India’s legendary singer, Mohammed Rafi’s musical legacy continues to inspire and enchant Indians even today. Honouring the man with the ‘golden voice’ on his 94th birth anniversary
India’s musical genius, Mohammed Rafi will be cherished forever in the world of Indian music as his melodies continue to inspire and captivate. The man with the golden voice was born in Punjab on December 24, 1924, marking today as his 94th birth anniversary.
Many Indian iconic songs like ‘Kya Hua Tera Vadaa?’, ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’, ‘Uden Jab Jab Zulfe Teri’, and ‘Aaj Mausam Bada Beimaan Hain’ were all voiced by Mohammed Rafi. The singer covered a myriad of musical genres, ranging from patriotic and tragic to highly romantic and peppy, from qawwalis and ghazals to ‘bhajans’ (religious melodies) and classical songs.
Throughout his career, the singer received many honours and awards. He won six Filmfare Awards, a National Award and even a Padma Shri in 1967, awarded by the Government of India. The legendary singer passed away in 1980, however, his legacy did not fade away. In 2001, Mohammed Rafi was given the “Best Singer of the Millennium” title and in 2013, he was voted for the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema in the CNN-IBN’s poll.
The Indian legend sang in over a thousand Hindi-language films, however, his work was not bound by language. The singer went on to voice songs in several Indian regional languages, including Punjabi, Bengali, Konkani, Assamese, Gujarati and others. He also voiced the English-language song, ‘The She I Love’. Apart from this, Mohammed Rafi voiced foreign language songs in Arabic, Dutch, Farsi, Sinhalese, and Creole.
The memory of the singer is forever preserved in the 2015 book, ‘Golden Voice of the Silver Screen’ by Mohammed Rafi’s son, Shahid Rafi and Indian author, Sujata Dev. Almost four decades after his passing, Mohammed Rafi’s voice continues to live in the hearts of those who were moved by his soulful voice.
