Punjab celebrates Rafi’s 87th birth anniversary

AMRITSAR: A statue of legendary singer Mohammed Rafi was unveiled in his ancestral village Kotla Sultan Singh to celebrate his 87th birth anniversary.Noted Punjab singers including Dolly Guleria and Shanker Sahni paid tribute to Rafi by singing his famous songs.The government school of Kotla Sultan Singh, where Rafi studied upto fourth standard, organised the festivities.Rafi was sent to Lahore while he was still a child and while working in his uncle’s barber shop, Rafi met director of Nishad studio of Lahore who gave him his first break. A memorial children park was also inaugurated in the singer’s memory.Born on Dec.24, 1924, Rafi is considered among one of the finest playback singers India ever had. In a career spanning four decades the singer sung more than 7,000 Hindi film songs and continues to be a favourite in all generations with his golden voice. Different groups of Rafi fans are celebrating the day in their own way. “With his vocals transcending all human barriers and frontiers, Rafi-ians, as we like to call ourselves, based in Mumbai have formed the Rafi Foundation since 2007 and strive to bring Rafi sahab’s music on a common platform,” said Binu Nair, the founder of the foundation. Nair said that a group of fans has already offered flowers at the Mohammad Rafi Chowk in Bandra in northwest Mumbai. “We will go to his residence where his three daughters and a son live and cut a cake in his honour,” he said.“We have also organised a musical evening in his honour where nearly 3,000 fans will enjoy the evening amid Rafi songs played by a 60-piece orchestra,” he added.Nair said at least 10 public shows have been organised in Rafi’s fond memory across Mumbai. “We have lost count of the private gatherings at residences of Rafi fans in his memory,” he said.Another big celebration is slated at Rang Sharda auditorium in Bandra organised by Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar.“We have been remembering Rafi sahab on his birth and death anniversaries and have been organising musical evenings since many years now.This is a small way to acknowledge his legendary contribution in the field of Indian music,” Shelar said.