December 2024 marks the birth centenary of Marhoom Janab Mohammed Rafi Saab. Many old and new videos have started circulating widely on YouTube and WhatsApp. Alongside this, live videos, audios and interviews are being watched by thousands of his fans.
His kind humanity, philanthropic nature, his contentedness and generosity and just generally the way that he lived his life – when we sum up all these, no one can deny that he was a God fearing and pious soul – a true gentleman in every sense.
Dear readers, now allow me to go off-topic for a reason that I will disclose towards the end of this write up.
There is a period of 35 years, between1945 to 1980 that is considered to be The Golden Era of Indian Film industry. During this period countless classic films were produced, and many of them have celebrated their Silver, Golden and even Diamond Jubilees. On a technical side, the main ingredient for the great success of these films was the quality of their Music. Even a movie that was otherwise weak, enjoyed huge success at the box office for its lilting music. To list the notable Composers, Lyricists and Singers at this point is irrelevant as they all made their names and became legends.
This Golden Period started declining and lost its shine after 1980. Although popular composers like Jaikishan, S D Burman, Madan Mohan had passed away in the 1970’s, there were still a good number of composers active in the field, but somehow their melodies lost the Midas touch. One only has to compare their songs of pre 1980 and post 1980 to realise this. Their music, which was once everlasting, became periodical and soon forgotten.
Among the hundreds of thousands of Mohammed Rafi Saab’s fans, there are also those who were born after he passed away. There isn’t any age barrier to this group. There are also some extreme ones that literally worship him. One such individual is Umesh Makhija who has specially set up a praying room, a temple in his house to worship him daily. Looking at this interview, one can only wonder at the influence that Rafi Saab still commands: https://youtu.be/VyWq-3MKReE?si=ggWH3C5iO8nyzhrH
Composer Naushad, in one of his Urdu verses, has said for Rafi Saab:
“Everyone is proud of their music, but my friend, today music is proud of you. The palaces of the rich reverberate with your songs, even in the huts of the poor, your voice is heard_”
As promised, the thought that made me write this article, is that Golden Period of Indian film industry and the filmy journey of Rafi Saab go hand in hand. Rafi Saab’s singing career started in 1945 and ended in 1980, exactly the same as the Golden Period of Indian film industry. Could there be any connections with this?
A single candle can light up an entire room, similarly a good soul will brighten the lives of those around him. I believe that the Golden Era was golden because of the presence of the Golden Voice. Once the voice passed away, the era lost its shine. My cherished reader, while I leave this for you to decide, please enjoy the following compilation of 100 excerpts of Mohammed Rafi Saab’s most unforgettable melodies:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IwifH4XlIwovOBn4QTtjUc2ATCGSDpGJ/view?usp=drivesdk
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Assalaamualaykum, very nicely and succinctly written article. I am sure many music lovers would agree with these thoughts. 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you for appreciation.
It’s a good boost for me.
-ak-