Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Timeless magic of Mohammed Rafi

Eastern Eye celebrates the singer with a heaven-sent voice on his 43rd death anniversary by collecting tributes that have been paid to him across the decades from legends

Timeless magic of Mohammed Rafi

THIS week marks the death anniversary of one of Bollywood’s greatest male-playback singers Mohammed Rafi, who sadly passed away on July 31, 1980, after suffering a heart attack.

Despite being only 55 when he died, the magically voiced icon left behind a magnificent body of work that continues to entertain audiences and inspire music artists.


The thousands of songs, including alltime classics, remain a permanent part of popular culture and why he will always be remembered globally.

Lead inset manna dey mohd rafi 1 With Manna Dey

Eastern Eye decided to celebrate the singer with a heaven-sent voice by collecting tributes that have been paid to him across the decades from legends, including those who have passed away.

Manna Dey: He was such a gentleman. He was a better singer than me, and I will say this, that no one came even close to him. He deserved everything he got. We had a great understanding, and it was never about one-upmanship.

Asha Bhosle: The beauty of Rafi saab is that right from the door of the studios, he would start wishing everyone, ‘aadab’. He would never fight with anyone. If anyone said something to him, he would stay quiet and would not answer. I would get irritated. I would ask him why he would not answer back. He would then tell me to let it go, there was no point in replying. Woh Allah ke aadmi the (he was a man of god). He would never praise himself – the pride of his popularity would not even show on his face.

Lead inset Kishore kumar Rafi With Kishore Kumar

Sonu Nigam: Rafi saab is god to me. I have grown up listening to him and imitating him in my early years.

Kishore Kumar: I had great regard for Rafi – a singer of a rare calibre.

Jagjit Singh: Rafi saab had immense versatility and an ability to take on the personality of the hero on whom the song was filmed. Every time you hear a Rafi song, you see the hero, you can vividly put in place the situation and correctly access the mood.

Nitin Mukesh: Among his contemporaries, my father’s (Mukesh) favourite singer was Mohammed Rafi. He loved Rafi saab’s voice and believed that nobody could replace him.

Khayyam: Rafi saab was the pride of India. His voice and memories are still with us even though his body has left us.

Amitabh Bachchan: What can one possibly say on one that possessed perfection.

OP Nayyar: I loved Mohammed Rafi. His death was a big loss to me. When I composed for Shammi Kapoor or Johnny Walker, he managed to sound like them. He sang so many wonderful songs for me. Rafi miyan was a wonderful person. Nobody can ever be compared to him.

Lead inset Asha Bhosle Mohd Rafi 2f42d With Asha Bhosle

Raj Kapoor: In the world of music, the uncrowned king of singing has left us.

Manmohan Desai: Mohammed Rafi – I worship this man. I’ve been his greatest fan – I should call it ‘devotee’. Ever since I was a kid, I remember I used to go to his recordings, hear him, and I used to go and touch his feet. And then, when my films started, he sang all my songs. And I personally feel he died at a very young. I feel it was the voice of a god. And the gods wanted to hear him personally, that is why they took him up so young.

Naushad: He earned respect, and his popularity touched the sky. The magic of his voice enthralled the whole world. His popularity, respect and wealth all increased tremendously, yet he always remained modest. Like a fruit-bearing tree, the more he fructified, the more he bent in front of the world. His heart was filled with fear of god and the love for truth. Generosity and altruism were part of his system. god and truth were the only sources of inspiration for him.

Lead inset Lata Mangeshkar Mohd Rafi dt9 With Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar: What a voice. It could move mountains. When I sang with Rafi saab I had to be on my toes. His knowledge of the ragas and Hindustani classical sangeet made him formidable in the recording room. We took up very challenging compositions together and I’m proud to say we came out with flying colours.

Anand Bakshi: Even today when I write something I imagine how it would sound if Rafi saab had sung it. His place can never be filled again.

Laxmikant: He was a great human being. He would never ask what he was going to be paid for a song. Apart from waving off payments, he even helped producers financially. He’d help out the needy. He always gave without thinking of the returns. Once Rafi recorded six songs in a day for us. Imagine, he could memorise six songs in a day! And he could do this at live recordings and not through the easy dubbing method that’s on today.

The demand for Mohammed Rafi’s songs is phenomenal. No other singer, not even Lata Mangeshkar, has been able to attract such a tremendous following. It’s almost as if he were still alive.

Lead Mohammed Rafi 1

Shammi Kapoor: When I was told Rafi saab had passed away, I wept. I felt like my voice had been taken away. But he was immortal, and his beautiful voice will be there forever, with the melodious songs he left us. He sang them in a way only he could. I miss him dearly.

Pankaj Udhas: I remember there was heavy rain when I heard about the passing of Rafi it was as if the sky was weeping. Whatever you say about him will never be enough. All I can say is that it was a blessing to have met Rafi saab, heard him sing many times and seen him record. I feel fortunate to have made those moments with him. I listened to him since childhood and learned a lot listening to him.

Dilip Kumar: Mohammed Rafi had the god-given ability to mould and adapt his rendering of a number according to the given situation in the film, the characters, mood of the time, the overall nature and disposition of the character in the film and the milieu of the film.

Dev Anand: Rafi saab is indeed immortal and will always be around and in our hearts and soul. I admire his voice and range immensely.

More For You

Glowborne

Each character in the set has been carefully designed to reflect cultural narratives

Glowborne

Anika Chowdhury reimagines chess with Glowborne, reviving its South Asian and East African origins

Highlights:

  • British-Bangladeshi prop maker Anika Chowdhury has designed a handcrafted glow-in-the-dark chess set celebrating heritage and identity.
  • The limited-edition set, called Glowborne, launches on Kickstarter in October.
  • Each piece draws from South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African cultural references, re-rooting chess in its origins.
  • The project blends art, storytelling, and representation, aiming to spark conversations about identity in play.

Reimagining chess through heritage

When Anika Chowdhury sat down to sculpt her first chess piece, she had a bigger vision than simply redesigning a classic game. A British-Bangladeshi prop maker working in the film industry, she grew up loving fantasy and games but rarely saw faces like hers in Western storytelling.

“Chess originated in India, travelled through Arabia and North Africa, and was later Westernised,” she explains. “I wanted to bring those forgotten origins back to the board.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Piranhas’ police box

The piece was originally one of nine works that appeared across London in August 2024

Getty Images

Banksy’s ‘Piranhas’ police box heads to London Museum

Highlights:

  • Banksy’s ‘Piranhas’ artwork, painted on a police sentry box, is being stored ahead of display at London Museum.
  • The piece was originally one of nine works that appeared across London in August 2024.
  • It will form part of the museum’s new Smithfield site, opening in 2026.
  • The City of London Corporation donated the artwork as part of its £222m museum relocation project.

Banksy’s police box artwork in storage

A Banksy artwork known as Piranhas has been placed in storage ahead of its future display at the London Museum’s new Smithfield site, scheduled to open in 2026. The piece features spray-painted piranha fish covering the windows of a police sentry box, giving the illusion of an aquarium.

From Ludgate Hill to Guildhall Yard

The police box, which had stood at Ludgate Hill since the 1990s, was swiftly removed by the City of London Corporation after Banksy confirmed authorship. It was initially displayed at Guildhall Yard, where visitors could view it from behind safety barriers. The Corporation has since voted to donate the piece to the London Museum.

Keep ReadingShow less
DDLJ director Aditya Chopra earns UK Stage Debut Awards nod for 'Come Fall in Love'

Aditya Chopra (right) with his father, Yash Chopra

YRF

DDLJ director Aditya Chopra earns UK Stage Debut Awards nod for 'Come Fall in Love'

BOLLYWOOD filmmaker Aditya Chopra was last Thursday (21) named among the nominees of the UK Stage Debut Awards for his Come Fall in LoveThe DDLJ Musical, performed at Manchester’s Opera House earlier this year.

Chopra delivered a blockbuster in 1995 with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, popular as DDLJ, with Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan in the lead roles. It was adapted to a theatrical production and had its UK premiere in May.

Keep ReadingShow less
viral qawwali group UK tour

The group have introduced fresh orchestral elements and added instruments to expand their live sound

Qawwal Group

Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group brings viral energy and rich heritage to UK tour

Highlights:

  • The Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group return to the UK with a nationwide tour after viral success online.
  • The ensemble of brothers blend centuries-old qawwali traditions with fresh improvisations that connect with young audiences.
  • From Pakistan to the USA and UK, their performances have won acclaim for their electrifying energy and spiritual depth.
  • Fans can expect new instruments, reimagined classics, and the same message of love and harmony at this year’s shows.

From viral sensation to global stages

When a performance goes viral, it can change an artist’s career overnight. For the Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group, their stirring renditions of Bhar Do Jholi and B Kafara propelled them from local fame in Pakistan to global recognition, amassing millions of views across platforms. What set them apart was not just the power of their voices, but the way their music resonated with younger listeners who were hearing qawwali with fresh ears.

That viral momentum soon carried them beyond borders, leading to major performances in the United States and the UK. “It wasn’t just one track,” the group explained. “We revived older gems like Kali Kali Zulfon and Dil Pukare Aaja in our own style, and those went viral again, showing that qawwali still speaks across generations.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Annie Jagannadham

Born in 1864 in Visakhapatnam, Annie began medical studies at Madras Medical College, one of the few institutions in India then open to women.

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

How Dr Annie Jagannadham broke barriers in medicine

DR ANNIE WARDLAW JAGANNADHAM was the first Indian woman to gain a medical degree at a British university and have her name added to the UK medical register in 1890.

Her story has been revisited by the General Medical Council (GMC) as part of South Asian Heritage Month. Tista Chakravarty-Gannon, from the GMC Outreach team, explored her life with support from GMC archivist Courtney Brucato.

Keep ReadingShow less