You will never be able to forget me like this.

In Memory Of Legendary Singer Mohammed Rafi

Written By Shrikant 

It was July 31, some years ago... my steps led me to Juhu Cemetery... They say there should be a cemetery in the city where people can bury their memories... Perhaps that's why my steps brought me to Juhu Cemetery today...

Like a traveler reaching the left side, the destination of this grave is also very heavy...

There lies Madhubala's grave...

When I saw the grave, tears unknowingly flowed from my eyes... Seeing that grave, I remembered the lines written by my dear friend, poet Sanjay Bhise, about Madhubala's grave. Those words say so much about that grave...

Two coconut trees stand beside you, unknowingly surrounding the marble that encases your soil. A small plant has sprouted there.

On it, many buds have bloomed,

Perhaps they grew in your eyes.

And another is a thorny plant,

Perhaps it grew in your heart...

Next to this great actress lies the tomb of Rafi Sahab, where countless fans gather every year to celebrate his birth and death anniversaries. Near his tomb, a coconut tree stands... where Mohammed Rafi Sahab still rests in his tomb. When I went near his tomb, my heart grew heavy... and my hands instinctively joined in respect...

Rafi ji, you are here, you are in this sky... we always feel your presence... "You are somewhere nearby, friend"...

What must that day have been like... my mind traveled back in time... July 31, 1980, the month of Ramadan, a huge crowd gathered at Juhu Crematorium, thousands amassed, as if the entire sky and earth trembled for that tragic moment... The tears in the eyes of those present wouldn’t stop... In the month of July, there was mud everywhere... The sky poured down on the body of this great artist lying on the ground...

Suddenly, it started raining... Countless umbrellas were opened to stop the rain... but no one could stop the tears in the eyes that day...

You saw me, and I felt pity,

The earth stopped, the sky stopped...

Beloved, my heart, my soul,

You saw me...

That day, the messenger of the divine voice must have been called back to heaven, with Mohammed Rafi’s funeral procession leading the way. The entire sky must have been weeping... I recalled a Marathi devotional song by Rafi...

I became unconscious and performed that ritual where everything vanished in that moment.

Now, tears flow endlessly from my eyes...

Let no one see my desolate heart... To this singer of the divine voice,

Today, on July 31, on his death anniversary, I pay my heartfelt tribute by offering 'Khiraaj-e-Aqeedat' at his grave in Juhu.

My heart is tormented again today,

That scene has come before me,

When people carried your funeral,

Mohammed Rafi, you are deeply missed...

In the film Shola Aur Shabnam, Kaifi Azmi writes a song for Rafi...

"What are these eyes searching for? There is neither a flame nor a spark in the pile of ashes."

Truly, in Rafi’s ashes, there is no flame of emotions, no spark of regret, and now,

What will happen if we dig up that ground? There is no way to find any form of life where Rafi is buried in the heart and mind...

Rafi ji, how many evenings must have passed since you left,

But Rafi ji, you are still among us... even today...

I still remember the music of your last song for the film Aas Paas, composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal...

"तेरे आने की आस है दोस्त,

शाम फिर क्यों उदास है दोस्त,

महकी महकी फिजां ये कहती है,

तू कहीं आसपास है दोस्त"

"There is hope for your arrival, friend,

Why is the evening so sad, friend?

The fragrant air says,

You are somewhere nearby, friend..."

Rafi is not among us today, but all his songs make us feel that he is with us today... After all, a true artist is one who enriches society through art and inspires people to live better lives...

"You will never be able to forget me like this,

Yes, you will never be able to forget me like this.

Whenever you hear my songs,

You will hum along with them.

Yes, you will never be able to forget me like this..."

Mohammed Rafi was a renowned singer of Indian cinema. He is considered one of the greatest singers of the Indian subcontinent.

There is a village near Amritsar. In his childhood, his father used to call him 'Fiko.' Listening to a fakir who passed by their house daily, Rafi began singing by imitating him.

In 1935, Rafi’s elder brother, Mohammed Deenu, worked as a barber in Lahore, Pakistan. There, his friend noticed young 'Fiko' Rafi’s talent and encouraged him to sing.

Later, in 1944, Mohammed Rafi came to Mumbai. There, to learn the nuances of singing, he studied classical music under Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jeevan Lal Mattu, and Firoz Nizami. At the age of thirteen, Mohammed Rafi sang at an institute in Lahore.

Mohammed Rafi married twice. His first marriage was to Begum Bashir. After the partition of India, his wife refused to stay in India, but he remained. From this wife, he had a son named Saeed. He later married again. In total, he had four sons and three daughters.

He earned a unique identity in the Hindi film industry through his own merit. He received 6 Filmfare Awards and 1 National Filmfare Award. In 1967, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri Award.

Mohammed Rafi sang numerous songs in Hindi as well as in many other languages. His music is still cherished today.

His Marathi songs are still considered of high quality. The trio of music director Shrikant Thakre, lyricist Vandana Vitankar, and singer Mohammed Rafi created ten to twelve songs that drove music lovers crazy. All those songs became immensely popular. Free yourselves from this essence, friends! This is reason enough, seek humanity, apply this melody to your soul. Seek humanity, oh sorrowful soul, beggar, play your game, no rituals, no grand palaces, you are the stars in the light, Lord, you are merciful, my desolate heart, how can it sing such rare songs, this mind today... and oh, my dear, the support of the river has brought a heavy storm... this Koli song with Pushpa Panghadhare. He sang all Marathi songs with perfect pitch... Some years ago, Anuradha Paudwal was honored with the Mohammed Rafi Award, and at that time, she said:

"At some point, God must have felt like singing a song, and that’s why He sent Mohammed Rafi among us." "It feels like God sang through Rafi Sahab’s voice, and listening to it is our privilege," Anuradha ji expressed her gratitude toward Rafi in a very fitting way.

Naushad says...

"Your melodies echo in the palaces of the rich and the huts of the poor, your voice is there..."

Mohammed Rafi was not only a divine-voiced singer but also a great human being...

Poet Pahadi Deep says about Mohammed Rafi:

On his death anniversary today, a heartfelt tribute to this divine-voiced singer...

Recall the song sung in anger by Mohammed Aziz...

These few lines of that song will offer him a true tribute...

तुम्हारे जैसा फनकार नहीं

तेरे बाद आया

तुम्हारे जैसा फनकार नहीं

तुम्हारे आने के बाद...

मोहम्मद रफ़ी तू

बहुत याद आया...

हम जाएँगे

मुसाफ़िर है सारे

मुसाफ़िर है सारे

मगर एक शिक्षक है

लब पे हमारे

तुम कितने हो जल्द ही

खुदा ने बुलाया

मोहम्मद रफ़ी तू

बहुत याद आया

मोहम्मद रफ़ी तू

बहुत याद आया…

"There is no artist like you,

None came after you.

There is no artist like you,

After your arrival...

Mohammed Rafi, you are deeply missed..."

We will go,

All are travelers,

All are travelers,

But there is a teacher,

On our lips,

How soon God called you,

Mohammed Rafi, you are deeply missed,

Mohammed Rafi, you are deeply missed...

A tribute to this great singer with a divine voice on his death anniversary.