दिल का सूना साज़ तराना ढूंढेगा
तीर ए निगाहें नाज़ निशाना ढूंढेगा
मुझको मेरे बाद ज़माना ढूंढेगा…

I was about 4 years old when I started listening to hindi film songs. Those were the days of All India Radio and Doordarshan – Programs like Cibaca (Binaca) geet mala , “Fauji Bhaiyon ke liye” , Chitrahaar and Rangoli were eagerly awaited.

Very soon I had announced a list of some of my favourite songs to my friends – a list which included songs like “Kya hua tera wada” , “Kar chale hum fida” which was specially played on 15th Aug and 26th January , “Aadmi Musafir hai”…the list is long. Most of the songs in my list preceded with the AIR anchor saying “Pesh hai yeh nagma Mohammad Rafi ki Awaaz mein…”

The years that followed saw me transform into an ardent Rafi saheb fan who enjoyed “O duniya ke rakhwale” as much as he did “Mast baharon ka main aashiq”. Many years have passed since then, but to this date there is hardly a day which goes by without the voice of Rafi saheb reaching my ears. It’s become a ritual of some sorts I guess. Over the years , a lot has been read and discussed about the life of Rafi saheb – comparisons with Kishore Kumar , differences with Lata, comparisons with Ghantasala , ability to sing classical compositions , Kishore being the star in the seventies and so on…but what remains is the fact that Rafi saheb’s voice has been a way of life for many – a divine light in “ab mori binti suno bhagwan” and the pinnacle of romance in “mujhe choo rahi hain..”.