Yaadon. Yaadon ki baaraat . Memories, sweet, sour and lovesick. It was to memories that Mohammed Rafi gave voice in a surprisingly large number of his film songs. Now, 36 years after his life abruptly turned into a haunting memory for millions of his fans, a museum is coming up to commemorate Rafi at Kozhikode, the city where his voice is still a live presence.
Annual concert
The Kozhikode-based Mohammed Rafi Foundation announced the museum on December 24, the singer’s birth anniversary. Every December 24, the foundation holds a Rafi Nite on the historic Kozhikode beach. Thousands of fans, mostly porters, hairdressers, autorickshaw drivers, and small traders, show up, to listen to songs sung by well-known ‘Rafi singers.’ Ashish Srivastava from Mumbai was the key singer at last Saturday’s Rafi Nite, held on the sands by the sea under a star-lit night.
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“We plan to finish the Mohammed Rafi Museum and Studio by July 31, his death anniversary,” P. Prakash, general secretary of the foundation, told The Hindu .
“It will contain rare photos, albums, LP records and whatever memorabilia we can get hold of.” All his songs would be available at the museum so that fans can walk in, select their favourite song and listen to it in specially made listening slots. They can also get their favourite songs recorded.
The Rs. 25-lakh project would be the first of its kind to commemorate Rafi, Mr. Prakash said. The building to house the museum was provided by the heirs of the late Jaffer Khan, businessman and philanthropist.
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Rafi, football
“Kozhikode people could perhaps be the most passionate Rafi fans anywhere in the world,” Ravi Menon, journalist and song historian, told The Hindu . “It’s amazing that the devotion transcends generations.” He points out that football and Rafi constitute the common denominator of the Kozhikodans. “These two bind people across the religious and economic divides.” Mr. Menon recalled that Rafi had performed live in the city in 1966 and 1973. At the 1973 event, when Rafi rendered Duniyake rakhwaale ... thousands of ecstatic fans had rushed to the stage to express their devotion to the singer.
“No other place in the world would have held as many Rafi gaanamelas as Kozhikode has,” Mr. Menon said. “Gaanamelas are held even in interior villages of the district on July 31 and December 24 — Rafi’s death and birth anniversaries.”
Arangil Vasudevan and Kabeer Das, both dead now, were two great Rafi gaanamela organisers. The devotion to Rafi has produced hundreds of Rafi singers from among the working class and attracted thousands to the magic of his music.