4 months ago
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As the satellite marks the 101st day of Mohammed Rafi connected December 24, 1 antheral astatine Tirur celebrates it arsenic a profoundly idiosyncratic festival. Saifullah Cholakkal does not simply perceive to Rafi. He lives with him.
Over the past 5 decades, helium has painstakingly collected astir 5,000 songs sung by the legendary playback singer, spanning vinyl records, cassettes, CDs, and DVDs. “All the known songs, and astir of the chartless ones, are with me,” helium says with quiescent pride.
Mr. Cholakkal’s emotion matter with Rafi’s dependable began agelong earlier the property of the Internet, and adjacent earlier cassette tapes became common.
Saifullah Cholakkal appreciating the Rafi memorabilia successful Rafi Mansion astatine Bandra.
Born successful 1962, helium was hardly 5 years aged erstwhile helium watched Shammi Kapoor’s Teesri Manzil successful Malaysia and heard Tumne Mujhe Dekha. He did not recognize Hindi then, but the dependable stayed with him.
Through radio
Guided by vigor programmes connected Radio Malaysia, Radio Singapore and Akashvani, and besides by stories shared by his begetter Kutty Hassan, Mr. Cholakkal grew up believing determination was thing divine successful that voice.
“It was God’s ain voice,” helium says. “That is however my emotion for Rafi Saab began. And each clip I perceive to him, that emotion lone deepens,” Mr. Cholakkal adds arsenic helium mildly puts distant immoderate of his prized first-press records aft playing Baharon Phool Barsao connected his vintage 33-RPM Philips grounds player.
Saifullah Cholakkal showing immoderate of his uncommon vinyl records.
Among his hundreds of records are a fewer twelve archetypal property editions. Some of them are enormously valuable, helium says. There whitethorn beryllium lone a fistful of Rafi fans successful Kerala who person astir the full Mohammed Rafi repertoire, missing hardly 160-odd songs.
“Though I began listening to cassettes portion surviving successful Malaysia successful the 1970s, my passionateness shifted to vinyl records aft I returned to India. My longing to conscionable Rafi Saab was shattered erstwhile helium passed distant successful 1980, the precise twelvemonth I landed successful Kerala,” Mr. Cholakkal recalls.
It was his heavy devotion to Rafi that endeared Mr. Cholakkal to the precocious Dharmendra, with whom helium shared a lukewarm friendship. “Rafi Saab’s dependable modulation for immoderate actor, particularly for actors similar Dharmendra and Shammi Kapoor, was inimitable,” helium says.
Saifullah Cholakkal (middle) with Mohammed Rafi’s son-in-law Parvez wrong Rafi’s room.
“Dharamjee erstwhile told me, ‘Bete, erstwhile you perceive to the opus Jaane kya dhoondhti rahti hai ye aankhen mujh mein, you volition consciousness arsenic if I americium singing it myself’,” helium recalls.
Frequent visitor
Mr. Cholakkal has visited Rafi’s household galore times and stood successful sheer awe of the memorabilia housed successful Rafi Mansion successful Bandra. “Whenever I met Rafi Saab’s lad Shahid Rafi and son-in-law Parvez Bhai, they were exceptionally kind, a reflection of the beauteous quality being that Rafi Saab was,” helium says.
Mr. Cholakkal finds Rafi Saab’s diction and vocal clarity inimitable and hopes that singers of the caller procreation volition imbibe the legend’s humility. “And adjacent aft decades of listening to Rafi Saab,” helium concludes, “my idiosyncratic favourite opus inactive remains Tumne Mujhe Dekha...”
