Mohd. Rafi – In all the years that i have been blogging (my first ever blog post was in June 2003) – I have done a fair few posts on Hindi film music. But, there has been no post on Mohammed Rafi. It is not that I don’t like his work. I love it. He is my favorite singer in the 1950’s through to the 1970’s era – by many accounts the golden era of Hindi film music.

But, everytime I began thinking of writing a series on my favorites – i got stuck.

How do you write about someone whose body of work encompassed everything from the rebellious anthem – Zindabad Zindabad from Moghul-e-Azam – to the rebellious lament – yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai – the former charging you to go marching, the latter telling you its ok to opt out.

His songs of ‘falling in love’ were superlative – zindagi bhar nahin bhulegi barsaat ki raat or Chaudavi ka Chaand ho or Ehsaan tere hoga mujhpar, and made you want to fall in love. desparately. And, his songs of heart break – enough to put you off falling in love ever again – Yaad na Jaaye, Kabhi khud Pe,. His love duets with a variety of singers from Lata Mangeshkar — Chalo Dil Daar Chalo, Dil Tera Deewana , Mein Chali Mein chali, — Asha Bhosale — aap yuhi agar humse milte rahe, or Bahut Shukriya Badi Meherbani – and Suman Kalyanpur — Ajuhun Aaye Balama, Bahut Haseen Hai Tumhari Aankhen, – covered the entire gamut of sensations associated with love – the flirtatious to the sizzling passion ..

He was known for his classical songs, his fun songs, his drunken songs, his love songs, his sad songs, his patriotic songs, his religious songs … i don’t think there is a single genre of music he didn’t sing or didn’t excel in.

Rafi has been the voice of every major Actor – Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Guru Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Joy Mukherji, Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra. Incidentally he also sang for Kishore Kumar

He worked with every major Music director of that era. I cannot see a SD or a Naushad or an O.P.Nayyar being as successful without the voice of Rafi. He added something to every song. Of his entire discography – i can possibly list about 300 as my all time favorites … Which possibly tells me why it has been so difficult to write about him.

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Obviously Rafi was classically trained. But what is interesting – atleast as far as I am concerned – is that his guru was Ustad Wahid Khan – the co-founder of the Kirana Gharana along with Ustad Abdul Karim Khan. The next generation of Kirana Gharana was Savai Gandharva, whose disciple was Pandit Bhimsen Joshi…it is extraordinary that two men who both learnt from the kirana gharana, have had such an influence on my listening pattern. i wonder if I would have developed the love for Hindustani classical music without Mohd. Rafi making it accessible for me (and countless others like me).

So today on his death anniversary – my favorite, favorite classical numbers by Mohd. Rafi…. obviously i am leaving out far more than i am including. Do add your favorites to the list and drop me a line if I have got the Raga wrong.

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Raga Adana

– Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur sing this beautiful song from the film Kaise Kahoon. Music Director is S D Burman, and lyrics by Shakeel Shakeel Badayuni. Rafi sings for Biswajeet

another song sung by Rafi in this raga is Radhika tune bansuri churayi

Raga Basant Bahar

Raga Bahar is one of the ragas most associated with spring.

This song, is from the film Shabab. Music by Naushad, Lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. Rafi sings for Bharat Bhushan

Raga Bharavi

Bhairavi is one of my favorite ragas – and it is also one of the most basic ragas in classical music. It is hardly surprising that there are a large number of songs that have been composed in this raga.

Kaise Samajhao Bade Na Samaj Hain – sung by Mohd. Rafi & Asha Bhosale in the film Suraj. lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri, and Music by S.D.Burman. Rafi sings for Rajendra Kumar.

Nache Man Mora – Film Teri Surat Meri Aankhen, Music by S.D.Burman, Lyrics by Shailendra. Rafi sings for Ashok Kumar.

Tu Ganga ki Mauj Mein – Film Baiju Bawra. Music by Naushad, lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni – Rafi sings for Bharat Bhushan

Raga Hameer

Madhuban mein Radhika Nachere – Music by Naushad, Lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. Rafi sings for Dilip Kumar

Raga Janasammohini

Koi Sagar Dil Ko Behlata Nahin – the film is Dil Diya Dard Liya. music by Naushad, lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. Rafi sings for Dilip Kumar

Raga Malkauns

Man Tadpat Hari Darshan ko Aaj – what a movie. Every one of the songs in this film a hit. Every one of them based on a classical raga. Fabulous stuff all around. Music by Naushad, Lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni

Raga Pilu

Ajuhun aaye balama – sung by Mohd. Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur. Rafi sings for Guru Dutt

The other favorite in this Raga is from the film “teri Surat, meri aankhe’

Raga Puriya Dhanashree

Another one of my favorite Ragas. Rafi sings for Sunil Dutt in the film Ghazal. Music by Madan Mohan. Lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi.

Raga Sarang

The film is again Dil Diya Dard Liya – singers are Mohd.Rafi and Asha Bhosale singing for Dilip Kumar & Waheeda Rehman. Music by Naushad, lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni

Raga Shivaranjani

The film is Bhramachari. Music by Shankar Jaikishen, lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri and Rafi sings for Shammi Kapoor.

Raga Shudh Kalyan

The film is Sikander-e-Azam that tells of the conflict between King Puru & Alexander the Great. Music by Hansraj Behl, and lyrics Rajendra Krishna. Rafi sings for Prithviraj Chauhan. (Dara Singh plays Alexander) .

Raga Sohini

The raga that got it all started – one of the first classical songs i ever heard. My folks had heard it because it was a Telugu movie (Svarna Sundari) remade into Hindi. Saw it in the old DD days … Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd. Rafi sing for actors I cannot identify. Music by Aadi Narayan Rao and Lyrics by Bharat Vyas

The song is actually in ‘ragamalika’ – lots of related ragas in the song. sohini, hindol, bahar, …

Raga Todi

from the film Basant Bahar – a song in raga todi. The film put rest to the perception that Shankar Jaikishen could not compose songs based on ragas. Rafi sings for Bharat Bhushan

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Read comics. Batman – Bruce Wayne the road home… good fun. not the best Batman I have read, but not the worst either.