When we talk about music, poetry cannot be ignored and if we talk about poetry , then there is always a tendency of poets to paint a “larger than life” picture through their words!  Hence, I have taken the liberty of using the somewhat exaggerated  title for this blog! The moods and genres in  music obviously cannot be infinite. But when it comes to Rafi Sahab , like how he used to keep improvising certain phrases or words in his songs, I am stretching it a bit more to call it infinite variety!

24^th December 2022 is the 98^th birth anniversary of Mohammad Rafi Sahab  -a great singer and an even greater,  humble human being. It is also the first anniversary of my blog “ music unrestricted”.  Having started off on 24^th Dec 2021 with a blog on some of the extra-ordinary songs of Rafi , I had written  about many music composers, singers & lyricists in the last one year both in Hindi & Tamil film music. But it is always a pleasure for me to come back to  my most favourite singer -Rafi.

What better way to remember him just two years before we celebrate his centenary, than to look at some of the different genres that he sang with so much of passion and dedication. So, without wasting much time , let us look at the variety that he rendered through his fabulous singing. These select eleven songs will surely give you an idea about the immense versatility Rafi Sahab had in his singing.  Each song has a different Rafi!

The moods/genres are randomly listed here , with each one having the song /film/release year/music director/ lyricist / singer(s)/ actor on whom the song is picturized.

1.  Folk

पिपरा के पटवा सरीके ढोले मनवा की जियरा में उठत हिल्लोर: Pipra ke patwa sarike dhole manwa ke jiyara mein uthat hillor/Godaan/1963/Pt Ravishankar/Anjaan/Rafi/ Mehmood

A rarely played and heard song , this is a hidden gem from the film Godaan that was based on the great Hindi novelist Munshi Premchand’s story. Pandit Ravishankar , the veteran Sitar artist and musical wizard composed music  for only three Hindi films-Godaan, Anuradha and Meera. All the films had fabulous songs. Long before the lyricist Anjaan became famous in the 1970’s with his songs in association with Kalyanji Anandji, he had written this superb Bhojpuri song , rendered with gusto by Rafi. For a person hailing from Punjab, the ease with which he had sung this Bhojpuri number isremarkable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8TXEm8KVm8

2. Happiness

अफ्फू खुदा -तुमको हमपे प्यार आए प्यार आया :Affoo Khuda -Tumko Hum Pe Pyaar aaya/Jab Jab Phool Khile/1965/Kalyanji Anandji/Anand Bakshi/Rafi/ Shashi Kapoor

In present generation’s lingo, one can say this is  Rafi-unplugged . Having understood that the rich heroine is in love with him, the character , Raja , played by Shashi Kapoor is in raptures and is dancing away in  joy . One can hear his exuberance in Rafi’s tone and at one point in the second antaraa he goes into a rap  starting with :

मरना जीना , खाना पीना , हंसना रोना

नहाना धोना ,सोना उठना ,चलना फिरना

आना जाना हम दीवानों ने मोहब्बत में भुलाया

…….and goes on in a single breath and then he goes on to play around with the word  हमको in the line हमको तुमसे प्यार आया प्यार आया  after that in his typical style.

No wonder Kalyanji-Anandji had their major breakthrough in their career with  Rafi’s exceptional singing in the film Jab Phool Khile.

        3. Devotion

आना है तो आ राह में कुछ फेर नहीं है :Aana hai to aa raah mein kuch pher nahin hai/Naya Daur/1957/O P Nayyar/Sahir Ludhianvi/Rafi/Background

If one hears this song immediately after listening to the  boisterous Aaffoo Khuda , one can easily understand why Rafi sahab was known for his immense versatility. This sublime, devotional song  has a complete change  in the tone and style of singing. Starting  off with the typical pitch for which he is well known , Rafi expertly conveys the feeling of providing  solace to the listener , reassuring “ Bhagwan ke ghar der hai, andher nahi hai”. It is very rare to listen to a bhajan composed by the rhythm king O.P Nayyar . With a great collaboration with Sahir ( that unfortunately ended with this film), O.P.Nayyar gave his career best songs in this movie.

In his personal life Sahir was not a theist but can we believe that if we listen to the lines written by him in this song?

          4. Desh Bhakti/Patriotism

 ऐ वतन ऐ वतन हमको तेरी कसम :Ae Watan Ae Watan Humko Teri Kasam / Shaheed /1965/ Prem Dhawan -written and composed /  Rafi /Manoj Kumar

The life story of Shaheed Bhagat Singh will move anyone to tears for the  bravery and  sacrifice  shown by him  at such a young age.  Rafi brings to life the passion Shaheed Bhagat Singh had for our country with his impeccable singing. If one can listen keenly to this song composed and written by the veteran Prem Dhawan , the boldness and conviction  in Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s life comes out so prominently in the tune, lyrics, and the superb rendition by Rafi.

There may  be many singers who are talented musically , capable of intricate alaap,taan, murki etc, but the ability of Rafi to get into the soul of the song is one thing that was so unique to him. Personally, I would always say there was very little competition to him in this aspect.

         5. Sadness

कोई सागर दिल को बहलाता नहीं : Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin -Dil Diya Dard Liyai-1966/Naushad/Shakeel Badyuni/Rafi/Dilip Kumar

Although the film Dil Diya Dard Liya turned out to be a rare flop for the veteran actor Dilip Kumar, it had fabulous songs like the title song दिल दिया दर्द लिया, गुज़रें है आज इश्क़ में, सावन आये या न आये  etc.

Rafi adds that extra drawl in the word “ सागर’” and that alone lifts the song to a different level! With his mentor Naushad creating an impeccable tune and Naushad’s eternal lyricist Shakeel Badayuni chipping with some superb lines like this , what more is needed!

ज़िन्दगी के आईने को तोड़ दो

इसमें अब कुछ भी नज़र आता नहीं

         6. Classical—Raag Bhairavi

नाचे मन मोरा मगन तीखता  धीगि धीगि: Nache man mora magan/Meri Surat Teri Aankhen/1963/S.D. Burman/Shailendra/Rafi/Ashok Kumar

The film Meri Surat Teri Ankhen revolves around the story of a child who is abandoned by his father at birth as he is ugly. The child is brought up by someone else and becomes a singer. This song is picturized in a situation where he is singing in the stage but hidden away from the limelight so that his ugly face is not visible. This Bhairavai raag based song  is one of the best  compositions of Sachin Dev Burman. Tabla played by the veteran Samta Prasad is simply outstanding. Rafi had that uncanny quality of moulding his voice to the actor on whom the song is picturized and in this one can clearly note the way he had sung for Ashok Kumar who had a unique voice and style of dialogue delivery. Apart from that  modulation to suit Ashok Kumar’s voice , he goes on to carry the  classic alaap with ease  and then towards the end , when the dancer switches on the light and Ashok Kumar’s face is exposed,  there is a  sudden panic which is so subtly executed  by the maestro Rafi. Should we say he was equally an actor and a singer ?!

7. Romance

ऐ फूलों की रानी बहारों की मल्लिका : Ae phoolon ki raani baharon ki mallika /Aarzoo/1965/Shankar-Jaikishan/Hasrat Jaipuri /Rafi/Rajendra Kumar

This is one genre that is Rafi’s greatest strength. There are so many actors  for whom Rafi’s songs  played a major role in their career. He used to do the emoting part more than the actors themselves could do on screen with the famous modulations he was known for.

The way he sings न दिल होश में है , न हम होश में है  with that slight emphasis on “ sh” in होश, and again in तेरा लड़खड़ाना गज़ब हो गया , he sings that  लड़खड़ाना  in a drunken way. There is no limit to the way Rafi picks up few phrases and keeps improvising them to the best extent possible.

 8. Qawwali

ये माना मेरी जान मोहब्बत सजा है :Ye maana meri jaan mohabbat saza hai/ Hanste Zakhm/1973/Madan Mohan/Kaifi Aazmi/Rafi ,  Balbir Singh & Chorus /Naveen Nischol

Ideally,  I should have selected  his qawwali : ये इश्क़ इश्क़ है इश्क़ इश्क़ ( न तो कारवां की तलाश है ) as it is the mother of all qawwalis. Since I had written about that song quite in detail  in my blog on music composer-lyricist Roshan-Sahir duo, I do not want to repeat the same and hence  selected this lesser heard qawwali  from Hanste Zakhm. Madan Mohan is known more for his ghazals rather than qawwali, but being the wizard, he pulls off this one with a great amount of help from his favourite male singer, Rafi.

All serious followers of the golden era of Hindi film music must be aware that for many music directors , Rafi was mostly the first choice for qawwali. The energy that he brings to this genre is just infectious. The ups and downs that typically defines a qawwali is ,as the popular saying in Hindi goes – बाएं हाथ का खेल for Rafi. Madan Mohan, the perfectionist that he was, maintains the melody quotient also in this qawwali.

9. Seductive

मेरी दुनिया में तुम आयी : Meri Duniya Mein Tum ayee/ Heer Ranjha/1970/Madan Mohan/Kaifi Azmi/Rafi & Lata/Raj Kumar & Priya Rajvansh

If we look at the  personal traits  of Rafi sahab , one  would find it difficult to believe that he can  sing in such a sensuous or seductive tone. He was a pious man , who rarely talked and if at all he talked it would be just few words. But when he goes behind the microphone , he used to transform into a different person – who can shout with joy, cry, romance, pray  to God, become a child when he sings a song for kids and when it comes to conveying a sensuous feel in a romantic song, he could do that also with equal skill. That is why he was just a one-stop solution!

This song from Heer Ranjha is sung in a whisper by both Rafi and Lata. It is difficult to write about this song-one must simply close the eyes and get immersed into it.  I should not leave out another legend -Lata Mangeshkar for whom also such songs are generally rare , but she proves that she can sing like this also without over-doing it and even in a seductive tone, she maintains the dignity in her singing, which is something truly great.

10. Ghazal

दर्द मिन्नत कशे दवा न हुआ :Dard-E-Minnat Kashe/ Non Film Ghazal /Khayyam/Mirza Ghalib

Rafi’s films songs are so popular that they overshadow  his   hundreds of non-film ghazals, geet, nazm, bhajans, naats etc that remain relatively less heard.  These are real gems for ardent fans of Rafi as we can hear him in his true form. There was no constraint of  modulating his voice to suit the actor on whom film songs were picturized and so in these songs one can hear the true voice of Rafi!

One such masterpiece is this evergreen Mirza Ghalib’s ghazal and I have included this mainly to bring out this  aspect of his singing . Music is composed by Khayyam for  whom Rafi had an album consisting of many such non film ghazals and bhajans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m79p0Fco8Eo&list=PLNVIn_vng3pqVLhcIm4s9SuQnGSBlBXvY&index=11

11. Lullaby

में गाऊं तुम  सो जाओ  : Mein gaaon tum so jao/Brahmachari/1966/Shankar Jaikishan/Shailendra/Rafi/Shammi Kapoor

Apart from all the various moods I just mentioned above, yes, Rafi can also sing a lullaby to kids like a mother .  The film Brahmachari had fabulous songs like : For the kids a playful छक्के में चक्का छक्के में गाडी  , a romantic आज कल तेरे मेरे प्यार  के चर्चे हर जुबां पर & तू बेमिसाल है तेरी तारीफ क्या करून,  a pathos-filled दिल के झरोंखों में तुझको बिठा कर and of course this great lullaby. In fact, the songs from this film alone would showcase the different genres  in Rafi’s singing  repertoire.

With excellent lyrics by the great legend Shailendra and composed so soulfully by the inimitable duo Shankar & Jaikishan, the way Rafi croons this in soft tone , with his signature touches in the phrases सुख सपनों में सो जाओ and also pleads with the kids “सो जाओ न” .

The last stanza in this song has these lines penned by  the great poet Shailendra  that seem to have been written for Rafi sahab.

जी करता है जीते जी  मैं यूहीं गाता  जाऊं

गर्दिश मैं थके हारों का माथा सेहलता जाऊं

Till 31^st July 1980 ,  he did provide solace to those who heard his songs after stressful day, like the last line . But even greater than that is he continues to provide the inner peace in this stressful world, even after 42 years of his untimely death.  All Rafi fans would agree that as long as  there is life and humanity in this earth, Rafi and his songs will always be alive.

Disclaimer:
The song links have been embedded from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.