On July 31, 35 years has gone by since versatile playback singer Mohammed Rafi passed away, leaving behind a wide collection of songs ranging from romantic numbers to classical ones and even ‘qawwalis’ and ‘bhajans’.
A large chunk of North Indian population, predominantly the businessmen who made Tirupur knitwear cluster their home, feel that Mohammed Rafi had left an indelible impression on the ardent music lovers in such a way that even the generation born after his death could understand the nuances and feel of his singing.
Chetan Gandhi, an entrepreneur from Gujarat who has settled down in Tirupur and a diehard fan of Mohammed Rafi, recollected how the legendary singer’s songs like ‘ Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe ...’ and ‘ Jab pyaar kisi se hota hai ...’ thrilled him in his younger days. “I have collected his songs in pen drives and CDs to listen often,” he said.
A few other people from North India, who came to Tirupur to pursue their business career, said that Rafi’s songs heard in the night always gave them a soothing effect and a much needed relief from the work tensions.
Favourites
Some of the favourite numbers of Rafi commonly heard by Hindi-speaking population were ‘ Aaj mausam bada ..’, ‘ Chaudhavin Ka Chanda ho ..’ and ‘ Chahunga mein tuje ...’, among others.
