Sorry can mean:

"Sorry," an expression of regret or condolence

Sorry! (game), a board game

Sorry! (video game), the board game remade electronically

Sorry! (TV series), a 1980s British sitcom

Sorry (ごめん), aka Gomen, a 2002 Japanese Film

Sorry, a 2002 skateboarding video by Flip Skateboards

National Sorry Day an annual Australian event, dedicated to awareness of recent aboriginal history

Sorry (novel), 2007 novel by Gail Jones

In music:

Sorry (Bic Runga song), the sixth single from the album Drive

Sorry (Buckcherry song), a single by Buckcherry

Sorry, a song by the band Daughtry appearing on their eponymous album

Sorry (Easybeats song), a single by The Easybeats

Sorry (Grace Jones song), a single by Grace Jones

Sorry (Madness song), 2007 single by the band Madness

Sorry (Madonna song), the third track from Madonna's album Confessions on a Dance Floor

Sorry, a song by Status Quo on their album Thirsty Work

Sorry 2004, a single from Ruben Studdard

"Sorry", an Ashlee Simpson song featured as a bonus track on her Autobiography album

"Sorry", a song by pop-rock band, Jonas Brothers, from their third studio album, A Little Bit Longer

"Sorry", a song by Zion I from Deep Water Slang V2.0

"Sorry", a song by Ben Adams from his single album Sorry

"Sorry", a song by Guns N' Roses

See also

Regret (emotion)

I'm Sorry (disambiguation)

Sari

Name	Salman Khan
Caption	Salman Khan at the Jaan-E-Mann and UFO tie-up party (2006).
Birthname	Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan
Birth place	Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
Birthdate	December 27, 1965
Occupation	Film actortelevision presenter
Yearsactive	1988–present

Salman Khan (, }}, pronounced ; born Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan on 27 December 1965) is an Indian film actor. He has appeared in more than 80 Hindi films.

Khan, who made his acting debut with a minor role in the drama Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), for which he won a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He went on to star in some of Hindi cinema's most successful films of those times, such as Saajan (1991), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994), Karan Arjun (1995), Judwaa (1997), Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998) and Biwi No.1 (1999), having appeared in the highest earning films of seven separate years during his career.

In 1999, Khan won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his extended appearance in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), and since then has starred in several critical and commercial successes, including Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Tere Naam (2003), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), No Entry (2005), Partner (2007), Wanted (2009) and Dabangg (2010), which has become the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time. Khan has thus established himself as one of the most prominent, leading, and successful actors of Hindi cinema.

Biography

Career

1980s

Salman Khan made his acting debut in the 1988 film Biwi Ho To Aisi where he played a supporting role. His first leading role in a Bollywood movie was in Sooraj R. Barjatya's romantic family drama Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). The film went on to become one of India's highest grossing films. It also won him a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award, and a nomination for Filmfare Best Actor Award.

1990s

1990 saw only one film release starring Khan, , alongside southern actress Nagma. The film was a box office success, and was followed by another successful year in 1991 when he starred in three hit films, Patthar Ke Phool, Sanam Bewafa and Saajan. Despite these early successes, nearly all of his 1992-1993 releases resulted in box office failures. Apart from being a commercial success, the film was widely acclaimed and Khan was praised for his performance, earning his second nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare. Three more films released that year featured Khan, none of which making a significant impact on the box-office as was the case with the previously mentioned title. He did however win praise for his performance in Andaz Apna Apna, alongside co-star Aamir Khan, which has gained a cult status since its release. In 1995 he cemented his success with Rakesh Roshan's blockbuster Karan Arjun, co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan. In 2002 he starred in the delayed release Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam which was semi-hit at the box office.

Khan's following releases failed at the box office until he made a comeback in 2003 with Tere Naam. The film was a major earner and his performance was praised by critics, with film critic Taran Adarsh noting, "Salman Khan is exceptional in a role that fits him to the T. He breathes fire in sequences that demand uneasiness. But beneath the tough exterior lies a vulnerable person and this facet in particular comes to the fore in the latter reels. His emotional outbursts are splendid..." He subsequently continued his success at the box office, with comedies like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and No Entry (2005). He next appeared in his first Hollywood movie, opposite American actress Ali Larter. Telling the love story of an Indian man and an American woman, the film was a major failure, both commercially and critically.

Khan starred in three films throughout 2008, all of which underperformed, though his second film of the year, Heroes, met with praise from critics.

Khan hosted the second season of 10 Ka Dum in year 2009 which turned out to be even more successful than his first season as host of the game show in year 2008. The show got very high TRPs for Sony Entertainment Television and according to reports, the show helped Sony TV regain its third position in the Indian television ratings.

Khan's first film of 2009, Wanted directed by choreographer turned director Prabhu Deva was declared a smash hit in its first weekend of release itself. The action film turned out to be a huge success. The movie got more recognition for its slick action sequences performed by the actor himself. In the same year, he appeared in two other films, Main Aurr Mrs Khanna and London Dreams, both of which were failures at the box office.

His first release of 2010, Anil Sharma's Veer underperformed at the box office. Khan's recent film, Dabangg produced by his brother Arbaaz Khan, was released on September 10, 2010. It made a record opening at the box office and was declared an all time blockbuster and the second-highest grossing Indian movie of all-time.

Personal life

Khan is the eldest son of screenwriter Salim Khan and his first wife Salma Khan (maiden name Sushila Charak). His stepmother is Helen, a former Bollywood actress, who has co-starred with him in (1996) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). He has two brothers, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan, and two sisters, Alvira and Arpita. Alvira is married to actor/director Atul Agnihotri.

Khan finished his schooling through St. Stanislaus High School in Bandra, Bombay, as did his younger brothers Arbaaz and Sohail. Earlier, he studied at The Scindia School, Gwalior for a few years along with younger brother Arbaaz.

In 2004, he was voted seventh best-looking man in the world and the best looking man in India by People magazine, U.S. Khan has been involved in several charities during his career.

On 11 October 2007, Khan accepted an offer from Madame Tussauds wax museum in London to have a wax replica made of himself. His life-size wax figure was installed there on 15 January 2008, making him the fourth Indian actor to have been replicated as a wax statue in the museum.

Controversies

Legal troubles

On 28 September 2002, Salman was arrested for rash and negligent driving. His car had run into a bakery in Mumbai; one person who was sleeping on the pavement outside the bakery died and three others were injured in the mishap. Charges of culpable homicide were laid against him, but later dropped, and he was found not guilty. However, he will still have to stand trial for a series of lesser charges pertaining to the incident.

On 17 February 2006, Khan was sentenced to one year in prison for hunting an endangered species, the Chinkara. The sentence was stayed by a higher court during appeal. On 10 April 2006, Salman was handed a five year jail term for hunting the endangered Chinkara. He was remanded to Jodhpur jail, and remained there until 13 April when he was granted bail. On 24 August 2007, the Jodhpur sessions court, upheld the 5 year jail term for Khan in the Chinkara poaching case by turning down his appeal against the 2006 judgement. At the time of the hearing, he was busy with a shooting elsewhere, while his sister attended the proceedings. The day after, he was placed under police arrest in Jodhpur after a Rajasthan court upheld a prison sentence passed upon him for poaching. On 31 August 2007, Khan was released on bail from the Jodhpur Central jail where he spent six days.

Relationship troubles

His turbulent relationship with actress Aishwarya Rai was a well publicised topic in the Indian media, and had constantly filled gossip columns. After their break-up in March 2002, Rai accused him of harassing her. She claimed that Khan had not been able to come to terms with their break-up and was hounding her; her parents lodged a complaint against him.

In 2005, news outlets released what was said to be an illicit copy of a mobile phone call recorded in 2001 by the Mumbai police. It appeared to be a call in which he threatened his ex-girlfriend, Aishwarya Rai, in an effort to force her to appear at social events held by Mumbai crime figures. The call featured boasts of connections to organized crime and derogatory comments about other actors. However, the alleged tape was tested in the government's Forensic lab in Chandigarh, which concluded that it was fake.

Fatwas

In September 2007, a Muslim organisation issued a fatwa against Khan for attending a Ganesh puja. Stating that Islam prohibits idol worship, the organisation stated that unless Khan reads the kalma — the declaration of faith — all over again, he will not be considered a Muslim. In addition to that, Khan celebrated the Ganesh Mahotsav with his family in Bandra; they brought a Ganesh idol for one day for the sake of his stepmother, Helen. Khan was among the group who danced in the procession. His father responded by criticising the fatwa and stated that Salman had done nothing wrong.

Another fatwa was raised against Khan by a Muslim cleric in India, mufti Salim Ahmad Qasmi, for allowing Madame Tussauds in London to make a wax model of himself. The mufti said the statue is illegal and the Sharia forbids depictions of all living creatures. This created speculation in the press, as no fatwa was released against fellow Muslim, Shahrukh Khan who also has a wax model in the museum. Salman responded by saying, "These fatwas are becoming a joke".

The fatwa was raised upon Khan again in September 2008, for celebrating the Ganeshotsav Hindu ceremony at his home with the family. The fatwa was raised by the member of the Advisory Council, Jama Masjid, in New Delhi. On this occasion, his father, Salim, again questioned the fatwa and criticised those who raise it.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0; background:#f9f9f9; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse; " |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Other notes |- | 1988 | Biwi Ho To Aisi | Vicky Bhandari | |- | 1989 | Maine Pyar Kiya | Prem Choudhary | Winner, Filmfare Best Male Debut Award Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award |- | 1990 | | Saajan Sood | |- |rowspan="5"| 1991 | Sanam Bewafa | Salman Khan | |- | Patthar Ke Phool | Inspector Suraj | |- | Kurbaan | Akash Singh | |- | Love | Prithvi | |- | Saajan | Akash Varma | |- |rowspan="4"| 1992 | Suryavanshi | Vicky/Suryavanshi Vikram Singh | |- | Ek Ladka Ek Ladki | Raja | |- | Jaagruti | Jugnu | |- | Nishchaiy | Rohan Yadav/Vasudev Gujral | |- | rowspan="2" | 1993 | Chandra Mukhi | Raja Rai | |- | Dil Tera Aashiq | Vijay | |- |rowspan="4"| 1994 | Andaz Apna Apna | Prem Bhopali | |- | Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! | Prem Niwas | |- | Chaand Kaa Tukdaa | Shyam Malhotra | |- | Sangdil Sanam | Kishan | |- |rowspan="2"| 1995 | Karan Arjun | Karan Singh/Ajay | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award |- | Veergati | Ajay | |- |rowspan="4"| 1996 | Majhdhaar | Gopal | |- | | Raj | |- | Jeet | Raju | Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award |- | Dushman Duniya Ka |Special appearance | |- |rowspan="4"| 1997 | Judwaa | Raja/Prem Malhotra | |- | Auzaar | Inspector Suraj Prakash | |- | Dus | Captain Jeet Sharma | Incomplete film |- | Deewana Mastana | Special appearance as Prem Kumar | |- |rowspan="5"| 1998 | Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya | Suraj Khanna | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award |- | Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai | Suraj Dhanrajgir | |- | Sar Utha Ke Jiyo | | Special appearance |- | Bandhan | Raju | |- | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai | Aman Mehra | Winner, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor AwardSpecial appearanceShort snippet seen in the 2006 movie Outsourced ( and ) |- |rowspan="6"| 1999 | Jaanam Samjha Karo | Rahul | |- | Biwi No.1 | Prem | Nominated, Filmfare Best Comedian Award |- | Sirf Tum | Special appearance as Prem | |- | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam | Sameer Rafillini | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award |- | Hello Brother | Hero | |- | | Prem | |- |rowspan="5"| 2000 | Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge | Raja Oberoi | |- | Chal Mere Bhai | Prem Oberoi | |- | Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega | Raj/Romi | |- | Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke |Special appearance as a truck driver | |- | Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye | Prem Kapoor | |- | 2001 | Chori Chori Chupke Chupke | Raj Malhotra | |- |rowspan="3"| 2002 | Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge | Veer Singh Thakur/Ali | |- | Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam | Suraj | |- | Yeh Hai Jalwa | Raj 'Raju' Saxena/Raj Mittal | |- |rowspan="4"| 2003 | Love at Times Square | | Special appearance (song) |- | Stumped | | Special appearance (song) |- | Tere Naam | Radhe Mohan | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award |- | Baghban | Special appearance as Alok Raj | Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award |- |rowspan="4"| 2004 | | Inspector Arjun Ranavat | |- | Mujhse Shaadi Karogi | Sameer Malhotra | |- | Phir Milenge | Rohit Manchanda | |- | Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa | Rishabh | |- |rowspan="4"| 2005 | | Aditya | |- | Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? | Dr. Samir Malhotra | |- | No Entry | Prem | Nominated, Filmfare Best Comedian Award |- | Kyon Ki | Anand | |- |rowspan="4"| 2006 | Saawan... The Love Season | Special appearance as Bhagwan's Messenger | |- | Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar | Ayaan | |- | Jaan-E-Mann | Suhaan | |- | Baabul | Avinash Kapoor | |- |rowspan="5"| 2007 | | Rahul | |- | Partner | Prem Love Guru | |- | | Prem | English language film |- | Om Shanti Om | Special appearance as himself in song Deewangi Deewangi | |- | Saawariya | Imaan | |- |rowspan="4"| 2008 | God Tussi Great Ho | Arun Prajapati | |- | Hello | Special appearance as himself | |- | Heroes | Balkar Singh/Jassvinder Singh | |- | Yuvvraaj | Deven Yuvvraaj | |- |rowspan="4"| 2009 | Wanted | Radhe / Rajveer Shikhawat | |- | Main Aurr Mrs Khanna | Samir Khanna | |- | London Dreams | Mannu (Manjit Khosla) | |- | Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani | Special appearance himself | |- |rowspan="4"| 2010 | Veer | Veer | |- | Prem Kaa Game | Special appearance as The Sutradhaar (Narrator) | |- | Dabangg | Inspector Chulbul Pandey (Robinhood Pandey) | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award |- | Tees Maar Khan | Special appearance in song "Wallah Re Wallah" | Special appearance |- |rowspan="3"| 2011 | Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai | | Post-production |- |Ready | Prem | Filming |- | My Love Story | | Pre-production |}

Television presenter

10 Ka Dum (Season 1 & 2)

Bigg Boss (Season 4)

See also

List of Indian Actors

List of people from Madhya Pradesh

References

Further reading

External links

Category:1965 births Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian television presenters Category:Indian Muslims Category:People from Indore Category:Hindi film actors Category:Living people Category:Scindia School alumni Category:Bigg Boss

Name	Mohammed Rafi
Background	solo_singer
Born	December 24, 1924 Kotla Sultan Singh, Punjab, British India
Died	July 31, 1980 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Origin	Indian
Instrument	Vocalist
Genre	Indian classical, ghazal, playback singing
Occupation	Hindi and regional playback singer
Years active	1944–1980

Mohammed Rafi (, }}; December 24, 1924 – July 31, 1980), was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He won 5 National Awards and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

In a career spanning about 40 years, Rafi sang over 26,000 film songs. His songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans, and from slow melancholic tunes to fast fun filled songs. He had a strong command of Hindi and Urdu and a powerful range that could accommodate this variety. He sang in many Indian languages including Hindi, Konkani, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, Maghi, Maithili and Assamese. He also recorded a few English, Persian, Spanish and Dutch songs.

An article in Times of India, published on July 24, 2010 sums up his voice as, "If there are 101 ways of saying "I love you" in a song, Mohammed Rafi knew them all. The awkwardness of puppy love, the friskiness of teen romance, the philosophy of unrequited love and the anguish of heartbreak - he could explore every crevice of ardour. It wasn't just love, his voice could capture the navras of life - a failed poet's melancholy, a fiery unionist's vim, a debt-ridden farmer's despair, really anybody at all.Rafi, whose career spanned nearly four decades, was a singer for every season and every reason."

Early years and background

Mohammed Rafi was born the youngest of six sons of Hajji Ali Mohammad at Kotla Sultan Singh, a village near Amritsar in Punjab (British India). Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, started singing by imitating chants of a fakir in his village. It was his brother-in-law Mohammed Hameed who spotted the talent in Rafi and encouraged him. Rafi learnt classical music from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami.

Rafi's first public performance came at the age of 13, when he was allowed to sing at a concert featuring K. L. Saigal. In that same year, Rafi was invited by All India Radio Lahore station to sing for them. He made his professional debut in the Shyam Sunder-directed 1941 film Gul Baloch and the Bombay film, Gaon Ki Gauri, the following year.

Rafi also did brief roles in movies like Laila-Majnu (1945) and Jugnu. In Laila-Majnu, he was seen singing ‘tera jalwa’ as a part of the chorus.

Advent in Bombay

In 1944, Rafi moved to Bombay (now Mumbai),The brothers took up a ten-by-ten-feet room in the crowded downtown Bhendi Bazar area. Here poet Tanvir Naqvi introduced him to some of film producers including Abdur Rashid Kardar, Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer.

In 1948, after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the team of Husanlal Bhagatram-Rajendra Krishan-Rafi had overnight created the song ‘Suno suno ae duniyawalon, Bapuji ki amar kahani…’. and "Khabar Kisi ko Nahiin, woh kidhar Dekhte (Beqasoor, 1950), etc.

Recording career

He associated with many music directors of his time, most notably Naushad. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Rafi worked with other composers of the era such as O. P. Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan and S.D. Burman.

Association with Naushad

As per Naushad, Rafi came to him with a letter of recommendation from Naushad's father. Rafi’s first song for Naushad was "Hindustan ke hum hain" ("We belong to Hindustan") for the film Pehle Aap in 1944. The first song for the duo was the soundtrack of the movie Anmol Ghadi (1946). Before Rafi, Naushad’s favorite singer was Talat Mahmood. Once Naushad found Talat smoking during a recording. He was annoyed and hired Rafi to sing all the songs of the movie Baiju Bawra.

Rafi's association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi Cinema.

Association with S D Burman

S. D. Burman patronized Rafi as the singing voice of Dev Anand and Guru Dutt. Rafi worked with Burman in movies like Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Tere Ghar ke Saamne (1962), Guide (1965), Aradhana (1969), and Abhimaan (1973). S. D. Burman was also another music director besides Naushad who used Rafi prolifically to sing for most of his songs.

Association with Shankar-Jaikishan

Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan was a partnership in the Hindi film industry. Under Shankar-Jaikishan, Rafi produced some of his songs for actors like Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar. Out of six Filmfare awards, Rafi won three for S-J songs, viz., "Teri pyari pyari soorat ko", "Baharon phool barsao", and "Dil ke jharokhe mein". The song "Yahoo! Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe" was sung by Rafi, only to be matched a fast-paced orchestra and a composition by Shankar Jaikishan. S-J made Rafi give playback for Kishore Kumar in the film Shararat ("Ajab hai daastan teri yeh zindagi"). Rafi sang a total of 341 numbers (216 solo) for Shankar-Jaikishan.

Ravi and Rafi produced several other songs, in the films China Town (1962), Kaajal (1965), and Do Badan (1966).

Association with Madan Mohan

Madan Mohan was another composer whose favorite singer was Rafi. Rafi's first solo with Madan Mohan in Ankhen (1950), "Hum ishq mein barbad hain barbad rahenge". The song "Jawaaniyan yeh mast mast" and the title song "Yun to humne lakh hansee dekhe hain, tumsa nahin dekha" of the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha. They were followed by songs like "Taareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya" from Kashmir ki Kali.

Association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal

The composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) also patronized Rafi as one of their singers, right from their very first film, Parasmani (1963). Both Rafi and L-P won the Filmfare Awards for the song "Chahoonga main tujhe saanjh savere" from Dosti (1964). Rafi sang a total of 369 numbers (186 solo) for L-P. He sang for many male stars in Hindi films. In 1965, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Sri award. Rafi recorded two Hindi songs in English on 7" release in 1968. He also sang a song in Creole while on his visit to Mauritius in the late 1960s. Later, at the insistence of S. D. Burman, the two decided to reconcile and sing duets.

Guiness World Records

During his last years, Rafi was involved in a controversy over Lata Mangeshkar's introduction in to the Guinness Book of World Records. In a letter dated June 11, 1977 to the Guinness Book of World Records, Rafi had challenged the claim that Lata Mangeshkar has recorded the maximum number of songs ("not less than 25,000" according to Guinness). After receiving a reply from Guinness, in a letter dated November 20, 1979, he wrote: "I am disappointed that my request for a reassessment vis-a-vis Ms Mangeshkar's reported world record has gone unheeded.".

In an interview to BBC recorded in Nov 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then. According to the available figures, Rafi has sung 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980.

At the same period Kishore Kumar's popularity increased due to the songs he sang, controversially, for the film Aradhana in Mohd Rafi`s absence during Rafi's Hajj pilgrimage in 1969. The music for Aradhana was composed by S. D. Burman, and he had used Rafi as the male playback voice for the first two recorded duets, "Baaghon Mein Bahaar Hai" and "Gunguna Rahen Hain Bhanwre". Some of Rafi's songs of the early 1970s were with music directors like Laxmikant Pyarelal, Madan Mohan, R. D. Burman and S. D. Burman. These include "Tum mujhe Yun Bhula na Paoge" (a signature song of Rafi in 1971) from Pagla Kahin Ka, "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" from Heer Ranjha (1970), "Jhilmil Sitaron ka" from Jeevan Mrityu (a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, 1970), "Gulabi Aankhen" from The Train (1970), "Yeh Jo Chilman Hain" and "Itna to Yaad Hain Mujhe" from Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971), "Mera mann tera pyasa" Gambler, "Chalo Dildar Chalo" from 1972 released Pakeezah, "Chura Liya Hain Tumne" from Yaadon Ki Baarat (a duet with Asha Bhosle, 1973), "Na tu Zameen Ke liye" from 1973 released Dilip Kumar movie Dastan, "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho" from Hanste Zakhm (1973), "teri bindiya re", from Abhimaan(1973) and "Aaj mausam bada beimaan hai" from Loafer (1973).

Later years

Rafi made a comeback as a leading singer in the mid-1970s. In 1974, he won the Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song "Teree Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Qadam Aaj Ke Baad" (Hawas, 1974) composed by Usha Khanna. His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" (Aas Paas), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death. He was survived by four sons (Saeed Rafi, Khalid Rafi, Hamid Rafi, Shahid Rafi), three daughters (Parveen, Nasreen, Yasmin) and 18 grandchildren.

Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people attending.

In 2010, his tomb was demolished to make space for new bodies. Fans of Mohammed Rafi who arrive twice a year at his tomb, on December 24 and July 31, to mark his birth and death anniversary, use the coconut tree nearest to his grave as a marker.

He was a teetotaller, a highly religious and extremely humble person. He was a devout Muslim. Once, when a lesser-known composer Nisar Bazmi (who had migrated from Pakistan) didn’t have enough money to pay him, Rafi charged a fee of one rupee and sang for him. He also helped producers financially. As Laxmikant (of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo) once observed – “He always gave without thinking of the returns”.

Legacy

The government of India announced a two-day public holiday on his death, honouring him.

Rafi's song from the film Gumnaam (1965), "Jaan Pehechan Ho", was used on the soundtrack of Ghost World (2001). The film opens with the lead character dancing around in her bedroom to a video of Gumnaam.

His "Aaj Mausam Bada Beiman Hai" is featured in the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding.

His song "Mera Man Tera Pyasa" (Gambler, 1970) has been used as one of the soundtracks in the Jim Carrey-Kate Winslet starrer Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). This song is played in the background in Kate Winslet's character's home while the lead pair are having a drink - at approx 00.11.14 runtime.

Several of Rafi's unreleased songs will be used for an upcoming film titled Sorry Madam.

A documentary about Rafi’s life is under production by The Films Division of India.

In the summer of 2008, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra released a double CD entitled Rafi Resurrected comprising 16 songs by Rafi. Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam provided the vocals for this project and toured with the CBSO in July 2008 at venues including the English National Opera in London, Manchester's Apollo Theatre and Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

The Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai and Pune (extending MG Road) is named after Rafi. The same Poll voted "Man re, tu kahe na Dheer Dhare" (Chitralekha, 1964), sung by Rafi as the #1 song. Three songs tied up for the #2 place and two of them were sung by Rafi. The songs were "Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hain" (Guide, 1965) and "Din Dhal Jaye, hai raat na jaye" (Guide, 1965).

This poll was published in Outlook Magazine, the jury of which included many people in the Indian music industry; Abhijeet, Adesh Srivastava, Alisha Chinai, Anu Malik, Ehsaan, Gulzar, Hariharan, Himesh Reshammiya, Jatin, Javed Akhtar, Kailash Kher, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Khayyam, Kumar Sanu, Lalit, Loy, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Mahendra Kapoor, Manna Dey, Prasoon Joshi, Rajesh Roshan, Sadhna Sargam, Sameer, Sandesh Shandilya, Shaan, Shankar, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam and Talat Aziz.

In an article in Times of India, Rafi is described as "a versatile singer, who could render classical, rock and roll, indeed any kind of song with ease, he was Hindi film's favourite male voice through the 1950s and 1960s". Music director Rajesh Roshan, who composed some of the songs with Rafi, remembers him as "a warm-hearted simple person with no ego".

Music lovers have appealed to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award)

Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor said, "I am incomplete without Mohammad Rafi. I used to often go for the recoding of my song, which was sung by Mohammad Rafi, only because I used to like telling him how I would perform on this song on screen so that he can sing it that way. Even he liked my involvement".

On September 22, 2007, a shrine to Rafi designed by artist Tasawar Bashir was unveiled on Fazeley Street, Birmingham, UK. Bashir is hoping that Rafi will attain sainthood as a result.

Singers like Shabbir Kumar, Mohammed Aziz and, more recently, Sonu Nigam, who made a name by adopting his style, perhaps owe their entire careers to Rafi.

After his death, seven Hindi movies have been dedicated to Mohd Rafi; Allah Rakha, Mard, Coolie, Desh-Premee, Naseeb, Aas-Paas and Heeralal-Pannalal.

Personal life

In 1945, Rafi married his cousin Bilquis, in his village. He was very much a family man, following a recording-room to home to recording-room itenerary. He never attended filmy parties, did not smoke or drink. He used to perform his riyaz (musical practise) from 3 AM to 7 AM without fail. His only indulgences were playing carom and badminton and flying kites. Rafi has rendered the maximum number of songs for the music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal—a total of 369 numbers, 186 of them being solos. The song “ajab hai dasta teri ae zindagi…” was first given to Kishore Kumar to sing and he sung the first half of antara but in the second half, he faced some trouble and after many retakes, he was unable to give the effect that Shankar Jaikishan wanted, and finally the song was given to Rafi to sing. A man, sentenced to be hanged until dead, was asked what his last wish was. The man asks that he be allowed to listen to “O duniya ke rakhwale, sun dard bare mere naale; jeewan apna wapas lele, jeewan dene wale“. During a concert in Raipur with Shankar-Jaikishan, the audience kept on demanding "once more".. Even the musicians in the orchestra were tired. Finally, Rafi sang five songs with just Harmonium as a musical instrument. Then, he sang the National Anthem In the earlier years, Filmare used to have only One Best Singer Award (no distinction between a male or female singer). Rafi won it six times.

Awards

; Honorary 1948 - Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day. | "Chahunga Main Tujhe" | Dosti | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri |- | 1966 | "Babul Ki Duaae " | Neel Kamal | Bombay Ravi | Sahir Ludhianvi |- | 1977 Winner: {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Song ! Film ! Music director ! Lyricist |- | 1960 | "Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho" | Chaudhvin Ka Chand | Bombay Ravi | Shakeel Badayuni |- | 1961 | "Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko" | Sasural | Shankar Jaikishan | Shailendra |- | 1964 | "Chahunga Main Tujhe" | Dosti | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri |- | 1966 | "Baharo Phool Barsao" | Suraj | Shankar Jaikishan | Shailendra |- | 1968 | "Dil Ke Jharoke Mein" | Brahmachari | Shankar Jaikishan | Shailendra |- | 1977 | "Kya Hua Tera Wada" | Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin | Rahul Dev Burman | Majrooh Sultanpuri |}

Nominated: | Dosti | Laxmikant Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri |- | 1966 | Arzoo | Shankar Jaikishan | Hasrat Jaipuri |}

;Sur Sringar Award

Winner {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Film ! Music director ! Lyricist |- | 1964 | Chitralekha | Roshan | Sahir Ludhyanvi |}

References

External links

Mohammed Rafi at the Internet Movie Database

Category:1924 births Category:1980 deaths Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Indian film singers Category:Indian Muslims Category:People from Amritsar Category:Indian male singers Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Punjabi people Category:Indian musicians Category:Indian singers Category:People from Mumbai Category:Marathi-language singers

Name	Pierre Richard
Caption	Pierre Richard, 20 September 2010
Birthname	Pierre Richard Maurice Charles Léopold Defays
Birthdate	August 16, 1934
Birthplace	Valenciennes, France
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	1967–present
Website	http://www.pierre-richard.fr/

Pierre Richard (born Pierre Richard Maurice Charles Léopold Defays (originally de Fays, his grandfather changed the spelling for unknown reasons), 16 August 1934 in Valenciennes, Nord) is a popular French actor best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films. Richard is considered by many, such as Gérard Depardieu, to be one of the greatest and talented French comedian in the last 50 years. He is also a film director and occasional singer.

Biography

Richard started his acting career in the theatre, where he worked with Antoine Bourseiller and performing in Paris cabarets (such as l'Écluse), where he collaborated with Victor Lanoux.

His film debut came in 1967 with a small role in Yves Robert's Alexandre le bienheureux. He directed his first feature in 1970 with Le Distrait. He worked with Robert again on Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire, and its sequel Le retour du grand blond; both these films were written by Francis Veber. Veber cast Richard when he directed his own first feature film: Le Jouet. Veber and Richard had a long and successful partnership during the 1980s, highlighted by three comedies — La Chèvre, Les Compères and Les Fugitifs — which paired Richard with Gérard Depardieu. Richard again moved behind the camera to direct On peut toujours rêver (1991) and Droit dans le mur (1997).

In 2006 Richard received a lifetime achievement César Award from the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinema. in 2006]]

Richard is a wine grower. His 20-hectare vineyard produces some 80,000 bottles a year, including some 12,000 bottles of rosé under the "le Bel Évêque" label. Richard also owns a restaurant in Paris, Au pied de chameau.

Richard lives on a barge on the Seine in the middle of Paris. He has two sons, both musicians: Olivier plays the saxophone with the group "Blues trottoir'" and Christophe plays the double bass.

Filmography

Cinema

1958: Les Amants de Montparnasse (Montparnasse 19), directed by Jacques Becker (uncredited)

1967: Alexandre le bienheureux, directed by Yves Robert

1967: Un idiot à Paris, directed by Serge Korber

1968: La Prisonnière, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot (uncredited)

1970: Le Distrait (Absent-minded aka. The Daydreamer), directed by Pierre Richard

1970: Trois hommes sur un cheval, directed by Marcel Moussy

1971: La Coqueluche, directed by Christian-Paul Arrighi

1972: Les malheurs d'Alfred, directed by Pierre Richard

1972: Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire, directed by Yves Robert

1973: La raison du plus fou, directed by Raymond Devos and François Reichenbach

1973: Je sais rien, mais je dirai tout, directed by Pierre Richard

1974: Juliette and Juliette, directed by Remo Forlani

1974: Un nuage entre les dents, directed by Marco Pico

1974: La moutarde me monte au nez, directed by Claude Zidi

1974: Le retour du grand blond, directed by Yves Robert

1975: Trop c'est trop, directed by Didier Kaminka

1975: La Course à l'échalote, directed by Claude Zidi

1976: On aura tout vu !, directed by Georges Lautner

1976: Les Naufragés de l'île de la Tortue, directed by Jacques Rozier

1976: Le jouet, directed by Francis Veber

1978: Je suis timide... mais je me soigne, directed by Pierre Richard

1978: La Carapate, directed by Gérard Oury

1980: C'est pas moi, c'est lui, directed by Pierre Richard

1980: Le Coup du parapluie (The Umbrella Coup), directed by Gérard Oury

1981: La Chèvre (Knock on Wood), directed by Francis Veber

1983: Un chien dans un jeu de quilles, directed by Bernard Guillou

1983: Les Compères (ComDads), directed by Francis Veber

1984: Le Jumeau (The Twin), directed by Yves Robert

1985: Dialogue de sourds, directed by Bernard Nauer (short)

1985: Tranches de vie, directed by François Leterrier (uncredited)

1986: Les fugitifs, directed by Francis Veber

1988: Mangeclous, directed by Moshé Mizrahi

1988: À gauche en sortant de l'ascenseur (Door on the Left as You Leave the Elevator), directed by Édouard Molinaro

1990: Promotion canapé, directed by Didier Kaminka

1990: Bienvenue à bord !, directed by Jean-Louis Leconte

1991: On peut toujours rêver, directed by Pierre Richard

1992: Vieille canaille, directed by Gérard Jourd'hui

1993: La Cavale des fous, directed by Marco Pico

1994: La Partie d'échecs, directed by Yves Hanchar

1995: L'Amour conjugal, directed by Benoît Barbier

1997: A Chef in Love (Shekvarebuli kulinaris ataserti retsepti), by Nana Dzhordzhadze

1997: Droit dans le mur, directed by Pierre Richard

2000: Scénarios sur la drogue (Drug Scenes aka. Drugs!), directed by Franck Chiche (episode Les Mots attendront)

2000: 27 Missing Kisses, directed by Nana Dzhordzhadze

2003: Mariées mais pas trop, directed by Catherine Corsini

2003: Les Clefs de bagnole, directed by Laurent Baffie

2004: En attendant le déluge, directed by Damien Odoul

2005: Le Cactus, directed by Gérard Bitton and Michel Munz

2006: Essaye-moi, directed by Pierre-François Martin-Laval

2006: Le Serpent (The Serpent), directed by Eric Barbier

Television

1967: Malican père and fils, directed by Yannick Andréi, Marcel Cravenne and François Moreuil

1969: Agence intérim, directed by Marcel Moussy and Pierre Neurrisse

1980: Chouette, chat, chien... show, directed by Jacques Samyn

1980: Ça va plaire, directed by Jean-Pierre Cassel and Bernard Lion

2000: Sans famille, directed by Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe

2003: Robinson Crusoé, directed by Thierry Chabert

Direction

1970: Le Distrait

1972: Les Malheurs d'Alfred

1973: Je sais rien, mais je dirai tout

1978: Je suis timide... mais je me soigne

1980: C'est pas moi, c'est lui

1991: On peut toujours rêver

1997: Droit dans le mur

Selected discography

1983: Madame Sardine

References

External links

Official website (in French; English version under development)

Le bonheur de Pierre (in French)

Category:1934 births Category:Living people Category:People from Valenciennes Category:César Award winners Category:French film actors Category:French television actors Category:French comedians Category:Viticulturists

Name	Brian Cowen
Honorific-suffix	TD
Nationality	Irish
Office	Taoiseach
1blankname	Tánaiste
1namedata	Mary Coughlan
Predecessor	Bertie Ahern
Term start	7 May 2008
Predecessor	Bertie Ahern
Office2	Tánaiste
Term start2	14 June 2007
Term end2	7 May 2008
Predecessor2	Michael McDowell
Successor2	Mary Coughlan
Office3	Minister for Finance
Term start3	29 September 2004
Term end3	7 May 2008
Predecessor3	Charlie McCreevy
Successor3	Brian Lenihan
Office4	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Term start4	27 January 2000
Term end4	29 September 2004
Predecessor4	David Andrews
Successor4	Dermot Ahern
Office5	Minister for Health and Children
Term start5	26 June 1997
Term end5	27 January 2000
Predecessor5	Michael Noonan (Health)
Successor5	Micheál Martin
Office6	Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications
Term start6	22 January 1993
Term end6	15 December 1994
Predecessor6	Charlie McCreevy (Tourism, Transport and Communication)
Successor6	Michael Lowry
Office7	Minister for Energy
Term start7	12 January 1993
Term end7	22 January 1993
Predecessor7	Albert Reynolds
Successor7	Charlie McCreevy (Tourism and Trade)
Office8	Minister for Labour
Term start8	11 February 1992
Term end8	12 January 1993
Predecessor8	Michael O'Kennedy
Successor8	Mervyn Taylor
Office9	Teachta Dála
Term start9	14 June 1984
Constituency9	Laois-Offaly
Birth date	January 10, 1960
Birth place	Clara, Ireland
Party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Mary Molloy
Children	2
Alma mater	Cistercian College, RoscreaUniversity College Dublin
Religion	Catholic
Signature	Brian Cowen Signature.svg

Brian Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is the current Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland. He took office on 7 May 2008, and heads a coalition government led by his Fianna Fáil party that includes the Green Party and has the support of independent TDs.

He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the constituency of Laois–Offaly since 1984. He previously served as Minister for Labour (1992–1993), Minister for Energy (1993), Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications (1993–1994), Minister for Health and Children (1997–2000), Minister for Foreign Affairs (2000–2004) and Minister for Finance (2004–2008). He served as Tánaiste from 2007 to 2008. He became leader of Fianna Fáil on the resignation of Bertie Ahern. On 7 May 2008, following the resignation of Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, Cowen was nominated by Dáil Éireann to replace him and was appointed by the President later that day.

Cowen's administration coincided with the Irish financial and banking crises. He has generated substantial criticism for his failure to stem the tide of either crisis, ultimately culminating in his government's formal request for financial rescue from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, widely seen in Ireland as a national humiliation. Cowen has brought record low levels of public support for his Fianna Fáil party , his government, and the Taoiseach himself; with approval as of January 2011 hovering between 8 and 10 percent, he is the least popular incumbent politician in the history of Irish opinion polling. on 10 January 1960. He grew up at the family home in Clara. He is the son of May and Bernard Cowen, a former Fianna Fáil TD and Senator. The family owned a public house in Clara town, beside the family home. His father also worked as an auctioneer. Cowen often worked as a barman in his father's pub when he was growing up. He has two brothers – Christopher and Barry. His other brother, Christopher, is a publican (who was found by taxation authorities to have failed to pay taxes), runs the family pub and is the oldest of the Cowen brothers. The old Cowen family home and pub are soon to be demolished to make way for a new development.

Cowen was educated at Clara National School, Árd Scoil Naomh Chiaráin (St. Ciaran's High School), located at Clara, County Offaly, and the Cistercian College of Mount St. Joseph in Roscrea, County Tipperary. He was twelve years old when he entered Mount St. Joseph College, as a boarder. After secondary school, he attended University College Dublin where he studied law. He subsequently qualified as a solicitor from the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland, Dublin.

He is a member of the Gaelic Athletic Association and continues to serve as president of Clara GAA club. He also played with the Offaly Gaelic football team in the early 1980s. Cowen likes to socialise with his constituents in some of the local pubs in his native Offaly.

In May 2007, Cowen told Jason O'Toole of Hot Press that, as a student, "I would say there were a couple of occasions when marijuana was passed around – and, unlike President Clinton, I did inhale. There wasn't a whole lot in it really".

Early political career

Cowen was elected to Dáil Éireann in the Laois–Offaly by-election of 1984, caused by the death of his father. At the time Cowen, at the age of 24, became the youngest member of the 24th Dáil. He was also elected to Offaly County Council in the same year, taking over the seat vacated by his late father. He served on that authority until 1992.

Cowen remained on the backbenches of Dáil Éireann for the next seven years. Following the 1989 general election when Fianna Fáil formed a coalition government with the Progressive Democrats for the first time, Cowen was one of a number of TDs who were vehemently opposed to the move. Two years later in November 1991, the then Minister for Finance, Albert Reynolds, challenged Charles Haughey for the leadership of the party. Cowen firmly aligned himself behind Reynolds and quickly became associated with the party's so-called '"Country & Western" wing. (Reynolds's supporters earned this nickname due to the fact that the vast majority were rural deputies and that Reynolds had made a lot of money in the dance hall business in the 1960s.) Reynolds became leader on his second attempt, when Haughey was forced to retire as Taoiseach in 1992.

Reynolds appointed Cowen, aged 32, to his first cabinet position as Minister for Labour. In spite of being a member of the cabinet, Cowen's attitude was hostile to his coalition partners, the Progressive Democrats. This was evident at the Fianna Fáil party's Ardfheis in March 1992. In the warm-up speech before the leader's address, Cowen remarked, "What about the PDs? When in doubt, leave them out." He fought with the PDs, being furious at their interference with Fianna Fail's view that, as majority partner, they should have wielded the power.

The 1992 general election produced a hung Dáil and resulted in negotiations between all the main parties. Cowen, along with Noel Dempsey and Bertie Ahern, negotiated on behalf of Fianna Fáil in an attempt to form a government with the Labour Party. A deal was reached between the two parties, and Cowen was again appointed Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications. In that role, he implemented the controversial decision to relax the so-called stopover at Shannon Airport, which allowed limited direct trans-Atlantic flights from Dublin Airport. The decision proved divisive and saw one Fianna Fáil TD, Síle de Valera, resign from the party in protest.

In October 1994, it was revealed that Cowen had 1,000 shares in Arcon, a company to which he was in the process of awarding a mining licence. He quickly sold the shares and apologised in the Dáil for causing himself and his colleagues "some embarrassment".

Later in 1994, Albert Reynolds resigned as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil. Bertie Ahern became the new leader; however the party was now in opposition. Cowen was appointed to the front bench, first as spokesperson on Agriculture, Food and Forestry (1994), and later as spokesperson on Health (1997).

Cabinet career: 1997–present

Minister for Health and Children

When Fianna Fáil returned to power following the 1997 general election, Cowen was appointed to the newly expanded position of Minister for Health & Children. He described his period there as like being in Angola because administrative "landmines" could detonate without warning. During his tenure, he had to deal with problems of bed shortages and overcrowding in hospitals, as well as a prolonged nurses' strike in 1999. It came as a relief to Cowen when he vacated the Ministry for Health & Children on being appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in January 2000.

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Cowen's tenure as Foreign Minister saw extensive negotiations continue regarding the Northern Ireland peace process and other international activities, particularly when Ireland gained a place on the United Nations Security Council. In 2003, he was the victim of a personal attack by the leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, Ian Paisley, a former outspoken critic of the Republic of Ireland and its government. In front of a crowd of party supporters and in the presence of television cameras and radio reporters, Paisley uttered a diatribe about Cowen's personal appearance and also insulted his mother. In 2004, Cowen played a key role during Ireland's Presidency of the European Council and the simultaneous expansion of the European Union.

Minister for Finance

Following the departure of Charlie McCreevy in September 2004, Cowen became Minister for Finance. On 1 December 2004, he announced his first budget, one that was viewed as a give-away budget in which spending was increased by 9%.

Cowen's second budget in 2005 was dominated by a new childcare package, and measures to take 'tax-free millionaires' back into the tax net from 2007 by restricting tax breaks. A readjustment of income-tax measures were designed to take 52,000 low earners out of the tax net and remove 90,000 middle earners from the higher tax band.

Cowen's third budget in 2007, in anticipation of the 2007 general election, was regarded as one of the biggest spending sprees in the history of the state. The €3.7 billion package included increases in pension and social welfare allowances, a marked green agenda, as well as a reduction in the top rate of income tax from 42% to 41%. Cowen has been criticised for alleged complacency during the economic turmoil in January 2008.

Leader of Fianna Fáil

Barack Obama with a bowl of shamrock for Saint Patrick's Day at the White House.]]

During his ministerial career, Cowen was often identified in the media as the front-runner to succeed Bertie Ahern as leader of Fianna Fáil. Cowen's position was strengthened when he succeeded Mary O'Rourke as deputy leader of the party in 2002. Subsequently, in 2004, he was appointed Minister for Finance, seen as an almost mandatory position for any aspiring Taoiseach, and Tanaiste in 2007.

On 4 April 2008, two days after Ahern announced his intention to resign as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil, Cowen was nominated by Brian Lenihan and Mary Coughlan to the position of Leader of Fianna Fáil. The following day he was confirmed as the sole nominee for the position, He was elected as the seventh leader of Fianna Fáil on 9 April 2008, and assumed office upon Ahern's resignation becoming effective on 6 May.

On 7 May 2008, Cowen was nominated by Dáil Éireann as Taoiseach, by 88 votes to 76, and was appointed by President Mary McAleese.

Taoiseach: 2008–

Upon appointment, Cowen formed the 28th Government of Ireland out of a coalition of Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats, and two independent TDs. His choices of Mary Coughlan for Tánaiste and Brian Lenihan, Jnr as Minister for Finance were criticised as inappropriate by The Irish Times for their "distressing" lack of experience.

Treaty of Lisbon

The Irish electorate's rejection of the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon on 12 June 2008 was viewed by some media and political observers as a protest against Cowen and his government. The Irish Independent called the failed referendum's aftermath the government's "biggest political crisis in decades." Columnist Brendan O'Connor called the outcome "a humiliating failure for Cowen and the people who put him there." The Taoiseach himself arguably dealt a damaging blow to his own side when, on 12 May 2008, he admitted in a radio interview that he had not read the Treaty of Lisbon in its entirety.

2009 Budget

Cowen delivered the Irish government budget for 2009 on 14 October 2008, brought forward from its usual December date due to the global financial crisis. The budget, labelled "the toughest in many years", included a number of controversial measures, such as a proposed income levy and the withdrawal of previously promised HPV vaccines for schoolgirls. Other results of the budget included a new income levy being imposed on all workers above a specified threshold and the closure of a number of military barracks near the border with Northern Ireland.

Public outcry arose over the proposed withdrawal of medical cards and the reinstatement of university fees. A series of demonstrations ensued amongst teachers and farmers, whilst on 22 October 2008, at least 25,000 pensioners and students descended in solidarity on government buildings at Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin. Some of the pensioners were even seen to cheer on the students as the protests passed each other on the streets of Dublin. Slogans such as "no cutbacks, no fees, no Fianna Fáil TDs" and "education is a right not a privilege" have since become commonplace in student protests against the government as have puns related to Minister for Education and Science Batt O'Keeffe. Changes to education led to a ministerial meeting with three Church of Ireland bishops over what was viewed as a disproportionate level of cuts to be suffered by Protestant Secondary schools. Separately representatives of the Roman Catholic Church were assured by O'Keeffe that it would continue to be able to provide religious instruction to pupils in primary schools not under the patronage of the Church.

Rebellion within the ranks of the government led to a number of defections of disenchanted coalition members. County Wicklow TD Joe Behan resigned from the Fianna Fáil party in protests at the proposed medical card changes. He, alongside two other government deputies, later voted against his former colleagues in two crucial Dáil votes on medical cards and cancer vaccines. These defections reduced the Irish government's majority of twelve by one quarter. A senior political source said: "The Budget was an accident waiting to happen."

Under the European Union stability and growth pact, EU states are required to keep their budget deficit-to-GDP ratio below a three percent limit and maintain a debt-to-GDP ratio below 60 percent. On 31 October 2008, the European Commission opened an excessive deficit procedure against the Government for allowing its budget deficit to exceed the required EU deficit-to-GDP ratio of 3 percent. The Irish deficit was expected to be 5.5 percent in 2008, and 6.5 percent in 2009. This response forced reversals of proposed changes in several areas, contributing to perceived weakness in his Government.

2008 Pork crisis

On 6 December 2008, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland ordered the recall, withdrawal and destruction of all Irish pork products dating back to 1 September, due to the discovery of toxic levels of dioxin in a small percentage of the pig stock. Cowen additionally approved a five-day withdrawal of Irish pork from the market, Within days thousands of jobs were either lost or under threat at pig processing plants across the country, as processors refused to resume slaughter of pigs until they received financial compensation; the crisis ultimately cost taxpayers approximately €180 million. Cowen’s government received heavy criticism for overreaction in its handling of the incident, with Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny calling the government’s response as "an unmitigated disaster".

Anglo Irish Bank

The heavy exposure of Anglo Irish Bank to property lending, with most of its loan book being to builders and property developers, meant that it was badly affected by the downturn in the Irish property market in 2008.On 15 January 2009, after attempting to salvage the Bank by injecting €1.5bn into its coffers, the Government announced that it would take steps that would enable the Bank to be taken into State ownership. The Anglo Irish Bank Corporation Act, 2009 provided for the transfer of all the shares of the Bank to the Minister for Finance and was enacted under Irish law on 21 January 2009. On the same date, the Bank was re-registered as a private limited company. Observers at the time commented that the government had been slow to respond to the collapse of the Bank, with the Sunday Times stating that “Nationalisation was good enough for other European governments but Brian Cowen’s administration avoided the inevitable until its back was to the wall. Too frequently, it is seen to be reacting to events, not controlling them.” On 9 January 2011, ‘’Sunday Times ’’ published excerpts of a book about former Anglo Irish Bank chief Seán FitzPatrick, which alleged that FitzPatrick had had several previously undisclosed contacts with Cowen in the weeks prior to the government’s involvement in the Bank. In particular, the excerpts revealed a telephone conversation between FitzPatrick and then-Finance Minister Cowen in March 2008 in which they discussed the bank’s falling share prices, and a dinner and golf game between the two in July 2008. Cowen confirmed the talks, but insisted that no inappropriate discussions had transpired.

2009 Emergency budget

In a second emergency budget, delivered in April 2009, a fiscal deficit of 10.75 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) was addressed. The budget's initiatives included a doubling of the previous year's income levy to 2%, 4% and 6%; increases on the excise duties on a regular packet of cigarettes (25 cents) and a litre of diesel (5 cents); a new "asset management agency" established to remove bad loans from Irish banks; the gradual elimination of early childcare supplement by 2010, to be replaced by a subsidy towards pre-school for 3 and 4 year olds; and no further increases in social welfare for at least two years. Cowen defended the emergency measures as necessary..

First no confidence vote

National and international press reactions to the budget were largely favorable, with the economics editor of the BBC reported that there were lessons for the United Kingdom to learn from this emergency procedure and the European Commission hailing the budget as a form of "decisive action". However, it did little to revive the political fortunes of Cowen's government. After Fianna Fáil performed badly in the elections of 5 June 2009, losing half its European Parliament seats, Fine Gael tabled a motion of no confidence against Cowen on 9 June. He survived the vote by a thin margin of 85-79. Support for the government continued to fall: on 3 September 2009, an Irish Times /TNS mrbi poll, opinion poll reported that Cowen's satisfaction rating had dropped six points to 15 percent, with 77 percent of voters saying they were dissatisfied with the way he was doing his job.

2010 Budget and NAMA controversy

Cowen's government's third budget within 14 months, delivered on 9 December 2009, saw the government facing the reality of the country nearly becoming insolvent. The 2010 Budget was described by commentators in Ireland and around the world in unusually harsh terms as €4 billion was removed from the country's national deficit; The Irish Times labeled it "the most austere Budget in the history of the State". It was characterised by pay cuts for public sector workers and cuts in social welfare. According to the BBC, social welfare cuts had not been implemented by the country since 1924. The cuts prompted at least one angry outburst in Dáil Eireann.

In February 2010, Cowen defended his claim that the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) would increase the supply of credit into the economy despite the International Monetary Fund (IMF) saying it would not lead to any significant increase. "People should contemplate what level of credit accessibility we'd have in this economy without NAMA," he said. "It's not just sufficient in itself obviously for credit flow, it's certainly an important and necessary part of restructuring our banking system, of that there's no doubt, in terms of improving as a location for funding of banking operations," said Mr. Cowen. He previously said that the Government's objective in restructuring the banks through NAMA was to "generate more access to credit for Irish business at this critical time". In September 2009, the Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, expressed a similar view, saying it would lead to more lending for business and households. Cowen was responding to reports published on 8 February that the IMF had told Brian Lenihan in April 2009 that the NAMA would not lead to a significant increase in lending by the banks.

The comments, which appear in internal Department of Finance documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, were made by senior IMF official, Steven Seelig, who was to join the board of NAMA in May 2010. Minutes of a private meeting at the department between Mr. Lenihan and IMF officials on 29 April 2009 state that the "IMF (Mr. Seelig) do not believe that Nama will result in significant increase in bank lending in Ireland". The Government has maintained that NAMA's purchase of bad loans from the banks with State bonds would increase the flow of credit in the economy since the plan was unveiled April 2009. Speaking at the publication of the NAMA legislation in September 2009, Mr. Lenihan said it would "strengthen and improve" the funding positions of the banks "so that they can lend to viable businesses and households". The IMF estimated in their published report that domestic banks would face losses of up to €35 billion, though the department pointed out this would be partly funded from operating profits and provisions already taken against some loan losses.

On 15 June 2010, Cowen faced his second no-confidence motion in just over a year, tabled by Fine Gael after the publication of two reports that criticised government policies in the run-up to Ireland's banking crisis. He again survived the motion, 82-77.

Morning Ireland interview

On 14 September 2010, after an early morning radio interview, Cowen was described by Deputy Simon Coveney of Fine Gael as sounding as if he was intoxicated or hungover. Cowen rejected the allegations, describing them as "pathetic". However, this incident has been unfavourably commented upon by the international press. He apologised for his interview performance the following day saying, "It wasn't my best performance and I would like to apologise for that. I would hate to think the reputation of the country or the office of taoiseach would in any way be affected by what I had to say." He claimed that there was a hoarseness in his voice and denied that he had been hungover.

EU and IMF Rescue

On the evening of 21 November 2010, Cowen confirmed that Ireland had formally requested financial support from the European Union's European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF),.. As part of the financial support on 24 November 2010 Cowen unveiled a four year plan . In recognition of the political disaster this would inflict on his government, Cowen indicated that the election would take place in early 2011 after the 2011 budgetary process has been completed.

Golfgate: Meeting with Seán FitzPatrick

It was revealed following the publication of the book, The Fitzpatrick Tapes by Tom Lyons and Brian Carey, that two previously undisclosed meetings had occured between Sean FitzPatrick the chairman of Anglo Irish Bank and Brian Cowen. The first was a telephone call in March 2008, while Cowen was overseas in Vietnam and when Cowen was then Minister of Finance. The second meeting took place on 28 July 2008 at Druids Glen in County Wicklow.

At that time Anglo Irish Bank was badly affected by the downturn in the property market. On 28 September 2008, the Irish government made the decision to introduce a bank guarantee to cover Anglo Irish Bank, Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland.

Seán FitzPatrick was forced to resign in January 2009 over the Anglo Irish Bank hidden loans controversy. The meeting, over a seven hour period, took place over a round of golf and a subsequent dinner with Fitzpatrick and two other directors of Anglo Irish Bank. During a heated Leader's Question session in Dáil Eireann, which ran over the alotted time considerably, Cowen denied that Anglo Irish Bank had been discussed. However when questioned by the Sinn Fein Dail leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (who had been attending a wedding at the hotel and by chance had encountered Cowen and Fitzpatrick), Cowen was forced to admit that there were two other people at the meeting, Gary McGann, a director of Anglo Irish Bank and Alan Gray, a director of the Central Bank and currently managing director of a consultancy company Indecon. Brian Cowen has claimed that the meeting was a social event while Gray has stated that he was invited to provide economic advice on stimulating the economy. Tanaiste Mary Coughlan described the purpose of the meeting as a fundraiser for Fianna Fail.

Third no confidence vote

On 14 January 2011, as Cowen faced mounting pressure from within his own coalition to step down as Leader of Fianna Fáil, Labour Party Leader Eamon Gilmore announced that he had tabled a third motion of no confidence in Cowen's government, saying that "There's nobody running the country." Gilmore called on the Green Party, and Independents, partners in the coalition government who have expressed disaffection with Cowen, to "make your mind up....Are you prepared to give the people the election they want, or are you going to prolong the life of this dysfunction, demoralised and discredited government?" Fine Gael, Labour's partner in opposition, released a statement calling the "badly timed and ill advised," with little chance of succeeding.." However, the Dáil is expected to begin debating the motion when it reconvenes on Tuesday, 18 January.

Approval ratings

According to ‘’thejournal.ie’’, Cowen is “the least popular incumbent in the history of [Irish] opinion polling,” with approval hovering between 8 and 10 percent of the electorate. Attendantly, as of January 2011, Fianna Fail's popularity has fallen to a record low in public opinion and was tied with Sinn Fein on 14% in joint third place.

Public image

Cowen is often referred to in Irish satirical and tabloid media as BIFFO, a nickname applied to people from Offaly. BIFFO is an acronym for "Big Ignorant Fecker From Offaly". Cowen has said that 'BIFFO' stands for "Beautiful Intelligent Fellow From Offaly'.

Cowen was accused of 'conduct unbecoming' , over comments he made in the Dáil when, at the end of a heated exchange, he sat down and spoke to Tánaiste Mary Coughlan; Dáil microphones picked up the Taoiseach using the word "fuckers", though he was not referring to any opposition politician. He later apologised for his remark.

Cowen has been openly criticised by his parliamentary party colleagues including one who said in an interview that Cowen has suffered from "poor communications and consultation" and expressed concern about the emergence of a perceived "triumvirate" (comprising the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance) within the Cabinet.

In a novel criticism, artist and teacher Conor Casby placed unflattering nude portraits of Cowen in the National Gallery of Ireland and the gallery of the Royal Hibernian Academy. The pictures were reported in a television news bulletin and caused considerable debate in the media.

Cowen was criticised as being inept during the approach to the third budget , in December 2009. He said, "our priority is to stabilise the public finances", a year after the Irish public was told that this was the priority for 2008.

See also

Families in the Oireachtas

References

External links

Brian Cowen's page on the Fianna Fáil website

Brian Cowen feature from the Offaly Express

Department of the Taoiseach website

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Ben Andrews, BSc PhD ANU, is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Mathematics and its Applications at the Australian National University. His PhD Thesis, 1993, was on Evolving Convex Hypersurfaces at Australian National University. In 2003, he received the Australian Mathematical Society Medal, along with Dr Andrew Hassell, for distinguished research in the mathematical sciences.

References

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