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The Kamukara Foundation will hold a Mohammed Rafi Nite at the Tagore Theatre here on August 1.
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The magic in Mohammed Rafi's voice endures.
To commemorate the 22nd death anniversary of the legendary singer, the Kamukara Foundation will hold a Mohammed Rafi Nite at the Tagore Theatre here on August 1.
Sreelekha, music teacher and the daughter of Kamukara Purushothaman, says, "The passage of 22 years has not erased memories of Rafi. There will always be a loyal band of Rafi fans. Choosing 25 songs out of the 1,000 classics was indeed a tough job."
After his debut in `Gaon Ki Gori' in the mid-40s, Rafi went from strength to strength. Stalwarts such as Talat Mehmood, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar and Manna Dey were quite popular, but Rafi towered over them. Talat had his velvet voice, Hemant had his worldly-wise style and depth, Manna Dey had his classicism and Mukesh's forte was pathos. But Rafi emerged as an amalgam of all the best qualities of his peers. Generations of composers ranging from Naushad to Anu Malik had tapped the singer's talent to embellish their compositions. These include Madan Mohan, Ravi, C. Ramachandra, Jaidev, Salil Chowdhury, Khayyam, Shankar-Jaikishen, S. D. Burman, R. D. Burman, Usha Khanna, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji, Rajesh Roshan and Bappi Lahiri.
The phenomenal rise of Kishore Kumar after `Aradhana' in 1969 eclipsed the Rafi mania, but the legend came back with a bang in 1977 through Kya Hua Tera Wada in `Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahin' and Parda Hai Parda in `Amar Akbar Anthony'. But the comeback was stalled and the great voice was stilled on July 31, 1980.
Though Rafi sang a lot of evergreen numbers for all composers, he had a special relationship with Naushad who brought out the best in the singer. O Duniya Ke Rakhwale from `Baiju Bawra' exemplifies this.
O Duniya Ke Rakhwale and Man Tarpat (`Baiju Bawra'), Suhani Raat (`Dulari'), Chaudhvin Ka Chand (`Chaudvin Ka Chand'), Toote Hue (`Madhumati'), Teri Ankhon Ke Siva (`Chirag'), Tere Mere Sapne (`Guide'), Chahoonga Main (`Dosti'), Yeh Mera Prem Patra (`Sangam'), Madhuban Mein Radhika (`Kohinoor'), Teri Pyari Pyari (`Suraj'), and Tum Sa Nahin Dekha (`Tum Sa Nahin Dekha') are only a few examples of the haunting quality of Rafi's music.
When Jesudas, S. P. Balasubramaniam and Jayachandran tell you they all idolise the same singer, you can very well imagine the greatness of their idol.
The Kamukara Foundation plans to present select Rafi numbers in the voices of Sudeep Kumar, Padmakumar, Sreekanth, Narayanan, Ravisankar and others. Preetha, Leela Joseph, Hridya, and Suseela Devi will accompany them in the duets.
In an age when music for the head (and the feet!) dominate the airwaves, these soothing Rafi melodies continue to provide music for the heart and the soul.
PRAKASH PARAYATH
Illustration: Sasikumar
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