MUSICALLY ENCHANTING SESSION 21ST FEB 2010

ADABRAFI FRIENDS,


Amidst the din and troubled times in Hyderabad, when we had asked our members to assemble for this evening's musical session, we had known that the attendance would be rather thin. A few of our members were not in town and some more were apprehensive of how the day would unfold - after the sad demise of the young boy who immolated himself for a political cause. Nevertheless (albatta in Urdu ?) those of us who assembled made the most of it as we all could get to sing more and more number of songs.

Nitin had sent me a message yesterday itself that he would be going out of town and that Mrs Nirmala Dhepe is not having backlog of Office work to cope up with even on Saturdays (their weekly off) and Sundays and that the situation will continue until the end of the current financial year. Nitin would however join us from the next musical session.

Raghavendra Rao has not been attending many of our musical sessions for the last few months, but he is on long deputation outside Hyderabad. He spoke to me just yesterday and was already on his way to some place on official duty.

Mrs Anita Agarwal must be busy with her upcoming Exhibition on 22nd and 23rd at Taj Krishna about she had told me sometime back. In fact, this exhibition had to be postponed from January due to the present agitation going on. We hope this time around, her efforts bore fruit and that her venture was successful.

Mrs Padmaja spoke to me this morning and informed that if the situation was fully peaceful she will try to come. Not knowing when and what will happen at the Osmania University campus, which is very close to her house, I too advised her to take precautions and only then decide on attending the musical session.

R Padmanabhan had left for Chennai suddenly yesterday and he has now missed two musical sessions in a row - very unlikely of him, but then his absence on both occasions was unavoidable.

Today Mr Kanta Rao and Mr Madhusudan (Madhu-rafi) were also to come but they had informed that they would have to leave after spending only as much as one hour with us as they had to attend another programme. Perhaps, they thought that they would miss the latter programme if they attended our Musical Session and hence they too could not come.

Ten of us, therefore, were taking the utmost advantage of the sparse crowd today and sang so many songs that I had to request all of them to jot down the songs for my detailed listing. In recent times, I had discontinued with writing down these details, but the selection of the songs and excellent renditions today (the effort by Sivaram in providing the sound system and N R Padmanabhan in bringing a very smart laptop with internet connection were the main contributors for the fantastic singing) forced me to revive the listing of songs, just as Sachin Deshpande had been insisting on the list being made. Towards the end of the musical session, I had once again requested the few friends to create a new Rafi-email id and Venkatesh Sharma did it the moment he reached home. I have included his new email id in the above list and moved the general email id in "my other contacts" group. Please use the latest email ids from my last messages always, as they will be up to date. So friends, besides myself, others who were at today's musical session are as follows :
1. K SIVARAM,
2. Mrs Prema Sivaram
3. Shanti
4. N R Padmanabhan
5. K Venkatesh Sharma
6. S K Elias,
7. Sanjay Deshpande
8. Mrs Radha Chandar
9. S Chandar.

Here is the list of all songs rendered at this very enthralling musical session.
A S MURTY :
1. MAIN TOOTI HUYI EK NAIYYA HUN - AADMI
2. MEHFIL SE UTH JAANE WALON - DOOJ KA CHAND
3. JAANE WALE ZARA HOSHIYAR - RAJKUMAR
4. JANE KAHAN MERA JIGA GAYA JI - duet with Shanti
5.MAIN TOOTI HUYI EK NAIYYA HUN - repeated on request.

Ms. SHANTI :
1. BABUJI DHEERE CHALNA - AAR PAAR
2. PYAR KARNE WALE - SHAAN
3. JANE KAHAN MERA JIGAR GAYA - duet with ASM
4. THANDI HAWA KAALI GHATA - MR & MRS 55

K VENKATESH SHARMA:
1. ZINDAGI KA SAFAR - SAFAR
2. RANG AUR NOOR KI - GHAZAL
3. DIL AAJ SHAYAR HAI - GAMBLER
4. One more sing not listed by us.
S K ELIAS :
1. MAIN NIGAHEN TERE CHEHERE - AAP KI PARCHHAIYAAN
2. KAL RAAT ZINDAGI SE - PALKI
3. SHIRDI WALE SAI BABA - AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY
4. SAAZ HO TUM AWAZ HUN : SAAZ AUR AWAZ
5. SHANAKARA - SHANKARABHARANAM
K SIVARAM :
1. JAANEWALON ZARA - DOSTI
2. ZINDAGI KE SAFAR MEIN - AAP KI KASAM
3. YE KYA HUA - AMAR PREM
4.CHALA JATA HUN - MERE JEEVAN SAATHI

Mrs Radha Chandar :
1.AA AA BHI JA RAAT DHALNE LAGI - Teesri Kasam
2. Jaane Kyon Log Mohobbat - Mehboob Ki Mehendi
3. Muhabbat Cheez Kya Hai - Yeh Raat Phir Na Ayegi
4. Ek Tu Hai Piya Jispe Dil Aagaya - Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye

DUETS S CHANDAR & MRS RADHA CHANDAR

1.Jab Deep Jale Aana - Chitchor
2. Roka Kai Baar Maine - Mere Sanam
3. Brindavan Ka Krishan Kanhaiya - Miss Mary

S CHANDAR :
1. GORI TERA GAON BADA - Chitchor
2.CHHOTI SI YEH DUNIYA - Rangoli
3. JO UNKI TAMANNA HAI - INTEQAAM
4.CHANDI SE DEEWAR NA TODI - VISHWAS

N R PADMANABHAN :
1. AB KYA MISAAL DUN - AARTI
2. ZARA SI AHAT - HAQEEQAT -
3. RANJISH HI SAHI - GHAZAL BY MEHDI HASAN
4. HUM PYAR MEN JALNE WALON - JAILOR
6. WOH SHAM KUCH AJEEB THI - KHAMOSHI

From the above listing, one can observe that the selection of the songs was very interesting and classy. So also, as the music and sound system was excellent, the renditions too came out very well. For me, in some of the songs, I felt as though I was attending a live concert. Two songs from the entire above list are my all time favourites and they were rendered so well that I have to repeat their listing once again.

1. KAL RAAT ZINDAGI SE MULAQAAT HO GAYI (Palki) by S K Elias.

Less than 20 days back, when Sreesha had come to Hyderabad, the three of us = Sreesha, self and Elias = were sitting in the former's hotel room and listening to various songs. Elias had never paid much attention to this gem of a song before that day. Repeated hearing of this song had an everlasting impact on Elias who heard it separately and wrote down its lyrics and rehearsed the song. This is one song that cannot be learnt in less than 20 days time. The variations in the antaras, the various ragas, the diction that certain words require, are of such high standards that many good singers have kept away from singing this great song. But not Elias. For me, it was a gift from this young singer who puts in so much effort in learning and perfecting the art of singing. More about this song and Elias' singing in a separate email again.

2. IK TU HAI PIYA JISPE DIL AA GAYA (Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye) by Mrs Radha Chandar.

This is one exceptional song from an otherwise forgettable movie and has remained my favourite song for decades. Not much heard either on TV Channels or with collectors of songs, the song has perfect balance between the lyrics and the tune composition. Asha Bhonsle has put in some very subtle variations in the song which I was keenly observing when Mrs Radha Chandar presented the song. They were all intact. The beats in the song also change frequently within the mukhda, in antaras and it is a great composition. It was a treat to hear it yesterday once again and we are very happy that such lovely songs are brought to the fore by our members.

Many other songs from the above listing too were very good, for e.g. AA AA BHI JAA RAAT DHALNE LAGI; GORI TERA GAON BADA PYARA (Chitchor), ZARA SI AHAT HOTI HAI (Haqeeqat) and my own rare song - MAIN TOOTI HUYI IK NAIYYA (Aadmi).

Some of these songs are generally not rendered in most mehfils and that makes our Musical Session an exceptional one. Kudos to all our members.

A S MURTY

होश जब से संभाला है, होश ही उड़ गए हैं
कुछ अजब सुरूर है रफ़ी साहब के तरानों में

HOSH JAB SE SAMBHALA HAI, HOSH HI UD GAYE HAIN !
KUCH AJAB SUROOR HAI RAFI SAHAB KE TARAANON MEIN !!

DISCOVERING RAFI SAHAB

Discovering Rafi Sahab

Rafi Bhakts present new tales to the unending saga

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Article by A S MURTY, Secretary, Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter – rafimurty@gmail.com

For the past several years now, I have had a very close interaction with many Rafi Bhakts, from across the globe. Fans of Rafi Sahab, like that of any other legend, come from all walks of life. They have very varied lifestyles and come from different cultural backgrounds. Yet they have many commonalities in them. I have found some very dedicated Rafi Bhakts, who indulge in a wide spectrum of activities that spread the works of Rafi Sahab. All of them do it selflessly and purely out of their own personal passion for Rafi Sahab and his songs. Most of them work ceaselessly, devoting a lot of time and money on their activities – unmindful of any rewards. Their only reward is their personal satisfaction of doing what they like most – spreading the fragrance of Rafi Sahab. There are several communities of Rafi Sahab on social networking sites on the internet. Several groups exist in almost all the major cities. These groups conduct musical shows, musical sessions, get togethers, mehfils and so much more. They inter-act and discuss the movies for which Rafi Sahab has given his impeccable renditions and relive the magic of these immortal songs.

Rafi Sahab was a singer par excellence – he surpassed all the known playback singers with his outstanding ability to go into the soul of the song. Writers before me have commented that he actually enacted the songs and nothing could have been truer. This quality alone makes him unique in the large galaxy of some of the finest playback singers that our country has produced. But beyond these extra-ordinary armory that Rafi Sahab possessed, he was a very down-to-earth person. Very modest in disposition and humble in nature. He lived a fairly simple life and had no vices. Foremost, he believed he had to spend quality time with his family. He played games with his children, sang songs for them all to hear and did his riyaz unfailingly. He was a very large hearted person and helped the needy, several times even without the needy seeking alms from him. He encouraged everyone in the industry – from musicians to film-makers to the co-singers. Although Rafi Sahab was at the pinnacle of glory, his attitude was that of a commoner. He won the hearts of everyone in the film industry with his unimpeachable character and was therefore respected by the big and small alike. He was always addressed as Rafi Sahab by not only his contemporaries and juniors, but by seniors and veterans. Rafi Sahab learnt early in his life that respect begets respect and love. His endearing charm lay in his smile as otherwise he was a man of few words.

I have discovered that, listening piously to Rafi Sahab songs for several decades now, his fan following not only has become countless – running into millions I presume. But more than this, his fans who often would like to call themselves as Rafi Bhakts – have themselves imbibed several qualities of their virtuous idol. Many are often seen doing charity services. Rafi Bhakts are trying to become role-models for future generations by their unstinted and selfless acts. Many names crop up, but it would not be proper to name some and forget many and hence individual names are not being lined up. But the picture is very brightly lit before us. Rafi Bhakts are not only earning a good reputation and name, but also enhancing the name of Rafi Sahab in whatever they do. Pages after pages have been written on legendary idols by their fans, including on Rafi Sahab by the Rafi Bhakts. Rich tributes have been paid to some of the very great Rafi Bhakts earlier too in various fora. I have seen youngsters, some of them still in their teens, who worship Rafi Sahab as though they have grown up listening to his songs. Most of these youngsters have been born several years after Rafi Sahab himself bid goodbye to this world. How then this YOUNG RAFI BRIGADE came to be such staunch followers of a playback singer whose songs were recorded several decades earlier. Awestruck, I tried to find answers to these perplexing questions. Men would easily prefer male playback singers and often co-relate their own voices (and singing abilities sometimes) to the well known male playback singers. Their being Rafi Bhakts therefore is understandable. But we do have a very large distaff music lovers who besides being good music lovers and liking the songs of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Geeta Dutt, Suman Kalyanpur, etc. have a very definite and strong leaning towards Rafi Sahab. Their knowledge of the songs of Rafi Sahab is extra-ordinary again. These female fans of Rafi Sahab show equal passion, sometimes more vocally than their male counterparts.

As I have been in close inter-action with such great Rafi Bhakts over the last several years it set me thinking – how they came to become Rafi Bhakts in the first place. What touched the emotional chord in them to be so vociferous in their piety towards Rafi Sahab ? And I set myself to discover their tryst with the one persona they admire and worship more than anyone else – Rafi Sahab. I threw open a topic “HOW I BECAME A RAFI FAN” and within days, a plethora of short but well crafted true accounts of individual infatuations, emotions, convictions, etc. all started pouring in. Careful analysis of most of them tells me one thing very clearly – these write ups are just as honest as ever there can be and have been narrated from the depth of individual hearts of Rafi Bhakts. Just a week before I had asked friends – all staunch Rafi Bhakts – to narrate their story on what makes them a fan of Rafi Sahab. From among the heaps of write-ups that I have already received, it was very difficult to choose one over the other. However, for various reasons I did find one very exceptional write up which I think all the Rafi Fans across the globe would like to read. Perhaps many would see a piece of their own life in such a great essay which has been sent to me by Dr Vasudha Theeratharam.

Dr. Vasudha Theertharam is an Ayurvedic physician and a Nutritionist.She has her own private clinic at Bangalore.She is a senior faculty member in Information and Research centre where she teaches Health and Nutrition on a part-time basis.

Dr Vasudha has herself essayed a fine article on these pages earlier, partnering Gan Sharma and the link to that article (A wide range of fans for one song!) is

http://www.mohdrafi.com/meri-awaaz-suno/a-wide-range-of-fans-for-one-song.html

Friends I would like you to analyse the following write up of Dr Vasudha on “HOW I BECAME A RAFI FAN” and co-relate the same with your own corresponding thoughts.

QUOTE

I am narrating a tale of untold bliss.

Beneath the layers of my heart lay a cache of images which sheltered millions of emotions.Here friends, take a peek into my heart.

My tryst with Rafi began when I was blossoming into a teenager.

Papa had a ear for good music and he played Baiju Bawra, Chori Chori, Barsaat among various other filmy, instrumental and classical numbers. As a kid I listened to these divine musical delights. Though unable to comprehend the meaning of the songs, the melody, the range, the cadence and the nuances of Man tarpat, Oh duniya ke rakhwaale, Jhoolen pavan ki aayee bahaar, Tu ganga ki mauj mein, Khuli palak mein jhoota gussa, Chupne waale saamne aa etc. touched my heart and Rafi left that indelible mark which till date no other singer has succeeded in erasing. Every note was ingrained in my gray matter.

I was on the threshold of teenage. I was a plain Jane whom nobody would want to give a second glance.

One day a cousin of mine came to stay with us. She had this ‘mane’ mania and the looks of my silky, brown hair caught her eye (That lux and lux alone was the secret of my brown hair is something I would like to share with you all). She loved my hair and made me aware of my asset, the beauty of which used to be camouflaged in a meandering plait or a bouncing pony until then.

She and I often listened to old Hindi songs, crooned and dreamt; though I did not have the necessary qualifications of a teenage dreamer.

It was one of those day dream sessions which was interrupted by Teri zulphonse judaai to nahin maangi thi - I was mesmerized by the melody of the song.

My dream boy was singing for me.

Every mind is fickle and carefree. It has the liberty to date Dev Anand, gaze at the full moon with Dharmendra and reach for the stars with the man of one’s choice. This unbridled exhilaration cannot be snatched from any mind.

But –

I took a tour of the universe with the man of my dreams-Mohommad Rafi.

Rafi’s voice held my mane, entangled it with his hands, lifted my drooping chin and pacified me with Maine kya zulm kiya aap khafa ho baite…

And in the breezy twilight sang Tumhaari zulf ki saayen mein shaam kar loonga… Wow! I had fallen in love with the voice. I did not care to see the face. I exulted in the tantalizingly ‘teenful’ years.

I did have few admirers for my eyes which were pronounced against the backdrop of my prominent cheekbones. I imagined Rafi looking into my eyes and singing Yeh aankhen uff yumma pyaar kyun na hoga and I looked into his eyes with the same level of intensity singing Yeh mausam uff yumma and thus began the journey of ishq, pyar, mohobbat- so exciting, so intoxicating.

Mujhe tumse mohobbat ho gayee hai mujhe palkonki chaao mein rehne do – reverberated in every cell of my body.

On one of my daily trips to school – I remember having told one of my friends – I want to marry Rafi – It was of course told in a lighter vein.

“Rafi? Have you seen him?” she shot back.

As a teenager pining from love, Rafi’s Choo lene do naazuk hotonko, Jaane chaman shola badan pehlu mein aa jao, Chalkaaye jam aayiye aapki, Tum kamsin ho naadan ho were some of the songs which served as an ambrosia and aroused the ‘Mohobbat’ in me.

It didn’t matter how old Rafi was or how he looked I was his ‘Radha’, Prem diwaani. ‘Everything is fair in love’, I told my friend.

I had no Rafi obsessions whatsoever. I loved his singing, that’s all and his songs took me to another land – Phiroo tujhe sang leke, naye naye rang leke sapnonki mehfil mein.

My teens were coming to an end. During my five and a half years of dissecting bodies, learning plant and human anatomy my emotional physiology took a backseat. During the cultural fest in my college I unconsciously sang Rafi songs for music competitions. Bahoaaro phool barsao, Woh jab yaad aaye and mitwa mere meet re. I won the first prize for Bahaaro, and 3^rd for Mitwa; somehow woh jab yaad aaye didn’t make the necessary impact.

While practicing Mitwa mere meet re my better half ‘Chinnu’ as I lovingly call him had listened to the song and then said.- ‘You sang very well’. Little had I realized then that ‘Mere mitwa’ was complimenting me.

Today I am happily married and have two sons.

When my elder son who is a Downs baby listens to Oh duniya ke rakhwaale. Man tarpat hari darshan and many other songs in an absorbed manner I feel I have succeeded in transferring my music gene to my progeny.

Was it ‘that’ extra gene that made him a Downs baby? If the answer is in the affirmative I would somewhere, amidst all my sorrow of begetting such a child, feel happy too that an extra pair of genes that was the causative factor for the syndrome, has music in it.

My Papa and Amma are very fond of my son. He grew up listening to his Grandpa singing, among various other songs Raadhike tune bansari churaayi as well. It is sheer pleasure even now to listen to papa singing Bansari churaayi, and my son unfalteringly saying ‘KYA’ and the music session going on for hours.

Now in the transition period of my life I fly with the same gusto carrying lovely memories of my association with songs like Dil bekaraar saa hai, Raat suhaani jaag rahi hai, Aise toh na dekho, Yeh parbatonke daayre, Jaag dil e deewaana, Rhim jhim ke geet saawan gaaye, Yaad mein teri jag jag ke hum –the list is endless.

Rafi the sculptor, the man who kindled the flame of first love in me has succeeded in carrying it to this day with the same brightness making me live every moment, naughtily whispering into my ears—

Tumse kahoon ek baat paron se halki halki halki halki halki–

Vasudha

UNQUOTE

Many more of Rafi Bhakts have already sent in their write ups and many would do so for several months more. The aim was to discover Rafi Sahab through the Rafi Bhakts and if write ups like the one above keep pouring in from all quarters, the dream of understanding Rafi Sahab better would become a reality for all of us. Activities of these nature are not common and it is in this context that I have always felt that the Rafi Bhakts are just as unique as the master himself. The saga of Rafi Sahab continues therefore in the form of outpouring from the Rafi Bhakts themselves. Some of the experiences and thoughts of these Rafi Bhakts are so out of this world that they resemble fairly tales. But true they are and therein surfaces several aspects of Rafi Sahab that perhaps are yet to be discovered. Go on Rafi Bhakts, narrate your own tryst with Rafi Sahab. Those of you who wish to write about your own personal experiences and thoughts on this subject, may please send me their essays to my personal email id given above, or else follow up this article by posting in your thoughts.

Discover Rafi Sahab, therefore, in the only way his true followers can – as unique and gifted as the master himself.

A S MURTY

TERI ANKH KA JO ISHARA NA HOTA

ADABRAFI DOSTON,

"Teri Aankh Ka Jo Ishara Na Hota - 1967 film Nai Roshni. Singer: Mohammed Rafi. Music by Ravi. Stars: Tanuja, Sailesh Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Mala Sinha, Raaj Kumar, Biswajeet. Story by Nihar Ranjan Gupta. Dialogues-director: N S Bedi. Director: C V Sridhar. Other films with the same name were made in 1930 and 1941. There would be no film songs or ghazals, singers or even screenplays and superstars without lyricists and writers. Why not give full due credit to the poor lyricists first, and also to the comparatively super-rich music composers, producers and directors? The legendary singer Mohammed Rafi (1924-1980) still continues to entertain millions around the world. Surely, he justly and rightly deserves more honours for his selfless contributions to the Bollywood film and entertainment industry. Under-rated, under-paid Mohammed Rafi was honoured with the "best singer of the millennium" by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine in Mumbai on 07 January 2001, over twenty years after Rafi passed away in July 1980. "It was Mohammed Rafi sahib's humility which made him such a great singer. This is evident in his songs which he sang from the heart. He thought of the music, and doing a good job. He did not think of the money or furthering his career. His personality and attitude showed in his voice which was like divine nectar. God created him to sing...," according to Shakil. Only the best lyricists, musicians and singers perform for http://www.youtube.com/spsyed live shows, mehfils, ghazal nights..."

Well, you must be wondering what the above has to do with our Musical Session of 17th Jan 2010, for that was the topic for this write-up you would say, is it not ? You could not have been more correct. But since yesterday, I have been listening to this gem of a song (twice yesterday at the Musical Session) and since the time Satyendra sent us all this wonderful song. Today as I checked the internet for more details on this song, I stumbled upon the above passage which again struck me. I may have heard this song somewhere in my own childhood, but not too often to have remembered the classic composition. I would have continued to be devoid of this heavenly feeling that I am now in, had it not been to perhaps Imtiazbhai who joined us for our Musical Session yesterday.

Imtiazbhai, as I have told you all earlier, had seen my blog : http://rafimurty.blogspot.com and found out my email id and sent me a message from Jeddah, S.A. informing that he being from our own city, would be visiting Hyderabad from 8th to 18th Jan 2010 and would like to attend one Musical Session. I had not known him earlier than the one email that he had sent me and I sent him all the information about our group and other related activities. Imtiazbhai then joined us finding his way in the now very well developed Hyderabad (he has been coming and going but just cannot see the entire city on his short trips and Hyderabad has undergone so many changes). And he came fully equipped - he had IPod looking device which stored his Karaoke tunes and perhaps many more songs. He is an old hand with www.meragana.com too and as we were to find out, is a very fine singer too. The song TERI AANKH KA JO ISHARA NA HOTA thus came as a fresh whiff of music to all of us. I had decided to request him to sing the song once again towards the end and he did oblige, besides singing other songs - all at ease again. To sum up Imtiazbhai's contribution at yesterday's musical session (he brought along plenty of snacks to munch on too) - HE CAME, HE SANG and HE CONQUERED. Imiazbhai many thanks and your visit to Hyderabad is cherished by us all and we wish you to come here as often as possible.

The start of the Musical Session was also greeted by another good news - Shanti getting a placement. She goes to work from tonight. Congratulations Shanti and we all wish you a bright future in your career ahead. Shanti has taken a big leap forward as far as her singing is concerned. Now she is getting to become the talk of the Musical Sessions, what with her expressive singing. To put the point in much broader perspective, Imtiazbhai wanted to hear her sing again before he left.

We know that the Dhepes were in Bangalore and would not be attending the Musical Session. Also away is Mrs Padmaja who will join us from the next Musical Session onwards. Nalin Ranjan sent an SMS informing that due to exams he would not be attending the Musical Session. We had expected one more new friend - Mr S Srinivasan. He too telephoned me during the day yesterday conveying that he may be tied with his cousin visiting Hyderabad from Bangalore and if time permits he would attend. We hope he will be with us all from the next Musical Session onwards. Other friends also could not attend but there was no information from them. There were thus the usual regular members :

the Sivarams (3), the Chandars (2), N R Padmanabhan, R Padmanabhan, A S Murty, Satyendra, S K Elias and the Deshpandes (2), besides Imtiazbhai.

We all sang 38 songs of all hues again - Hindi, Marathi - solos, duets, Rafi Sahab, Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood and wonder who else ? the Big B too. Yes, Chandar sang two of the songs which were sung by Amitabh Bachhan. As this report has already taken considerable space, I am not listing out the 38 songs. But we had fun singing them like we always do. Magic Sing Karaoke seems to have taken a back seat as all the songs were from meragana.com and a couple from the built in Karaoke tunes that Imtiazbhai had brought along. One particular incident is worth mentioning. Sivaram becomes emotional whenever a song with powerful lyrics, in particular songs on Deshbhakti are rendered. So it was when Elias was singing Watan Pe Jo Fida Hoga that Sivaram, standing behind the singer, started to roll down tears of emotion. I think the success of our Musical Session was for all of us to see.

Although we did not finalize the next date of Musical Session in a fuller throat, as some suggested, we can have the next one on the godly occasion of the REPUBLIC DAY i.e. 26th January 2010. We can all come up with atleast one Patriotic song. We may come up with a bigger National Integration Programme on the occasion of 15th Aug 2010 in a big and reputed School. This way we will be able to send across to the children of today the most patriotic songs that have captivated generations of music lovers.

In case anyone wishes to have any Patriotic Hindi film song, just let me know and I will try to send the same.

Finally, the DVDs of RAFI HOLIDAY, the BHEL Programme and the DHOLA RI DHANI programme are all with us. Some are in circulation and soon the copies will be made for these. Those who had attended the above programmes will in any case be the proud owners of these DVDs, but in case anyone who was not part of the above programmes too wishes for the same, just let us know.

Doston, I will soon write to you on another subject which is being discussed among many Rafi Fan clubs and the Rafi Foundation elsewhere in the country. We would like our members too to participate in the on going activities. I would like you to keep pace with www.mohdrafi.com on various activities and other music related topics. You can also contribute by way of your own good write-ups and comments to other fancied articles.

I will send you all the information on the next Musical Session of 26th Jan 2010 by Sunday next. Let all our members attend this Session on the occasion of formation of our Republic.

--
A S MURTY

RAFI HOLIDAY

तेरी आवाज़ की जादूगरी से, ना जाने किस जहाँ में खो गया हूँ।

By A S MURTY, Secretary,

RAFI FOUNDATION, HYDERABAD CHAPTER

PROLOGUE :
Rafi Foundation, Hyderabad Chapter conducts musical sessions for its members twice a month – on two Sundays for four hours on each occasion. Our members sing songs of Rafi Sahab as also of other legends like Manna De, Talat Mahmood, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle and Geeta Dutt. Invariably these sessions tend to bring out the best among our singers while some of the forgotten tracks occasionally get heard. This has been going on uninterrupted for the last three years now and sometime in July this year, we had thought of making such musical get-togethers with Rafi bhakts from other centres to join us. Instant response from all our members gave us the idea to talk to our friends in Chennai and Bangalore and spend two days in the company of all the known Rafi Bhakts at one central place – calling the meet as RAFI HOLIDAY. Just as we had been setting our own house in order in Hyderabad, some sort of telepathy (or is it Rafi-pathy ??) developed between us and our friends in Bangalore when B G Raj of Baar Baar Rafi Fan Club, invited us to go over to Bangalore and that they would be too glad to host us. We then contacted our other friends of Rafi Foundation Chennai Chapter in Chennai and both Jagat Tarkas and K S Ramachandran (Chandan to most of us) applauded us for this unique idea and readily agreed to be with us. They assured that some more of their members would join us too and that we should now chalk out the detailed plans for the same. We decided that the month of November would give all of us sufficient time to prepare ourselves, book our rail/road/air reservations and also our accomodation arrangements. The uniqueness of the program was that all those travelling to Bangalore from outside will make their own travel and lodging arrangements, so that these should not consume the time and energy of our Bangalore friends. It would make their task that much more easier and would allow their resources to be utilized fully for the actual event – like booking of a suitable venue, arrangements for TV/Sound System/Music Systems, Mikes/Lunch and Tea/Snacks, etc.

ज़िन्दगी कभी ख्वाब है तो कभी सच्चाई। दो पहलु जो किसी मोड़ पर एक दूसरे के आमने सामने आ जाते हैं और ऐसी सूरत में ज़िन्दगी बेशुमार रंगीन और हसीन दिखने लगती है। हमने भी देखे हैं ऐसे हसीन और रंगीन ख्वाब जिन्हें सच्चाई में बदलते देर न लगी और देखते ही देखते कुछ हमारे सपने सच होने लगे। हैदराबाद में हमारी संसथान है Rafi Foundation और हर महीने के दो दिन हमारे सभी सदस्य चंद घंटे मिलजुल कर हिन्दी फ़िल्म जगत के वोह गीत गुनगुनाते है जो स्वर्ण युग से जुड़े हों – यानी की 1950 से लेकर 1980 के दशकों के। मशहूर गायक इस युग के रहे हैं मुकेशजी, मन्नाडे जी, तलत साहब, रफ़ी साहब, महेंद्र कपूरजी, लताजी, आशाजी, गीता दुत्त्जी वगैरह। हालाँकि हमारे इस छोटे से गुट का नाम रफ़ी साहब से जुड़ा है, फिर भी हम उन सभी कलाकारों का कद्र करते हैं जिन्होंने अनमोल गीतों से हमारी निजी ज़िन्दगी में लाखों उमंगें बिखेरी हैं, युगों से। कोई कलाकार किसी और कलाकार के मुकाबले का जरिया नही होता और हम ऐसी तुलनाओं से दूर ही रहे हैं। यह और बात है की रफ़ी साहब की अदायिगी और गायिकी ने हमारे दिलों को गहराई से टटोला है और हम रफ़ी साहब के गानों के दीवाने हैं। ज़्यादातर हम उनके गानों से प्रभावित हुए हैं और रफ़ी साहब हम सबके लिए वोह सूरज हैं जिनकी रौशनी में कभी कमी नही आती। इतना ही नही, इस रौशनी के आगे सभी की ऑंखें चका चौंध हो जाती हैं। अन्य शहरों में रफ़ी साहब के कई दीवानों से परिचित भी होते रहे और उन सभी से संपर्क भी करते रहे। पर इस सिलसिले को कुछ और आगे बढ़ाने की चाह दिल में लगातार चोट कर रही थी। क्या कर सकते हैं हम जिसके बलबूते पर रफ़ी साहब के दीवानों का किसी एक जगह पर मिलन हो और आपस में हम सुब एक दूसरे को और नज़दीक से जान सकें ? साल की शुरुआत में मेरी मुलाक़ात मनीष से हुयी जो बंगलोर के “बार बार रफ़ी फेन क्लब” के बेजोड़ सदस्य हैं। मैंने पाया की इनके विचारों और मेरे अपने विचारों में कोई दूरी नही, यहाँ तक की हम दोनों की सोच कई विषयों पर एकमत थी। मनीष भी एक ऐसा सम्मलन आयोजित करने की चाह रखते हैं जिसमे देश भर के रफ़ी भक्तों का समागम हो और कई विषयों पर चर्चा हो। और कई दोस्तों से इन्ही दिनों में हमने संपर्क बनाया और देखा की चाहे वोह चेन्नई से हों, या फिर बंगलोर से या हैदराबाद,दिल्ली, कोलकता, वगैरह। यकायक हमारे दिलो दिमाग में एक हसीन से ख्वाब ने जगह बनने की कोशिश की और फल स्वरुप, इसकी एक ऐसी तस्वीर उभर कर सामने आए जिसने ज़िक्र होते ही रंग जमा दिया। मैंने पहले तो हैदराबाद के रफ़ी भक्तों के सामने इसका उल्लेख किया और इन दोस्तों के उस्ताह पूर्वक प्रतिक्रियायों के बाद मैंने बार बार रफ़ी के द्वार पर दस्तक दी। मेरे अनुमान स्वरुप जिस जोश और हर्ष से इस प्रस्ताव का स्वागत किया गया, वर्णन कर पाना थोड़ा कठिन ही है। बेहेरहाल, बंगलोर के दोस्तों से संपर्क करने के उपरान्त हमने रुख किया चेन्नई की ओर जहाँ Rafi Foundation Chennai Chapter के भी रफ़ी भक्तों से हम खूब परिचित थे। निस्संदेह चेन्नई से भी हमें ज़ोरदार समर्थन मिला जिसने हमारे जोश को और बुलंदियों पर पहुँचा दिया। इन्ही दिनों, मेरे अजीज दोस्त – ज़रीफ़ अहमद ने भी मुझसे फ़ोन पर संपर्क किया और जैसे ही मैंने उन्हें भी इस कार्यक्रम का ब्यौरा दिया, उन्होंने भी तुरंत इसमे शरीक होने का ऐलान कर डाला। बस अब देर किस बात को ? हमने दिनों का कार्यक्रम निर्धारित किया और यह निश्चय किया की चेन्नई, हैदराबाद और दिल्ली के रफ़ी भक्त बंगलोर में एकत्र होकर वहां के रफ़ी भक्तो के साथ दो दिन बिताएंगे। उनकी इस यात्रा को नाम दिया गया – “रफ़ी यात्रा” और बंगलोर में इस जष्न का नाम रखा गया “RAFI HOLIDAY”. ख्वाब की ताबीर यह थी की इन दो दिनों में हम सभी इस जहाँ के बाकी सारे पहलुयों को भुला कर रफ़ी साहब के नगमों की मदहोशी में जा डूबें और इतना लुत्फ़ उठायें की हम अपने जीवन को और सार्थक बना सकें। आख़िर रफ़ी साहब की गायिकी और अदायिगी ही नही बलके उनके सरल स्वाभाव और स्नेह भरी मुस्कान ने भी तो हमको लुभाया है और मार्ग दर्शन दिया है।

Much before we set foot on Bangalore for this great event, came this savvy comment from Bina : “I must say that your amazing enthusiasm is very infectious. It is true we all belong to a universal group now, being as we are, a crazy bunch of fans of Rafi Saab”.

14TH NOVEMBER – BIRTH OF “RAFI HOLIDAY” :

It is just coincidence and no other relevance that the Children’s day was chosen to be the day when RAFI HOLIDAY would be born। The dates were discussed among the Rafi Bhakts of Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore almost three months before. Rafi Bhakts from outside Bangalore would have to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. BAAR BAAR RAFI FAN CLUB, Bangalore (BBR) agreed to book the venue for our meet, arrange for tea/snacks and lunch and other infrastructure. We decided that we will spend the day by playing an Antakshri of Rafi Sahab’s songs, participate in a brain teasing Quiz on songs related to Rafi Sahab and also showcase our individual singing talents. Organizing these were entrusted to some very talented and very creative members of the BBR. We arrived in Bangalore on the morning of 14th November 2009 and BBR was at the Railway station to welcome us. Manish and Ashok came early in the morning with roses for each of us and plenty of warmth and guided us to our respective hotels before rushing off to the venue where they had arrangements to attend to. On dot of 10.00 a.m. we all started assembling at the Indian Institute of World Culture and after the initial greetings to one another, we went through the introduction session for the next half hour. In recent times hi-tech methods have been put to good use by BBR for Antakshri and what best then could we all ask for other than an absorbing and scintillating 45 minutes of non stop Antakshri of Rafi Sahab’s songs (audio clips of preludes, interludes, mukhadas, antaras, et el) all compiled by the ever charming Asha who was assisted by Manish. Eight or nine teams that took part in various rounds had a very entertaining session as eliminations after each round made them play it in a competitive spirit. Each of the teams had Rafi fans from Hyderabad/Bangalore/Chennai equally spread over, so that at the end it would could not be said that Bangalore won or Hyderabad won. Winning was not in anyone’s mind and it was the spontaneous participation by the ‘diggaj’ fans made the Antakshri very lively. More than the prizes to the winners, Asha and Manish seemed to take all the honours for such a wonderful presentation of a fun filled Antakshri. A perfect start to the RAFI HOLIDAY was what almost everyone seemed to remark.

Giving final touches are Asha,Manish & Ashok

Manish explaining rules of Antakshri to participants

And THIS IS THE SONG, says Bina while Sreesha & Shanti seem to agree

Next we had a very tough but once again an indepth Quiz prepared specifically by the storehouse of knowledge – Vinatha – and conducted this time by yet another charmer from BBR – Bina (many would know her from her various articles posted on websites in recent times). And here again, two more stalwarts of BBR – Manish and Mukund – so ably assisted her that it looked as though conduct of such programmes comes so vary naturally to them. So much co-ordination between the three made the three big teams (now we did have the Bangalore Team, Hyderabad Team and the Chennai/Delhi Team) compete, clue for clue, with all the knowledge and the knack of remembering at their command. Edge of the seat excitement was to follow as the each of the teams had some known stalwarts and some new finds. It was neck to neck for most of the rounds before Hyderabad and Bangalore were locked in a gruelling one upmanship in scoring all the right answers. Some of the questions were very tough for most of us, but not for the likes of Gurumurthy, Krishnamurthy/Narayanan on one side and Sanjay/Padmanabhan/Satyendra on the other. A see-saw battle for supremacy ensued to culminate in one last burst of round. Satyendra was the real find of the day here and bereft of being bodily lifted, I am sure he will remain in the hearts of everyone who was in the auditorium on that day. Still in his 20s, this young lad is a powerhouse of knowledge, taste and passion for Rafi Sahab’s songs.

Lunch time was quickly taken as we still had to see the singing talents of all our friends and some of them have been rated in music circles as some of the best Rafi-exponents. Manish took the mantle of a perfect host, managing to squeeze in almost all those who had desired to sing. Lack of enough time prevented him from offering the mike to some of the singers who had prepared for more songs, but that is not only understandable, it was also at the cost of Manish’s own songs. We have all known how good a singer he is, but his modesty and call of duty perhaps prevented him from taking to singing, despite our requests. He accommodated each and everyone who had wanted to sing on that and we got some of the best renditions possible from Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore. The highlight of the singing session was an exceptional man – Krishnamurthy.

No better dancer than him.

Now, Krishnamurthy deserves a special mention as he not only performs a perfect tango, but entertains everyone. He is such a cute that he can add lustre to any mehfil. And Snigdha could not have said no to him when she too joined him to present to us all a perfect (it takes two to tango in any case) vibrating and foot tapping dance. Great sight to watch such lively and forthcoming attitude from KM and Snigdha – HIP HIP HURRAY.

the dancing duo – Wow, what a sight

Jagat Tarkas too deserves a special mention among the Rafi Bhakts. From Chennai came this ‘whistling wizard” who plays the songs of Rafi Sahab to such fine perfection by whistling that one is struck in awe. This is a real class art. Whistling can be a tough proposition and would not come easy for all. It takes months of training and regular ‘riyaz’ (traits associated with Rafi Sahab again). It requires a lot of will power (lung power ?). Thanks Jagatbhai for your presentations. Then one more name required special attention – not just for his singing abilities, but much more than that. He is an adept sketcher and had started sketching Rafi Sahab on his canvass some months ago when we had asked him to send a soft copy which we can download and get laminated. We were dumbstuck when he presented not one, but three full size portraits of his immaculate work to Chennai/Bangalore and Hyderabad friends (all of 6′ x 6′). That is Hemanth Sharma from Bangalore. Generally it is believed that if one is good in one form of art, he would be good in most others too. But this young lad (again in his 20s maybe) is a perfectionist. Kudos, young man. Rafi Sahab is really proud to have fans of your ilk.

We missed out seeing the documentary of Rafi Sahab, as there simply was no more available time. We had to cut down on some of the songs of our singers too for this very reason. Nevertheless, the moment was celebrated also for the birth of the RAFI HOLIDAY on 14th November by cutting of a large cake, specially ordered, by Rafi Fans from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi. The evening was rung off by singing in rattling unison by everyone the BBR signature tune – BAAR BAAR DEKHO HAZAAR BAAR DEKHO YEH DEKHNE KI CHEEZ HAI HAMARA DILRUBA. We bid goodbye to all our friends around 7.30 p.m. with a promise to meet once every year for the RAFI HOLIDAY and to take this mega event to various other cities in the country.

15TH NOVEMBER 2009

As some more of our friends were in Bangalore whom we could not meet on the 14th, Hyderabad friends alongwith Zareef Ahmed from Delhi, Shailaja, and Srinivas Iyer (from Chennai but now in Bangalore) all met with these friends at the palatial flat of Anoop Kulkarni the next day. Again 10.00 was the appointed hour and most reach around that time. We were greeted by Ramesh and Padma Kurpad, Ravishankar, Anoop, his wife and CIYA (what a lovely baby – she soon became the darling of Sivaram, Elias and Satyendra) and other friends.

RAFI BHAKTS ENJOYING THE SESSION AT ANOOP’S HOUSE

Initial introductions were quickly gone through and we started the singing session in right earnest. Ravishankar opened the session with a devotional song on Lord Vinayaka, invoking the blessings of the almighty for the success of the continuing RAFI HOLIDAY. Turn by turn, then all of us took to singing with the MAGIC SING, Karaoke Tunes on CDs and now from meragana.com too. Sumptuous lunch and all the arrangements by Anoop and other friends left nothing to chance. Almost everything that we had needed was there. Then came the biggest shower of camaraderie from Suman. Each of those present were gifted with a set of 7 CDs of Rafi Sahab’s songs.

painstakingly prepared, Sumanbhai gifts set of 7 CDs of Rafi Sahab songs to each. What a tremendous effort.

What a painstaking effort Sumanbhai, listening to these songs will last a life time. Continuous singing gave all a good chance to present all their songs in abundance as on this day we dispensed with Antakshri and Quiz. No speeches were made and every one had only one thought, to sing and listen to the golden songs of Rafi Sahab. That Rafi Sahab can be such a binding thread was the silent feel each of us got.

Some of our friends in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai were left on a very high note after this unique experience and some quipped as under :

M V Devraj : The Rafi Holiday programme was indeed a great event. It was a
pleasure and a privilege and I feel honoured to have met all the Rafi
bhakths from Hyderabad,Chennai and Delhi.November 14,2009 will remain in
memory for ever

A S MURTY : Wah Wah Wah Bina, kya baat hai. 14 November ke is jashn ko to hum waise bhi na bhula paate, aur ab aapka likha padhne ke baad is jashn ki rounak aur bhi badh gayi hai. Aap sabhi ka tahe dil se shukriya
ki hamari zindagi ka ek din aapne itna zyada khoobsoorat bana diya.

ALKA JAIN : We could meet lovely people from Hyderabad, Chennai,and Delhi.At the end of the day no one wanted to leave the venue though everybody was very tired. We knew that it was not an end but starting of a bigger group of
Rafi bhakts in various cities who will always look for oppurtunities
to meet each other.
Once again Hip Hip Hurray to ADABRAFI and RAFI HOLIDAY.

N R PADMANABHAN : The biggest takeaway from this Rafi Yatra has been that we have evolved as friends with direct interaction. So many perceptions have changed and so many angles have got added to our previous notions of people with whom we used to exchange mail with. It is surprising though that the perception in most cases is not at variance with the reality !!

ANANYA : I am proud to be a part of this talented
group……….and it was a real honour to have met in person Mr A S
Murthy, N R P, and all the members of Hyd, chennai and Delhi.

Wish Rafi Holiday is twice in a year Jai Ho BBR

SHANKAR DONGRE : Hello Bina,, Aap ka tho jawab nahi. you rocked the show. your presentation was excellent. we got introduced to all Rafi club members of Hyderabad, Chennai
& Delhi. *Thanks to the organisers of Rafi Holiday*. I am eagerly waiting
for next Rafi Holiday.

MV KRISHNAN (from a distant Mumbai) : It is our bad
luck to have missed such a wonderful opportunity to meet up with Rafi bhakts
from Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and of course the fulcrum of this
group-Bangalore. The way NRP and Murty have described the occasion, it was
indeed a Grand Success.

HV GURUMURTHY : Yes, it was a grand and as they say now very
often, ‘hatke’ evening, when Rafi Bhakts from Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi
joined the Bangalore Bhakts and throughout the day were singing ‘gun-gaans’
of Rafi Saab. It was a SANGAM of Moosi, Coovam (I mean the river), Yamuna
and Cauvery. Our politicians are still talking about interlinking rivers,
but we Rafi Bhakts have already symbolically done that.

Others to send their comments were BG Raj, Ashok Dalmiya, Jagat Tarkas, Ravishankar, Satyendra, K S Ramachandran (aka Chandan), Suman Gupta, Achal Rangaswamy, Srinivas Iyer, etc. P Narayanan, the affable Rafi Bhakt known throughout the length and breadth of the country remarked that perhaps this was the only instance of fans of any legend organized such a grand event, just to be in the company of one another. S Chandar too sent in his comments though with a suggestion that we must have more time for singing and we must also maintain silence and listen to the songs when others are singing. Too many programmes resulted in lesser time for singing on the 14^th Nov 09 and yes, being the first time, we did have sometimes some extra noises when songs were going on. Many more have sent in their comments, sweet and short ones though. We could not accommodate the names of all our friends who were part of the RAFI HOLIDAY on the 14^th & 15^th November 2009 as also the complete list of songs rendered on these two days for lack of space here. The article has already become too lengthy and inclusion of all names, however much that we would have liked to do, would have resulted in this narration overshooting the space generally accepted for a brief article. Bina and Ramesh Kurpad have already aired their small write ups on this mega event wherein most of the names have been covered already. Zareefbhai has posted many photographs on this website which depict the various moods that the RAFI HOLIDAY presented on both the days.

EPILOGUE :

The stupendous success of RAFI HOLIDAY leads us to believe that we can have such events year after year and at many more centres in the country. Rafi Fans in other cities who get to read these may be interested in organizing such events within their area, so why not start now ? In the coming years we will be visiting you and also inviting you to be with us all. The concept of RAFI HOLIDAY is simple. It will be a congress of all the Rafi Bhakts with the sole intention of enjoying their holiday sinking in the depth of the most melodious of songs of Rafi Sahab. No speeches, no official functions, no garlandings. All the Rafi Bhakts are born equal and will remain so. That will be the forebearing principle on which such an exercise will be undertaken.

== हम दिल का साज़ बजाते हैं, दुनिया के होश उड़ाते हैं, हम सात सुरों के सागर हैं, हर महफ़िल में लहराते हैं. ==

रफ़ी साहब की पेश की हुयी इन पंक्तियों से मेरी इस व्याख्यान को विराम दे रहा हूँ और आपसे यही विनती है की भूल चूक को माफ़ कर, आप सभी हमारा साथ दे ताकि आने वाले वर्षों में देशभर के सभी रफ़ी भक्त वोह कार्य कर दिखाएँ जो रफ़ी साहब जैसी ही बेमिसाल और लाजवाब हो.

RAFI HOLIDAY

ADAAB RAFI TO ALL !!!

सभी रफ़ी भक्तो को स्नेह भरा "आदाब रफ़ी"

The curtains have finally come down for this year's RAFI HOLIDAY and wow !! what a stupendous start. Doston, we had always knew that it was going to be a big hit with all you folks, but the huge success of the event, with such active participation from one and all could not have been forecast to the last detail. The event is an eye opener in more than one sense. Yes, we are not ready to hold such meets of Rafi Bhakts and with each passing year we can also make several more innovations. Nothing can hinder our path friends, for we have seen that we have the will and the ways are aplenty ahead of us. Some of us have already started giving our feedback on adaabrafi (the e group). I had asked Guruji to write an article on the day's proceedings on 14th Nov itself but after discussing the same with him and Narayananji, the buck has fallen back on my doorstep. I would write certainly and write extensively on this very unique programme and just as the celebration of Rafi Sahab was executed with so much fun, galore, gumption - the bonds of friendship between the Rafi Bhakts from Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi were cemented with the choicest of songs of Rafi Sahab. This is too good an omen and the future will see more and more friends from other centres too join all of us in celebrating Rafi Sahab in our own unique style, year after year.

Doston, I would like you all to recount your experience of 14th/15th November 2009 and give your feedback. This will help me in shaping the two "hatke" articles for both www.mohdrafi.com and www.rafi.co.in (in the latter website, the write up will be in Hindi and English). Also, if BBR/Zareefbhai can send us the photos/videos (soft copies) we will be able to incorporate in the articles that I will be sending in a couple of days to both the websites. Also, BBR may please send me the list of participants from Bangalore (though I remember most names). I have readily the list of participants from Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai.

Finally friends, I could not broach up three topics as we were really short of time and they are too important for me to leave for some other time. About one of them I did speak very briefly - that of creating a new website of Rafi Fans which has a combination of the existing ones to post articles, to debate, etc and also other websites like www.midomi.com (or www.esnips.com) where one can record songs in our own voice. In the new website, we would encourage all to sing and record songs of Rafi Sahab so that all such Rafi-centric budding singers can be found on a single platform. We can also incorporate the "e book" of all the songs of Rafi Sahab that I think should be made as fast as possible (just the listing of songs, the movie from which it is taken, the year of release, lyricist, md, co-singers and the characters on whom the song is picturised on, etc.). Just by a click of a button, one should be able to locate these details in the same website.

The other two topics are : (1) Creating of Rafi-email id by all Rafi Bhakts. Many of us do have such an email id but many more do not. All of us must have such a distinct email id - it gives us a shade better introduction. Those of us who do not have such a Rafi-email id can easily create one and use your existing email ids for other purposes than topics on Rafi Sahab. Do give this a serious thought and get back to us with your new Rafi-email id. You can also then create your signature with a line or two from your favourite song of Rafi Sahab.

(2) Caller tunes on mobiles (I would look like a salesman for mobile companies, but I am insistent friends). When I dial some of you and am greeted by a lovely song of Rafi Sahab, it makes my day. So also, whenever even those not connected with Rafi Sahab's songs call me or some of you and find a song of Rafi Sahab greeting them, they would like to hear it more and would not want us to answer the call immediately. Invariably, I am told by many that I do have a wonderful caller tune. Downloading a caller tune is now so much in vogue that just plain ring tone looks too outdated and if it happens to be a song of Rafi Sahab - then it is "sone me suhaga".

By the time RAFI HOLIDAY knocks at our doors the next year, let us have more and more Rafi-bhakts joining us in our area and also in other cities where we have known friends.

Do come back with your feedback/experience of the RAFI HOLIDAY just gone by at Bangalore, which was full of enthralment to all of us.

ADAABRAFI once again,

A S MURTY