Birth date	November 19, 1916
Birth place	Ambala, Punjab
Death date	1984
Occupation	film score composer
Nationality	}}

Hansraj Behl (born 19 November 1916–1984) was an Indian music composer, who composed music for Hindi and Punjabi films.

Early life and education

Born in Ambala, Punjab, Hansraj received his early education in music from Pandit Chunnilal.

Career

He opened a music school in Lahore and released a few non-film records through His Master's Voice (HMV). Hansraj travelled to Bombay in 1944 to pursue a career as a music director in Hindi film industry, though he managed to made his debut as a composer with ''Pujari'', (1946), directed by Ardeshir Irani. Noted playback singer, Asha Bhosle made her Hindi film debut when she sang the song ''Saawan aaya'' for Hansraj Behl's film ''Chunariya'' (1948).

In 1964 he gave music for hit Punjabi film by Padam Prakash Maheshwary titled "''Satluj de Kande''", starring Balraj Sahni, Nishi, Wasti, and Mirza Musharraf. The patriotic hit, ''Jahan Daal Daal Pe Sone Ki Chidiya Karti Hai Basera..'''sung by Mohammed Rafi in the film ''Sikandar-e-Aazam'' (1965), starring Prithviraj Kapoor was one of his last memorable number.

Filmography

''Pujari'' (1946)

''Shaan'' (1950)

''Chunariya'' (1948)

''Khiladi'' (1950)

''Khamosh Sipahi'' (1950)

''Rajput'' (1951)

''Moti Mahal'' (1952)

''Apni Izzat'' (1952)

''Lal Pari'' (1954)

'' Dost'' (1954)

''Mast Qalandar'' (1955)

''Rajdhani'' (1956)

''Changez Khan'' (1957)

''Milan'' (1958)

''Bhangra'' (1959)

''Do Lachhian (1959)

''Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh'' (1960)

''Sikandar E Azam'' (1965)

'' Rustom-E-Hind'' (1965)

''Do Aankhen'' (1974)

''Jatt Punjabi'' (1979)

''Kunwara Mama'' (1979)

''Jatt Da Gandasa'' (1982)

''Insaaf Ka Khoon'' (1991)

References

External links

Hansraj Behl songs

Category:1916 births Category:1984 deaths Category:People from Ambala Category:Indian film score composers Category:Punjabi cinema

mr:हंसराज बहल

name	Shamshad Begum
background	solo_singer
birth date	April 14, 1919
Birth place	Amritsar, Punjab, India
genre	Playback singing
occupation	Singer
years active	1934–1975 }}

:''Not to be confused with Shamshad Begum (classical singer) (d. 1998), mother of Naseem Banu, and grandmother of actress Saira Banu.

Shamshad Begum (born April 14, 1919) is an Indian singer who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry.

Begum was born in Amritsar, Punjab. She was a big fan of K.L. Saigal and watched ''Devdas'' 14 times. She earned 15 rupees per song and was awarded 5,000 on the completion of the contract on Xenophone, a renowned music recording company.

Sometime back, a controversy erupted in the media, when several publications gave the false news of her death, before it was clarified that the Shamshad Begum who died in 1998 was Saira Banu's (Dilip Kumar's wife) grandmother with the same name. The singer has been living with her daughter Usha Ratra and son-in-law in Mumbai, ever since her husband Ganpat Lal Batto died in 1955. Recently, she celebrated her 89th birthday at her elder sister's house and now she stays at - Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai She was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2009.

Career

Begum made her debut on radio on Peshawar Radio in Lahore on December 16, 1947, captivating the hearts of her listeners with the enchanting depth of her voice. Shamshad was very much conscious of her not so beautiful face and she never posed for any pictures and not many people saw her pictures anywhere. Until the end of the 1970s, nobody knew her face at all, though everybody could recognise her melodious voice as it was used by the great maestros like Naushad Ali and O. P. Nayyar. Even today, her songs from the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s are popular and continue to be remixed by music directors.

Begum sang for the All India Radio (AIR) through her musical group 'The Crown Imperial Theatrical Company of Performing Arts', set up in Delhi. The then ''AIR Lahore'' helped her entering the world of movies as they frequently broadcast her songs, which induced music directors to use her voice for their films. Shamshad also recorded ''naats'' and devotional music for a couple of gramophone recording companies.

Her crystal-clear voice caught the attention of ''sarangi'' maestro Ustad Hussain Bakshwale Saheb, who took her as his disciple. Lahore-based composer Ghulam Haider used her voice skillfully in some of his earlier films like ''Khazanchi'' (1941) and ''Khandaan'' (1942). When he moved to Bombay in 1944, Shamshad went with him as a member of his team, leaving behind her family and staying with her ''Chacha'' (paternal uncle). She is credited with singing one of the first Westernised songs, ''Meri jaan...Sunday ke Sunday'' by C. Ramchandra. O.P. Nayyar describes her voice as that of a "temple bell" for its clarity of tone. Begum became a national rage between the 1940s and the late 1950s, having a voice different from her peers like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Geeta Dutt and Amirbai Karnataki.

Songs

''Leke pehla pehla pyar'', (''CID'' 1956), (music: O.P. Nayyar)

''Milte hi aankhen dil hua'', (Duet with Talat Mehmood), (''Babul''), (music: Naushad)

''Chali chali kaisi yeh hawa yeh'', (Duet with Usha Mangeshkar), (''Bluffmaster'' 1965), (music: Kalyanji Anandji)

''Kabhi aar kabhi paar zara dere chalo'', (''Aar Paar''), (music: O.P. Nayyar)

''O Gadiwale'' - Mother India - Naushad

''Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishana'' - CID (1956) - music O.P. Nayyar

''Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re'' - (1956) - music O.P.Nayyar

''Mere piya gaye Rangoon'' - Patanga - music C.Ramchandra

''Ek Tera Sahara'' – Shama - music Master Ghulam Haider

''Holi aayee re Kanhaai'' - Mother India (1957) - Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni, Music: Naushad

''Naina Bhar aye neer'' - Humayun - music Master Ghulam Haider

''Chod Babul Ka Ghar'' - Babul - music Naushad

''Kajra Mohabbatwala Ankhiyon mein Aisa dala'' (Duet with Asha Bhosle) - Kismat (1968) - Music: O.P. Nayyar

''Meri neendon main tum, meri khwabon mein tum'' (Duet with Kishore Kumar) - Naya Andaz - Music: O.P.Nayyar

''Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat'' (Duet with Lata Mangeshkar) - Mughal-E-Azam

''Saiyan Dil mein aana re'' - Bahar

'

References

External links

Legends - Shamshad Begum: Her profile, Interview, complete list of her songs and her work with Music Directors and Co-Singers

Indianetzone - Shamshad Begum

PLANET POWAI - Shamshad Begum

IndianMelody.com - Shamshad Begum, The Legendary Singer This link refers to the wrong Shamshad Begum, which says she has died.

PRO BOLLYWOOD - Dharti Ko Aakash Pukare by Manohar Iyer

PRO BOLLYWOOD - Shamshad Begum's Photos at Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards

Dhool.com - Song of the Day # 691

Shamshad Begum -The Eternal Voice

;Video links

Shamshad begum Film songs

Category:1919 births Category:Living people Category:Indian film singers Category:Indian female singers Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:People from Amritsar Category:Assamese playback singers Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Indian Muslims

te:షంషాద్ బేగం

name	Mohammed Rafi
background	solo_singer
birth name	Mohammed Haji Ali Mohammed Rafi
birth date	24 December 1924
Birth place	Kotla Sultan Singh, Punjab, British India
death date	31 July 1980 (aged 55)
Death place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
origin	India
instrument	Vocalist
genre	Indian classical, ghazal, playback singing, qawwali. thumri
occupation	Playback Singer, sang in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and various other regional languages, also recorded songs in English, Scottish, Spanish and French
years active	1941–1980 }}

Mohammad Rafi (December 24, 1924 – July 31, 1980) was a popular Indian playback singer. He was awarded the National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India. His singing career spanned about 35 years, and he is noted for his ability to sing songs of different moods and varieties: his songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans. He is best known for romantic and duet songs, which he playback sings with the technique to mould the voice according to characters of the actor on the screen.

Rafi is primarily noted for his songs in Hindi-Urdu, over which he had a strong command. He also sang in other Indian languages including Konkani, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, Maghi, Maithili and Assamese. He also recorded a few songs in foreign languages such as English, Persian, Spanish and Dutch. From available figures, Rafi sang 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980.

Early years and background

Mohammed Rafi was the second youngest of six brothers. His father, Hajji Ali Mohammad and family lived in Kotla Sultan Singh, a village near Amritsar in Punjab (British India). Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, began singing by imitating the chants of a fakir in his village. Rafi's father moved to Lahore in the 1920s where he ran a men's salon in Noor Mohalla in Bhatti Gate Lahore. His elder brother, Mohammad Deen, had a friend, Abdul Hameed, (future brother-in-law), who spotted the talent in Rafi in Lahore and encouraged him to sing. Abdul Hameed later convinced the family elders to let Rafi move to Mumbai and he accompanied him in 1944.

Rafi learnt classical music from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami. His first public performance came at the age of 13, when he sang in Lahore featuring K. L. Saigal. In 1941, Rafi, under Shyam Sunder, made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet "Soniye Nee, Heeriye Nee" with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi film ''Gul Baloch'' (the film was released in 1944). 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 Punjabi film ''Gul Baloch'' and the earliest debut in Mumbai film was ''Gaon Ki Gori'' in 1945. Rafi also had brief roles in movies like Laila-Majnu (1945) and Jugnu. In Laila-Majnu, he sang ''Tera Jalwa'' as a part of the chorus.

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". He was invited by the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to sing at the latter's house. In 1948, Rafi received a silver medal from Nehru on the Indian Independence Day. In 1949, Rafi was given solo songs by music directors such as Naushad, (''Chandni Raat'', ''Dillagi'' and ''Dulari'') Shyam Sunder (''Bazaar'') and Husnalal Bhagatram (''Meena Bazaar'').

Rafi's first song with Naushad was "Hindustan Ke Hum Hain" with Shyam Kumar, Alauddin and others, from A. R. Kardar's ''Pehle Aap'' (1944). Around the same time, Rafi recorded another song for the 1945 film ''Gaon Ki Gori'', "Aji Dil Ho Kaaboo Mein". He considered this song his first Hindi language song.

Rafi also appeared in two movies. In 1945, Rafi appeared on the screen for the song "Tera Jalwa Jis Ne Dekha" in the film ''Laila Majnu''. He sang a number of songs for Naushad as part of the chorus, including "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani, Roohi Roohi" with K. L. Saigal from the film ''Shahjahan'' (1946). Rafi sang "Tera Khilona Toota Balak" from Mehboob Khan's ''Anmol Ghadi'' (1946) and a duet with Noor Jehan in the 1947 film ''Jugnu'', "Yahan Badla Wafa Ka". Following the Partition of India, Rafi decided to stay in India and had his family flown to Mumbai. Whereas Noor Jahan migrated to Pakistan and made a pair with playback singer Ahmed Rushdi.

Rafi was influenced by the singers of that time like K. L Saigal and, most notably, by G. M. Durrani - on whose style he based his singing. He sung with his idol in some of the songs such as "Humko Hanste Dekh Zamana Jalta Hai" (''Hum Sab Chor Hain'', 1956) 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, S.D. Burman and Roshan.

; 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. Songs from ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952) like "O duniya ke rakhwale" and "Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj" furthered Rafi's credentials. Rafi ended up singing a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) for Naushad.

In the 1960 film ''Mughal-E-Azam'', Mohammed Rafi sang the song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad", composed by Naushad, with a chorus of 100 singers.

; 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 Samne'' (1963), ''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. Among the films of this combination, are ''Basant Bahar'', ''Professor'', ''Junglee'', ''Suraj'', ''Brahmachari'', ''An Evening in Paris'', ''Dil Tera Deewana'', ''Yakeen'', ''Prince'', ''Love in Tokyo'', ''Beti Bete'', ''Dil Ek Mandir'', ''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai'', ''Gaban'' and ''Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai''.

; Association with Ravi

Rafi got his first Filmfare Award for the title song of ''Chaudhvin Ka Chand'' (1960), composed by Ravi. He got National Award for the song "Babul Ki Duaen Leti Ja" from the film ''Neel Kamal'' (1968), also composed by Ravi. Rafi actually wept during the recording of this song. He, himself, admitted this in his interview to BBC in 1977.

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". They teamed up to produce many songs including "Teri Aankhon Ke Siva", "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" and "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho".

; Association with O. P. Nayyar

Rafi and O. P. Nayyar created music in the 1950s and 1960s. O. P. Nayyar was once quoted as saying "If there had been no Mohd. Rafi, there would have been no O. P. Nayyar". He and Rafi created many songs together including "Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan". He got Rafi to sing for singer-actor Kishore Kumar – "Man Mora Baawara" for the movie ''Raagini''. Later, Rafi sang for Kishore Kumar in movies such as ''Baaghi'', ''Shehzaada'' and ''Shararat''. O. P. Nayyar used Rafi and Asha Bhosle for most of his songs. The team created many songs in early 1950s and 1960s for movies such as ''Naya Daur'' (1957), ''Tumsa Nahin Dekha'' (1957), and ''Kashmir Ki Kali'' (1964). Rafi sang a total of 197 numbers (56 solo) for Nayyar. 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''.

Rafi and OP had a fallout during the recording for movie "Sawan ki Ghata", as disclosed by OP during one of his interviews.

; 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 rendered the maximum number of songs for the music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal: a total of 369 numbers (186 solo) for L-P.

Once, when composer Nisar Bazmi (who had migrated to 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”.

Between 1950 and 1970, Rafi was the most sought after singer in Bollywood. 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. Rafi recorded two English albums as well. One of them is ''Pop Hits''. ; Association with his Contemporary Singers

Rafi associated with several of his contemporaries, singing duets with them and sometimes for them (as in case of Kishore Kumar who was also an actor). Rafi sang the maximum number of duets with Asha Bhonsle (female), Manna Dey (male) and Lata Mangeshkar (female). For the song “Man mora bawra” in the film Ragini, Kishore Kumar requested Rafi to sing this song for him because this song was a semi classical and Kishore Kumar said that "Rafi Sahab can sing this song better than me". Rafi sang the song. The song "Ajab Hay Dastan Teri Aey Zindagi" was first given to Kishore Kumar to sing and he sung the first half ofantara 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. In the song "Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar Kya Karein" (Amar, Akbar, Anthony), Mohd Rafi sang with Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh - all in one song. This was probably the only time that all of them rendered their voices for one song. ; Singing career in other languages

Rafi sang several hit songs in Chris Perry's Konkani album Golden Hits with Lorna Cordeiro.

Controversies

Royalty issue

In 1962-1963, the popular female playback singer Lata Mangeshkar raised the issue of playback singers' share in the royalties. Recognizing Rafi's position as the leading male playback singer, she wanted him to back her in demanding a half-share from the 5 percent song royalty that the film's producer conceded to select composers. Lata's contention was that, there was no way producers and music directors could deny this singing duo, one-half share in that 5 percent song royalty to the composer. Rafi's stated that his claim on the filmmaker ended with his being paid his agreed fee for the song. After that, if the film proved a hit, the filmmaker was welcome to keep the Gramco (HMV) royalty he earned from it. If the film did not prove to be a hit, argued Rafi, that he had already been paid the same fees for his song; so later the situation is resolved. Lata viewed his stand as a stumbling block on the royalty issue and this subsequently led to differences between the two. During the recording of "Tasveer Teri Dil Mein" (''Maya'', 1961), Lata argued with Rafi over a certain passage of the song. Rafi felt belittled, as music director Salil Chowdhury sided with Lata. The situation worsened when Lata Mangeshkar declared that she would no longer sing with Rafi. Rafi stated that he was only so keen to sing with Lata as she was with him. 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 November 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then. After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of Word Records gave Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings" but also stated: "Mohammad Rafi (d 1 August 1980) [sic] claimed to have recorded 28,000 songs in 11 Indian languages between 1944 and April 1980." 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. The Guinness Book entries for both Rafi and Lata were later removed in 1991.

Early 1970s

In early 1970s, Rafi recorded fewer songs At the same period Kishore Kumar's popularity increased due to the songs he sang for the film ''Aradhana''. 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". After these two recordings, S. D. Burman fell ill and his son and assistant, R. D. Burman, took over the recordings. R. D. Burman got Kishore Kumar to sing the solos "Roop Tera Mastana" and "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani".

During 1971-1973, Rafi's musical output decreased; however, he did sing several songs. 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 1974. 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.

In 1977, he won both Filmfare Award and the National Award for the song "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from the movie ''Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin'', composed by R. D. Burman. Rafi sang for Rishi Kapoor in films like ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' (1977), ''Sargam'' (1979) and ''Karz'' (1980). The qawwali "Pardah Hai Pardah" from Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) was a superhit. Rafi's notable renderings in the late 1970s and early 1980s include ''Bairaag'' (1976), ''Laila Majnu'' (1976), ''Apnapan'' (1978), ''Suhaag'' (1979), ''Qurbani'', ''Dostana'' (1980), ''The Burning Train'' (1980), ''Naseeb'' (1981), ''Abdullah'' (1980), ''Shaan'' (1980), ''Asha'' (1980), ''Aap To Aise Na The'' (1980), ''Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai'' (1982).

In December 1979, he recorded six songs for the Hindi remake of Dilip Sen's Bengali superhit ''Sorry Madam''; unfortunately the film was never completed due to a personal tragedy in Dilip Sen's life. These songs, written by Kafeel Aazar and composed by Chitragupta, were released digitally in December 2009 by the label Silk Road under the title "The Last Songs". The physical album was released only in India by Universal.

Death

On Thursday, 31 July 1980, Rafi died at 10:50 p.m., following a heart attack. His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" (''Aas Paas''), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death.

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 burials. Fans of Mohammed Rafi who arrive twice a year at his tomb, on 24 December and 31 July, to mark his birth and death anniversary, use the coconut tree nearest to his grave as a marker.

Trivia

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.

In June 2010, Rafi was voted the most popular playback singer in the OUTLOOK Music Poll, conducted by Outlook Magazine, along with Lata Mangeshkar. The same Poll voted "Man re, tu kahe na Dheer Dhare" (''Chitralekha'', 1964), sung by Rafi as the #1 song. Three songs were tied for the #2 place of which two 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 included 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".

There have been appeals to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award)

Classical and playback singer Manna Dey, who was also a contemporary of Rafi said, "Rafi and I could sing everything, and 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".

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 22 September 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, made their names by adopting Rafi's style, and perhaps owe their entire careers to Rafi.

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

Over 9000 musical tributes were organized in July 2011 commemorating the 31st anniversary of the singer's death.

Rafi is one of the recording artists mentioned in the 1997 song Brimful of Asha by Cornershop.

List of Songs

Personal life

Rafi married twice; his first marriage was to the cousin of his second wife, and took place in his ancestral village. The marriage ended when his in laws and wife migrated to Lahore, Pakistan after partition. Rafi and Abdul Hameed married each one of two sisters in Mumbai in the late 1940s. Rafi had one son from his first marriage and three sons and three daughters from his second marriage with Bilquis in Mumbai. He was very much a family man, following a recording-room, to home, to recording-room itenerary. He never attended film parties, did not smoke or drink, was religious, and was considered a humble man. He used to perform his riyaz (musical practice) regularly. His only indulgences were playing carom, badminton, and flying kites.

Awards

; Honorary 1948 - Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day.

1967 - Honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

1974 - Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song "Teree Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Qadam Aaj Ke Baad" (Hawas, 1974).

2001 - Rafi was honored with the "Best Singer of the Millennium" by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine. Rafi won with 70% of the votes.

; National Film Awards

! Year	! Song	! Film	! Music director	! Lyricist	! Result
1977	"Kya Hua Tera Wada"	''Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin''	Rahul Dev Burman	Majrooh Sultanpuri

; Filmfare Awards

! Year	! Song	! Film	! Music director	! Lyricist	! Result
1960	"Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho"	''Chaudhvin Ka Chand''	Bombay Ravi	Shakeel Badayuni
1961	"Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko"		Shankar Jaikishan
1961	"Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin"		Bombay Ravi	Shakeel Badayuni
1962	"Aye Gulbadan Aye Gulbadan"		Shankar Jaikishan
1963	"Mere Mehboob Tujhe"	''Mere Mehboob''	Naushad	Shakeel Badayuni
1964	"Chahunga Main Tujhe"	''Dosti''	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Majrooh Sultanpuri
1965	"Chhoo Lene Do Nazuk Hothon Ko"	''Kaajal''	Bombay Ravi	Sahir Ludhianvi
1966	"Baharo Phool Barsao"	''Suraj''	Shankar Jaikishan
1968	"Dil Ke Jharoke Mein"		Shankar Jaikishan
1968	"Mein Gaaon Tum Sojaao"		Shankar Jaikishan
1969	"Badi Mastani Hai"	''Jeene Ki Raah''	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1970	"Khilona Jaan Kar"	''Khilona''	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1973	"Hum Ko To Jaan Se Pyaari"	''Naina''	Shankar Jaikishan	Hasrat Jaipuri
1974	"Achha Hi Huva Dil Toot Gaya"	''Maa Bahen Aur Biwi''	Sharda	Qamar Jalalabadi, Vedpal Varma
1977	"Kya Hua Tera Wada"	''Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin''	Rahul Dev Burman	Majrooh Sultanpuri
1977	"Pardah Hai Pardah"	''Amar Akbar Anthony''	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1978	"Aadmi Musaafir Hai"	''Apnapan''	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1979	"Chalo Re Doli Uthao Kahaar"	''Jaani Dushman''	Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Varma Malik
1980	"Mere Dost Kissa Yeh"		Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1980	"Dard-e-dil Dard-e-jigar"		Laxmikant-Pyarelal	Anand Bakshi
1980	"Maine Poocha Chand Se"	''Abdullah''	Rahul Dev Burman	Anand Bakshi

;Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

! Year	! Film	! Music director	! Lyricist	! Result
1957		O. P. Nayyar	Majrooh Sultanpuri
1965	''Dosti''	Laxmikant Pyarelal	Majrooh Sultanpuri
1966		Shankar Jaikishan	Hasrat Jaipuri

;Sur Sringar Award

! Year	! Film	! Music director	! Lyricist	! Result
1964			Sahir Ludhyanvi

References

External links

Mohammad 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 district 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:Konkani-language singers Category:Marathi-language singers

bn:মোহাম্মদ রফি de:Mohammed Rafi dv:މުޙައްމަދު ރަފީޢު es:Mohammad Rafi fr:Mohammed Rafi gu:મોહમ્મદ રફી hi:मोहम्मद रफ़ी kn:ಮೊಹಮ್ಮದ್‌. ರಫಿ ml:മുഹമ്മദ് റഫി mr:मोहम्मद रफी nl:Mohammed Rafi or:ମହମ୍ମଦ ରଫି sa:मोहम्मद रफी simple:Mohammed Rafi ta:முகமது ரபி te:మహమ్మద్ రఫీ ur:محمد رفیع

name	Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
religion	Islam, specifically the Suhrawardiyya Sufi order
alias	Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
location	Sehwan
title	Shahbaz
period	12th/13th century
predecessor	Baha-ud-din Zakariya
successor	Various
birth date	1177
birth place	Maiwand, Afghanistan
death date	1274
death place	Sehwan, Pakistan }}

Syed Usman Marwandi or known as Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177–1274) (), a Sayed Sufi saint, philosopher, poet, and qalandar. Born Syed Hussain Shah, he belonged to the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufis.

He preached religious tolerance among Muslims and Hindus. His mysticism attracted people from all religions. He was called ''Lal'' (red) after his usual red attire, ''Shahbaz'' due to his noble and divine spirit, and ''Qalandar'' for his Sufi affiliation. Hindus regarded him as the incarnation of Bhrithari. Thousands of pilgrims visit his shrine in Sehwan every year, especially at the occasion of his Urs.

Life

Shahbaz Qalandar (Syed Usman Marwandi) was born in Maiwand, Afghanistan to a dervish, Syed Ibrahim Kabiruddin whose ancestors had migrated from Baghdad and settled in Mashhad, a center of learning and civilization, before migrating again to Marwand.

During his lifetime he witnessed the Ghaznavid and Ghurids rules in South Asia. A contemporary of Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari Surkh-posh of Uchch, Shams Tabrizi, Mehre Ali Shah Mast and Rumi, he travelled around the Muslim world and settled in Sehwan (Sindh, Pakistan) where he was eventually buried. Evidence shows that Shahbaz Qalander was in Sindh before 1196 when he met Pir Haji Ismail Panhwar of Paat. It is believed he arrived in Sehwan in 1251. He established a Khanqah there and taught in the Fuqhai Islam Madarrsah: during this period he wrote his treatises ''Mizna-e-Sart, Kism-e-Doyum, Aqd'' and ''Zubdah''.

In Multan Lal Shahbaz met Bahauddin Zachariah Multani of the Suhrwardiyya, Baba Farid Ganjshakar of the Chishtiyya and Makhdoom Jahanian Surkh Bukhari. Their friendship became legendary: they were known as '' Chahar Yar'' (Persian = the four friends). According to some historians the four friends visited various parts of Sindh and Punjab in present day Pakistan. Saints of Sindh including Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Makhdoom Bilawal and Sachal Sarmast were followers of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

His dedication to the knowledge of various religious disciplines enabled him to eventually become a profound scholar. He became fluent in many languages including Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Sindhi and Sanskrit. He often quoted the teachings of Maulana Jalal ad-Din Rumi. Lal Shahbaz lived a celibate life. He died in 1274 after living 97 years.

In poetry and prose

A ''qawwali'' sung by Abida Parveen and many others, ''"Lal Meri Pat Rakhiyo ..."'' is in honour of Shahbaz Qalandar, as is one sung in various versions by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers, ''"Mast Qalandar"''. "Solomon's Ring" by Gul Hasan is a book based on his life.

Shrine

The shrine around his tomb, built in 1356, gives a dazzling look with its Sindhi kashi tiles, mirror work and one gold-plated door - donated by the late Shah of Iran, and installed by the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The inner sanctum is about 100 yards square with the silver canopied grave in the middle. On one side of the marble floor is a row of about folding wooden stands on which are set copies of Quran for devotees to read. On the other side, beside a bundle of burning agarbattis (joss sticks), are rows of diyas (small oil lamps) lighted by devotees. Thousands of devotees visit the tomb, particularly every Thursday.

Urs

Lal Shahbaz' annual ''Urs'' (death anniversary celebration) is held on the 18 Sha'aban - the eighth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Sehwan springs to life and becomes the focal point of more than half a million pilgrims from all over Pakistan. On each morning of the three-day feast the narrow lanes of Sewhan are packed to capacity as pilgrims, fakirs and devotees make their way to the shrine to commune with the saint, offer tributes and make a wish. Most of the people present garlands and a green ''chadar'' with Qur'anic inscriptions in silver or gold threads, humming verses, singing and dancing in praise of the saint till late at night. The devotional dance known as ‘dhamal’, an ecstatic swirl of the head and body, is performed to the rhythm of the dhol, a big barrel-shaped drum, some of giant size and placed in the courtyard of the shrine. Bells, gongs, cymbals and horns make a thunderous din, and the dervishes in robes, beads, bracelets and colored head-bands whirl faster and faster until, with a final deafening shout, they run out into the courtyard.

Legends and Stories

On his way from Baluchistan to Sindh he stayed in present-day Karachi's Manghopir area for meditation (''muraqba''), and it is said that Manghopir's natural warm fountain started to flow from beneath the hill on which Lal Shahbaz sat. The fountain is still flowing continuously and is said to have miraculous healing power especially for asthma patients.

It is also believed that he turned into a falcon to pick up his friend Fariduddin Ganjshakar from the gallows. An nother legend tells that the incumbent fakirs in Sehwan sent him a bowl of milk filled to the brim, indicating that there was no room for anything more. But he returned the bowl with a beautiful flower floating on the top.

See Also

Rabia Basri

Jahaniyan Jahangasht

Tando Jahania

References

External links

Site Reference of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar

Official shrine website

Category:Sufi poets Category:Sufi mystics Category:Sindhi people Category:Pakistani poets Category:Pakistani Sufis Category:Sufism in Sindh Category:Sufis of Sindh Category:Sufism in Afghanistan Category:Pakistani people of Afghan descent Category:1177 births Category:1274 deaths

az:شیخ عثمان مروندی de:Uthman Marwandi sd:لال شهباز قلندر ur:لال شہباز قلندر

name	Lata Mangeshkar
background	solo_singer
birth date	September 28, 1929
Birth place	Indore, Central India Agency, British India
instrument	Vocals
genre	Film music (playback singing)
occupation	Singer
years active	1942–present }}

Lata Mangeshkar (born September 28, 1929) is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi. She is the elder sister of singer Asha Bhosle, Hridayanath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar. She is the second vocalist to have ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Mangeshkar was featured in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. The claim was that she had recorded approximately 25,000 solo, duet, and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages between 1948 to 1974. Over the years, while several sources have supported this claim, others have raised concerns over its veracity, claiming that this number was highly exaggerated and that Mangeshkar's younger sister, Asha Bhosle, had more song recordings than she had. In 2011 ''Guinness'' officially acknowledged Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history.

Early life

Lata Mangeshkar was born in Sikh Mohalla, Indore, in the Central India Agency (now part of Madhya Pradesh). Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar who belonged to a Gomantak Maratha Samaj family from Goa, was a classical singer and theater actor. Her mother Shevanti (Shudhamati) who was from Thalner, Maharashtra, was Deenanath's second wife. The family's last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar in order to identify his family with his native town, Mangeshi in Goa. Lata was named "Hema" at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays, ''BhaawBandhan''. Lata is the eldest child of her parents. Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridayanath are her siblings in sequence.

Mangeshkar took her first lessons from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father's musical plays (''Sangeet Natak'' in Marathi). On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school. Other sources cite that she left school because they would not allow her to bring Asha with her, as she would often bring her younger sister with her.

Singing career

Early career in the 1940s

In 1942, when Mangeshkar was 13, her father died of heart disease. Master Vinayak (Vinayak Damodar Karnataki), the owner of Navyug Chitrapat movie company and a close friend of the Mangeshkar family, took care of them

Mangeshkar sang the song "Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari" which was composed by Sadashivrao Nevrekar for Vasant Joglekar's Marathi-language movie ''Kiti Hasaal'' (1942), but the song was dropped from the final cut. Vinayak gave her a small role in Navyug Chitrapat's Marathi movie ''Pahili Mangalaa-gaur'' (1942), in which she sang "Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai" which was composed by Dada Chandekar. Her first Hindi song was "Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu" for the Marathi film, ''Gajaabhaau'' (1943). Mangeshkar moved to Mumbai in 1945 when Master Vinayak's company moved its headquarters there. She started taking lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Amanat Ali Khan . She sang “Paa Lagoon Kar Jori” for Vasant Joglekar's Hindi-language movie ''Aap Ki Seva Mein'' (1946), which was composed by Datta Davjekar. Mangeshkar and her sister Asha played minor roles in Vinayak's first Hindi-language movie, ''Badi Maa'' (1945). In that movie, Lata also sang a bhajan, “Maata Tere Charnon Mein.” She was introduced to music director Vasant Desai during the recording of Vinayak's second Hindi-language movie, ''Subhadra'' (1946).

Following the partition of India in 1947, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan migrated to newly formed Pakistan, so Mangeshkar started to learn classical music under Amanat Khan Devaswale. Pandit Tulsidas Sharma, a pupil of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, also trained her.

After Vinayak's death in 1948, music director Ghulam Haider mentored her as a singer. Haider introduced Mangeshkar to producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was working then on the movie ''Shaheed'' (1948), but Mukherjee dismissed Mangeshkar's voice as "too thin." An annoyed Haider responded that in the coming years the producers and the directors would "fall at Lata's feet" and "beg her" to sing in their movies. Haider gave Lata her first major break with the song “Dil Mera Toda,” from the movie ''Majboor'' (1948).

Initially, Mangeshkar is said to have imitated the acclaimed singer Noor Jehan, but later she developed her own style of singing. Lyrics of songs in Hindi movies are primarily composed by Urdu poets and contain a higher proportion of Urdu words, including the dialogue. Actor Dilip Kumar once made a mildly disapproving remark about Mangeshkar's Maharashtrian accent while singing Hindi/Urdu songs; so for a period of time, Lata took lessons in Urdu from an Urdu teacher named Shafi.

One of her first major hits was “Aayega Aanewaala,” a song in the movie ''Mahal'' (1949), which was composed by music director Khemchand Prakash and lip-synced on screen by actress Madhubala.

1950s

In the 1950s, Mangeshkar sang songs composed by various music directors of the period, including Anil Biswas (in films such as Tarana and Heer), Shankar-Jaikishan, Naushad, S. D. Burman, C. Ramchandra, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Khayyam, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji, Vasant Desai, Sudhir Phadke, Hansraj Behl, Madan Mohan, and Usha Khanna.

Mangeshkar sang many raga-based songs for Naushad in movies such as ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952), ''Mughal-E-Azam'' (1960), and ''Kohinoor'' (1960). ''Ae Chorre Ki Jaat Badi Bewafa'', a duet with G. M. Durrani, was her first song for composer, Naushad. The duo, Shankar-Jaikishan, chose Mangeshkar for ''Aag'', ''Aah'' (1953), ''Shree 420'' (1955), and ''Chori Chori'' (1956). Before 1957, composer Sachin Dev (S. D.) Burman chose Mangeshkar as the leading female singer for his musical scores in ''Sazaa'' (1951), ''House No. 44'' (1955), and ''Devdas'' (1955). However a rift developed between Lata and Burman in 1957, and Lata did not sing Burman's compositions again until 1962.

Mangeshkar won a Filmfare Best Female Playback Award for Salil Chowdhury's composition “Aaja Re Pardesi,” from ''Madhumati'' (1958). In the early fifties, Lata Mangeshkar's association with C. Ramchandra produced songs in movies such as Anarkali, Albela, Asha, Pehli Jhhalak, Shin Shinkai Bublaa Boo, Azad and Amardeep. For Madan Mohan, she performed for films like Adalat, Railway Platform, Dekh Kabira Roya and Chacha Zindabad.

1960s

Mangeshkar's song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" from ''Mughal-E-Azam'' (1960), composed by Naushad and picturized on Madhubala, still remains famous . The Hawaiian-themed number "Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh" from ''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai'' (1960) was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan and picturized on Meena Kumari.

In 1961, Mangeshkar recorded two popular bhajans, "Allah Tero Naam" and "Prabhu Tero Naam", for Burman's assistant, Jaidev. In 1962, she was awarded her second Filmfare Award for the song "Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil" from ''Bees Saal Baad'', composed by Hemant Kumar.

On June 27, 1963, against the backdrop of the Sino-Indian War, Mangeshkar sang the patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" (literally, "Oh, People of My Country") in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. The song, composed by C. Ramchandra and written by Pradeep, is said to have brought the Prime Minister to tears.

In 1963, Mangeshkar returned to collaboration with S. D. Burman. She also sang for R. D. Burman's very first film ''Chhote Nawaab'' and later for his films such as ''Bhoot Bangla'' (1965), ''Pati Patni'' (1966), ''Baharon ke Sapne'' (1967) and ''Abhilasha'' (1969). She also recorded several popular songs for S. D. Burman, including "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai", "Gata Rahe Mera Dil" (duet with Kishore Kumar) and "Piya Tose" from ''Guide'' (1965), and "Hothon Pe Aisi Baat" from ''Jewel Thief'' (1967).

During the 1960s, Lata Mangeshkar continued her association with Madan Mohan which included the songs "Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha" from ''Anpadh'' (1962), "Lag Ja Gale" and "Naina Barse Rim Jhim" from ''Woh Kaun Thi?'' (1964), "Woh Chup Rahen To" from ''Jahan Ara'' (1964), and "Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega" from ''Mera Saaya'' (1966).

The 1960s also witnessed the beginning of Mangeshkar's association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the music directors for whom she sang the most popular songs in her career. She sang for ''Parasmani'' (1963) which was their first film together.

She also sang several playback songs for Marathi films, composed by Marathi music directors including Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Vasant Prabhu, Srinivas Khale, Sudhir Phadke and herself (under the name ''Anandghan''). During the 1960s and 1970s, she also sang several Bengali songs, composed by music directors like Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar.

In this period Lata Mangeshkar has recorded duets with Mukesh, Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi, and Kishore Kumar.

1970s

In 1972, Meena Kumari's last film, ''Pakeezah'' released. It featured popular songs including "Chalte Chalte" and "Inhi Logon Ne" sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and composed by Ghulam Mohammed. She recorded many popular songs for S. D. Burman's last films, including "Rangeela Re" from ''Prem Pujari'' (1970), "Khilte Hain Gul Yahaan" from ''Sharmeelee'' (1971), and "Piya Bina" from ''Abhimaan'' (1973).

Lata Mangeshkar's most notable songs in 1970s were composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal (Laxmi-Pyare) and Rahul Dev Burman. She recorded several songs composed by Laxmi-Pyare in 1960s and 1970s, many of them written by the lyricist Anand Bakshi. She also recorded many hit songs with Rahul Dev Burman in the films ''Amar Prem'' (1972), ''Caravan'' (1971), ''Kati Patang''(1971), and ''Aandhi'' (1975). The two are noted for their songs with the lyricists Majrooh Sultanpuri, Anand Bakshi and Gulzar.

In 1973, she won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Beeti Na Bitai" from the film ''Parichay'', composed by R. D. Burman, and written by Gulzar. In 1974, she sang her only Malayalam song "Kadali Chenkadali" for the film ''Nellu'', composed by Salil Chowdhury, and written by Vayalar Ramavarma. In 1975, she again won the national award, this time for the song "Roothe Roothe Piya" from the film ''Kora Kagaz'', composed by Kalyanji-Anandji.

From 1970s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar has also staged many concerts in India and abroad, including several charity concerts. Her first concert overseas was at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1974. She also released an album of Mirabai's bhajans, ''Chala Vaahi Des'', composed by her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar. Some of the bhajans in the album include "Saanware Rang Raachi" and "Ud Jaa Re Kaaga". In the early 70s, she released other non-film albums, such as her collection of Ghalib ghazals, an album of Marathi folk songs (koli-geete), an album of Ganesh aartis (all composed by her brother Hridaynath) and an album of ''abhangs'' of Sant Tukaram composed by Shrinivas Khale.

In late 1970s and early 1980s, she worked with the children of composers she had earlier worked with. Some of these composers included Rahul Dev Burman (son of Sachin Dev Burman), Rajesh Roshan (son of Roshan), Anu Malik (son of Sardar Malik), and Anand-Milind (sons of Chitragupt).

1980s onwards

From 1980s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar worked with music directors including Shiv-Hari, Ram Laxman, and A. R. Rahman. She recorded some non-film songs, including ghazals with Jagjit Singh.

In 1990, Mangeshkar launched her own production house for Hindi movies which produced the Gulzar-directed movie ''Lekin...''. She won her third National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her rendition of the song "Yaara Sili Sili" from the film, which was composed by her brother Hridayanath. During the 1990s, she recorded with music directors including Jatin-Lalit and Nadeem-Shravan. She has sung for Rajshri Productions, including ''Maine Pyar Kiya'' (1989) and ''Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!'' (1994).

Mangeshkar has sung for almost all the Yash Chopra films and films from his production house Yash Raj Films at that time, including ''Chandni'' (1989), ''Lamhe'' (1991), ''Darr'' (1993), ''Yeh Dillagi'' (1994), ''Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'' (1995), ''Dil To Pagal Hai'' (1997) and later on ''Mohabbatein'' (2000), ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge'' (2002) and ''Veer Zaara'' (2004).

A. R. Rahman recorded a few songs with Mangeshkar during this period, including "Jiya Jale" (''Dil Se..''), "Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lagin" (''One Two Ka Four''), "Ek Tu Hi Bharosa" (''Pukar''), "Pyaara Sa Gaon" (''Zubeidaa''), "Lukka chuppi" (''Rang de Basanti'') and "O Paalanhaare" (''Lagaan''). She made an appearance in the film ''Pukar'' singing this song.

In 1999, Lata Eau de Parfum, a perfume brand named after her, was launched.

In 1999, Mangeshkar was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha. However, she did not attend the Rajya Sabha sessions regularly, inviting criticism from several members of the House, including the Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah, Pranab Mukherjee and Shabana Azmi. She stated the reason for her absence as ill-health; it was also reported that she had not taken a salary, allowance or a house in Delhi for being a Member of Parliament.

In 2001, Lata Mangeshkar was awarded Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. In the same year, she established the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, managed by the Lata Mangeshkar Medical Foundation (founded by the Mangeshkar family in October 1989). In 2005, she designed a jewellery collection called Swaranjali, which was crafted by Adora, an Indian diamond export company. Five pieces from the collection raised £105,000 at a Christie's auction, and a part of the money was donated for the 2005 Pakistan earthquake relief. Also in 2001, she recorded her first Hindi song with the composer Ilaiyaraaja, for the film ''Lajja''; she had earlier recorded Tamil and Telugu songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Lata Mangeshkar's song "Wada Na Tod" is in the film ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004) and on the film's soundtrack.

On June 21, 2007, she released an album ''Saadgi'', featuring eight ghazal-like songs written by Javed Akhtar and composed by Mayuresh Pai.

Lata Mangeshkar records songs for Madhur Bhandarkar ''Kitne Ajeeb Rishte Hain Yahan Par'' for ''Page 3'' (2005), ''Daata Sun Le'' for ''Jail'' (2009) and, ''Kyun Yahan Hota Hai'' was recorded years ago for ''Corporate'' (2006), but is only being used in ''Heroine'' (2012).

Non-singing career

Music direction

Lata Mangeshkar composed music for the first time in 1955 for Marathi movie ''Ram Ram Pavhane''. Later in 1960s, she composed music for following Marathi movies under the pseudonym of ''Anand Ghan''.

1960 - ''Ram Ram Pavhana''

1963 - ''Maratha Tituka Melvava''

1963 - ''Mohityanchi Manjula''

1965 - ''Sadhi Manase''

1969 - ''Tambadi Mati''

She won Maharashtra State Government's Best Music Director Award for the film ''Sadhi Manase''. The song "Airanichya Deva Tula" from the same film received best song award.

Production

Lata Mangeshkar has produced four films:

1953 - ''Vaadal'' (Marathi)

1953 - ''Jhaanjhar'' (Hindi), co-produced with C. Ramchandra

1955 - ''Kanchan'' (Hindi)

1990 - ''Lekin...'' (Hindi)

Awards and recognitions

Lata Mangeshkar has won several awards and honors, including Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award), Padma Bhushan (1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989), Maharashtra Bhushan Award (1997), NTR National Award (1999), Bharat Ratna (2001), ANR National Award (2009), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. In 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, in order to promote fresh talent. She was later awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

In 1984, the State Government of Madhya Pradesh instituted the ''Lata Mangeshkar Award'' in honour of Lata Mangeshkar. The State Government of Maharashtra also instituted a Lata Mangeshkar Award in 1992.

In 1974, The Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artist in the history, stating that she had reportedly recorded "not less than 25,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in 20 Indian languages" between 1948 and 1974. Her record was contested by Mohammed Rafi, who was claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs. After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of World Records stated Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings", but also stated Rafi's claim. The later editions of Guinness Book stated that Lata Mangeshkar had sung no fewer than 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

Although the entry has not been printed in Guinness editions since 1991, several sources claim that she has recorded thousands of songs, with estimates ranging up to figures as large as 50,000. However, even the earliest Guinness claim of 25,000 songs (between 1948–1974) was claimed to be exaggerated by several other sources, with one of them stating that the number of songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Hindi films till 1991 was found to be 5250. Mangeshkar herself stated that she does not keep a record of the number of songs recorded by her, and that she did not know from where Guinness Book editors got their information. In 2011 Asha Bhosle was officially acknowledged by ''Guinness'' as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing Mangeshkar.

See also

Playback singer

Asha Bhosle

List of Indian playback singers

Bollywood songs

References

Further reading

. A collection of articles written by Lata Mangeshkar since 1952. . . A collection of articles written by Lata Mangeshkar since 1952.

External links

Category:1929 births Category:Indian female singers Category:Indian film singers Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Living people Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Marathi people Category:Kollywood playback singers Category:People from Indore Category:Marathi playback singers Category:Telugu playback singers Category:Kannada playback singers Category:Hindi-language singers Category:Marathi-language singers Category:Bengali-language singers Category:Gujarati-language singers Category:Tamil-language singers Category:English-language singers Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Recipients of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award Category:Malayalam playback singers Category:Bhojpuri cinema

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