Legendary playback singer Mohammed Rafi was remembered worldwide today on his 36th death anniversary. Mohammed Rafi is considered one of the most versatile singer that India has produced. Mohammed Rafi’s village Kotla Sultan in Amritsar, Punjab remembered him on his death anniversary, with scores paying a tribute to him. A number of Rafi’s fans thronged to pay tribute. Here are 6 things to know about Mohammed Rafi:
1.Mohammed Rafi was born in Kotla Sultan, which is about 30 kms from Amritsar in Punjab and about 250 kms from here. Born on December 24, 1924, Rafi died in Mumbai on July 31, 1980 following a massive heartattack.
2. The first public performance of Mohammed Rafi, who began singing by chanting the notes that a ‘fakir’ sung in his village, came as a teenager, when he was allowed to sing at a concert featuring the legendary K L Saigal.
3. Mohammed Rafi later went on to lend his voice to Bollywood megastars including Amitabh Bachchan, Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Dev Anand and Rishi Kapoor in his career as a successful playback artist.
4. Mohammed Rafi had numerous hit songs to his credit including several duets with famous playback singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.
5. Working with music directors like O P Nayyar, Laxmikant Pyarelal and R D Burman, Mohammed Rafi delivered some evergreen hits including “Yeh duniya yeh mehfil”, “Chura liya hai tumne”, “O haseena”, “Tum jo mil gaye ho” and “Aaj mausam bada beimaan”.
6. Mohammed Rafi was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1967.