratna for Rafi Sahib. Though some fans don’t think this campaign as good but in my view, such type of campaign is very much essential in this IIIrd class songs’ era. Today, so-called modern music composers are preparing numerous songs only based upon the songs of Rafi Sahib. New generation thinks that those ‘Modern Artists’ are so talented, most of them don’t know that originally these are the melodies of Rafi Sahib. We must have a Rafi TV Channel, which would telecast the songs of Mohd. Rafi Sahib with priority. The other old and new quality songs might also be telecast, if they touch the standards of Rafi Sahib. I hope this dream will soon come true. Any NRI fan of Rafi sahib may get initiative in this regard.
–MEHTAB (CHANDIGARH), +91-98157 03226,
E-Mail : mehtabmasih@yahoo.co.in
Good subject to choose and a well written article Mr. Gurumurthy. The Quawali – MERI TASVIR LEKAR KYA KAROGE – is also my favourite ones. Quawalis are basically talent competitions between two groups on stage and some of them could even be ghazals in disguise. But these are not generally as a rule and there are Quawalis with only solo performance, and some of them are even mentioned in your article. Keep providing us all with such staple stuff so that each day is a different one remembering Rafi Sahab _ NAYA DIN NAYI RAAT, eh??
in this thread I can say this much that , who else can produce the welmodulated reverberating voice that stands at the highest pitch even a longer time than expected ? in addition to it the melody factor is maintained constant with a haunting effect ! ! !
the voice which becomes sweeter & sweeter as it ascends.
the voice which becomes deeper & deeper as it descents.
thats the legend of the legends our own Rafi sahab.
thanx mr h.v gurumurthyji for this well written article about rafisaabs ability to sing qawalis even rdburman used only rafisaab for his qawalis or high pitch song
for eg kaun kisiko baand saka from kaaliya and many more rafi saab was complete singer rafisaab was perfect singer