We dont know if Rafi songs would still play out then to popular delight or whether the Rafi story will be recounted even as a ritual,but that hardly takes anything away from someone who is inarguably Indias greatest music idol of all times.Īnd it is not just his musical talent or the repertoire of renditions that he wielded with natural elan and simplicity that makes him the greatest,but it is the way he conducted himself as an individual that sets him so distinctively apart from most others of his ilk.īorn to Haji Ali Mohammed (a barber by profession) and Alla Rakhi on December 24,1924,at Kotla Sultan Singh village near Amritsar,Rafi had no formal education worth the name – it was as if he was destined to be a singer,so he had nothing else on his mind for a pursuit in life.
In another two decades or so,there wont be many of them left behind to proudly recount the stories of the Rafi era. Those who grew up listening to Rafi belong to todays old-to-middle-aged generations. Its no ordinary coincidence that Rafi had left us on July 31,31 years ago when the melodious mood of film music had just started slipping into the degenerative mode that only got worse with time. Sadly,someone who lent his voice to three generations of actors of all hues – not just the heroes – and has regaled as many generations of all kinds of music-lovers – not just film buffs,stands to be reduced to an idol who,like Mahatma Gandhi,must be recalled and praised as a ritual but need not be emulated. Its actually an expression of regret – about an entire generation being treated to something that hasnt naturally evolved or taken off from a glorious tradition of which Rafi was not just a humble bearer but also a great benefactor. This is not a cliche born out of an all-old-is-gold mindset. There wont be many,particularly among the youngsters,who would pause,reflect on and understand the likes of Rafi at a time when cacophony is passed off as music by so-called musicians and is appreciated as such by the new generation of listeners.
These are,perhaps,not the right times to tell the story of a man like Mohammed Rafi.
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