100 years of Mohammed Rafi: Remembering the giant

Mohammad Rafi is widely considered among the greatest singers of all time, to bless the Indian subcontinent with his voice and charm. He was born on December 24, 1924, in Kotla, Punjab. Credited with more than 5000 songs in several languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, Kannada, and Bhojpuri, he has worked with many moguls of the industry, including RD and SD Burman, OP Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Madan Mohan, and many more.

Almost 87 years ago, a young Mohammad Rafi took the stage for the first time due to a stroke of luck. Legendary singer KL Saigal was supposed to perform at an event in Lahore when a power outage rendered the microphone and speakers useless. The singer refused to take the stage until the issue was resolved and the crowd grew more and more agitated.

With the organisers in a fix, Abdul Hameed, a friend of Mohammad Rafi, convinced the organisers to let his friend take the stage until the electricity comes back on. A 13-year-old Mohammad Rafi took the stage for the first time and impressed KL Saigal, as well as music director Shyam Sunder, who was in the audience. Sunder would then go to offer Mohammad Rafi his first commercial song, ‘Soniye nee heeriye nee,’ from the film ‘Gul Baloch’ in 1941. In only a few years, Mohammad Rafi moved to Mumbai, all set to take the film industry by storm.

Mohammad Rafi has given his voice to some of the most legendary songs to come out in the last 70 years. These include ‘Kya Hua Tera Vada,’ ‘Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Par,’ ‘Abhi Na Jao Chodh Kar,’ and ‘Gulabi Aankhen.’ He has shared the stage with the biggest names in the industry, including Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt, and many more.

His voice transcended the limits of language, nationality, and cultural identity. His memory lives on through all of us, who refuse to let him and his memory fade away.