Mohammad Rafi: The Melody Man

Mohammad Rafi , The play back singer par excellence of Indian cinema for more than three decades, who is believed to have sung more than thirty thousand songs , was not restricted to cinema halls but was a house hold name for every occasion. He could be heard in temples and in mosques, in courtysides and in the gardens, in the festivals of Holi and Diwali or Eid or any social occasions and celebrations. Rafi was a singer of all occasions and seasons. Breaking all the barriers of casts, religions and languages, he was heard in every home..Rafi was equally at ease to sing Ghazals and Bhajans, Sufi and Qawwalis, romantic and valorous, classical and western songs. Like water takes the shape of any pot Rafi was the singer of all styles and genres of actors. His voice merged with the voice of any performer who sang his songs on the screen. There has been no actor in films during his time for whom Rafi did not render his voice. There was no singer male or female with whom Rafi did not sing. There was no film in which Rafi did not give playback. If the seven Notes gave music its 'form' Mohammad Rafi has given it a 'definition'. Rafi was not there to display the nuances of music, antics of the vocal cord or supremacy of his style but to imbibe the sweetness and melody of music in life. That is the reason even after a long time passed of his death his songs are still part of our cultural traditions, our thinking, our dreams and our relationship. Mohammad Rafi was an Era which has no end, it is infinite. Mohammad Rafi died on 31st July 1980 at a very young age of 56 after a sudden and a massive cardiac arrest but he is still alive in the million hearts of music lovers.