Anjaan was the nom-de-plume of Lalji Pandey, the Hindi movie lyricist famous for songs such as "Khaike Paan Banaraswala" from Don and "Rote Hue Aate Hain Sab" from Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.

Anjaan, a native of Varanasi, often used the Bhojpuri dialect of Hindi in his lyrics. Bollywood lyricist Sameer is his son.

Initial days in Bollywood[link]

Anjaan got his first break with the 1953 Premnath production Prisoner Of Golconda where he wrote "Lehar Yeh Dole Koyal Bole" and "Shaheedon Amar Hai Tumhari Kahani". After this he remained fairly busy, but in small films. His only popular number was "Mat Poonch Mera Hai Mera Kaun Watan" (Lambe Haath) with music by G. S. Kohli, with whom he did many small films. He was first noticed for his work with the Raaj Kumar film Godaan, based on the Premchand classic, with music by Ravi Shankar. This film got him a few good assignments in the mid - 60’s with big composers like O. P. Nayyar ("Aap Ke Haseen Rukh"^{[citation needed]}) in Guru Dutt’s Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi and G. P. Sippy's Bandhan, which established him commercially with "Bina Badraa Ke Bijuriya Kaise Barse". This also saw the forging with fellow lyricist Indeevar and composers Kalyanji-Anandji. This was followed by songs in Kalyanji - Anandji’s Kab? Kyon? Aur Kahan?. Shankar - Jaikishan’s Umang, Rivaaj and Ek Nari Ek Brahmachari, Ravi's Vandana ("Aap Ki Inaayat Aap Ke Karam"), R. D. Burman’s Hungama (‘Wah Ri Kismat’, ‘Suraj Se Jo Kiran Ka Naata’ which was the first ever song filmed on Zeenat Aman) and a few other films.

And yet it took Anjaan many more years before he emerged as a very prolific writer who amalgamated a lot of his commercial songs with lyricism and poetry. He was at his best in the Amitabh Bachchan films of Kalyanji-Anandji, beginning with Do Anjaane ("Luk Chhip Luk Chhip Jao Na") in 1976.

Followed Hera Pheri ("Barson Purana Yeh Yaarana"), Khoon Pasina ("Title Song" and "Bani Rahe Jodi Raja Rani Ki"), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar ("Rote Hue Aate Hain Sab", "O Saathi Re", "Pyar Zindagi Hai", "Dil To Hai Dil"), Don with his biggest hit of the career "Khaike Paan Banaras Wala", ("Ee Hai Bambai Nagariya", "Jiska Mujhe Tha Intezaar"), Lawaaris ("Jiska Koi Nahin", "Kab Ke Bichhde") and Jaadugar. He also wrote hits for Bachchan with other composers like Rajesh Roshan (Do Aur Do Paanch, Yaarana), Bappi Lahiri (Namak Halaal, Sharaabi) and R. D. Burman (Mahaan). His liaison with Prakash Mehra also yielded hits like Zindagi Ek Juaa, Dalaal and other films like Jwalamukhi, Ghunghroo, Mohabbat Ke Dushman, Muqaddar Ka Faisla, Imaandaar, Chameli Ki Shaadi and Himalay Se Ooncha.

Career after the 1980s[link]

In the 80’s, he even emerged as the writer of choice for Mithun Chakravarty’s films like Disco Dancer and Dance Dance and struck a gold mine in the films of Bappi Lahiri, Shibu Mitra and B. Subhash. Among his hits with them were the songs of Aandhi Toofan, Ilzaam, Aag Hi Aag, Paap Ki Duniya and Tarzan.

His work with others was almost schizophrenically different, with songs like R. D. Burman’s "Yeh Faasle Yeh Duriyan" (Zameen Aasman), "Laagi Lag Jaaye Logon" (Poonam / Anu Malik), "Ganga Mein Dooba" (Apne Rang Hazaar), ‘Meri Saanson Ko Jo’, "Na Jaane Kaise" and "Woh Woh Na Rahe" (Badaltey Rishtey, "Hamrahi Mere Humrahi" (Do Dilon Ki Daastaan), ‘Yashoda Ka Nandlala (Sanjog), ‘Sadiyan Beet Gayi’ (Triveni) and the beautiful songs of Eeshwar (all these films were with Laxmikant-Pyarelal showing a poetic vein). Another major hit was Anu Malik’s breakthrough film Ek Jaan Hain Hum.

His health suffered a major setback in the early 90’s, though he delivered hits with Zindagi Ek Juaa, Dalaal, Ghayal and the 1990 chartbuster "Gori Hain Kalaiyan" (Aaj Ka Arjun) and his last hit Shola Aur Shabnam (1992). His other films in the 90’s included Vishnu Devaa, Parakrami, Insaniyat, Police Aur Mujrim, First Love Letter, Aandhiyaan, Phool Bane Angaarey and others.

In the 60’s, Anjaan also wrote several non - films albums composed by Shyam Sagar and sung by Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey and Suman Kalyanpur. Rafi’s song "Main Kab Gaata" was a big hit then. Anjaan also entered the world of Bhojpuri films with the massive hit Balam Pardesia in the late 70’s. The song "Gourki Patarki Re" became a rage and set the stage for many more films with a resurgent Chitragupta and laying the foundation for the personal - and later - professional liaison between their respective sons Sameer and Anand-Milind.

Anjaan was a very successful all - rounder for almost 20 years in Hindi films, but his poetry still had the colour of Bhojpuri language and the ethos and culture of Uttar Pradesh, the citadel of hindi. This is why, says Sameer. he could write "Khaike Paan", "Bina Badra Ke Bijuriya" and similar songs with great skill. His own favourites were his songs from Apne Rang Hazaar and Badaltey Rishtey and "Maano To Main Ganga Maa Hoon Maano To Behta Paani" and "Chal Musafir" from Ganga Ki Saugandh. A few months before his death on 13 September 1997, his only book of poems, Ganga Tath Ka Banjara (A Gypsy from the Shores of the Ganges) was released at the hands of Amitabh Bachchan.

Notable songs[link]

• "Khaike Paan Banaras Waala" - Don
• "Dil To Hai Dil" - Muqaddar Ka Sikandar
• "Rote Huye Aate Hain Sab" - Mukaddar kaa Sikandar
• "O Saathee Re" - Muqaddar Ka Sikander
• "Pyaar Jindagi Hai - Muqaddar Ka Sikander
• "Log Kehte Hain Maein Sharaabi Hoon" - Sharabhi
• "Chhookar Mere Man Ko Kiya Toone Kya Ishaara" - Yaarana

External links[link]

• Anjaan at the Internet Movie Database
• Mini biography of Anjaan
• Collection of Anjaan's Lyrics

Pradeep Kumar (born Pradeep Batabyal; 4 January 1925 - 27 October 2001) was an Indian actor in Bengali and Hindi films.^[1][2]

Career[link]

When Kumar was 17 years old, he decided to take up acting. His started his film career in Bengali films. His notable roles in Bengali films were in Alaknanda(1947) directed by renowned filmmaker Debaki Bose and in '42 (1951).

Kumar then shifted to Bombay and Filmistan studios, and had an important role in the film Anand Math (1952). He played the lead role with Bina Rai in Anarkali (1953) and with Vyjayanthimala in Nagin (1954). Both films were very popular and had songs that added to the movies success. He had a spate of releases in the second half of the 1950s. He did not enjoy as much success in the 1960s, though Ghoonghat (1960) , Taj Mahal (1963) and Aarti were successful. He worked with Meena Kumari in 7 films i.e. Adil-E-Jahangir, Bandhan, Chitralekha, Bahu Begum, Bheegi Raat, Aarti & Noor Jahan & with Mala Sinha in 8 films i.e. Naya Zamana, Hamlet, Baadshah, Detective, Fashion, Ek Shola, Duniya Na Maane, and Mitti Mein Sona.

He did not get to act in lead roles with the newer heroines of the 1960s like Sadhana, Saira Banu, Babita or Sharmila Tagore, though he did work with Asha Parekh in Ghoonghat and Meri Surat Teri Aankhen & with Waheeda Rehman in Raakhi(1963). In 1969, he moved to character roles with Sambandh and Mehboob Ki Mehndi, but did not have many visible roles till Jaanwar and Razia Sultan in 1983.

He won the Kalakar Award-Lifetime Achievement Award (1999).^[3]

Pradeep Kumar died in Calcutta on 27 October 2001, at the age of 76. He is survived by his daughters Reena, Meena and Beena who plays character roles in movies and TV serials including Uttran, son Debiprasad and granddaughters Tanisha, Riya and Hrishita.

Filmography[link]

Bengali[link]

Pradip kumar played the role of BANDIT MOHAN ( Dosshu Mohan in Bangla) a character based on a very popular bangla crime thriller series Dossu Mohan

Hindi[link]

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Aakhri Insaf (1979)

Aarti (1961)

Adalat (1958)

Adl-E-Jehangir (1954)

Afsana (1966)

Amar Shakati (1978)

Anand Math (1952)

Anarkali (1953)

Anjaan (1956)

Apsara (1955)

Arab Ka Saudagar (1956)

Badshah (1955)

Bahu Begum (1966)

Batwara (1961)

Bheegee Raat (1965)

Chaitali (1975)

Chambal Ki Kassam (1979)

• Chitralekha (1964)

Detective (1958)

Do Anjaane (1976)

Do Dilon Ki Dastan (1967)

Duniya Na Mane (1959)

Dur Naheen Manzil (1972)

Durgesh Nandini (1956)

Ek Jhalak (1956)

Fashion (1957)

Gateway Of India (1957)

Ghunghat (1960)

Harishchandra Taramati (1970)

Hawas (1974)

Heer (1956)

Hill Station (1957)

Jab Se Tumhen Dekha Hai (1963)

Jagte Raho (1956)

Jalte Badan (1973)

Kagaz Ki Nao (1974)

Kalabaaz (1977)

Kranti (1981)

Lok Parlok (1979)

Mahabharat (1965)

Mangetar (1972)

Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1970)

Mere Armaan Mere Sapne (1963)

Meri Surat Teri Ankhen (1963)

Miss India (1956)

Mitti Me Sona (1960)

Modern Girl (1960)

Nagin (1955)

Naya Sansar (1959)

Noor Jehan (1967)

Palaniyappa Kalluri (2007)

Purana Mandir (1984) Parmatma (1976)

Passport (1961)

Patrani (1956)

Police (1957)

Pyar Ki Rahen (1959)

Raat Aur Din (1966)

Raj Hath (1956)

Rakhi (1962)

Saheli (1965)

Sambandh (1968)

Samjhauta (1972)

Sanjog (1961)

Shirin Farhad (1956)

Subah Ka Tara (1954)

Taj (1955)

Taj Mahal (1963)

Ustadon Ke Ustad (1963

Sindbad Alibaba & Aladin (1964))

Wahan Ke Log (1967)

Zindagi Aur Maut (1999)

References[link]

External links[link]

• An article from rediff.com
• Pradeep Kumar at the Internet Movie Database

This article about an Indian actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Byomkesh Bakshi (or Byomkesh Baksi) (Bengali: ব্যোমকেশ বক্সী) is a fictional detective in Bengali literature created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. He is one of the most successful detective characters in Bengali literature. Bandyopadhyay once said that these stories can be thought as and read as social novels only. In Bengali, Byomkesh means "the sky".

Overview[link]

The advocate-turned-littérateur Bandyopadhyay was deeply influenced by Sherlock Holmes^[1] of Arthur Conan Doyle, Hercule Poirot of Agatha Christie and Father Brown of G.K.Chesterton as well as the "tales of ratiocination" involving C. Auguste Dupin produced by Edgar Allan Poe. He was, however, concerned with how the Indian and Bengali fictional detectives created between 1890 and 1930 had failed to exist as something other than mere copies of the Western (and particularly English) fictional detectives. The stories of Dinendra Kumar Ray's Robert Blake, Panchkari Dey's Debendra Bijoy Mitra or Swapan Kumar's Deepak Chatterjee were almost always set in London or in Kolkata which was identifiably the British metropolis. It was almost as a postcolonial response that Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay introduced the Bengali "Bhadrolok" (gentleman) sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi and Ajit Bandyopadhyay (Byomkesh's associate and narrator) in Pather Kanta in 1932. He began to write of them as investigating in an Indian metropolis—the capital of British India until 1911—that has had been thoroughly Indianised. Apart from Byomkesh, there are only two other detective characters who can be thought as purely Bengali of that time: Hemendra Kumar Roy's Jayanta [জয়ন্ত] and Nihar Ranjan Gupta’s Kiriti Roy [কিরীটী রায়], though in the view point of complexity and importance of crimes, Byomkesh is much more ahead.

Initially serialized in the literary magazine Basumati, the stories and novels were all eventually published in hardcover editions, the first being Byomkesher Diary. In all, Sharadindu wrote 33 stories featuring Byomkesh, one of which remained incomplete due to his death. At first, he wrote in Sadhu Bhasha, but later he preferred Chalit Bhasha while writing Byomkesh. Byomkesh is one of the most popular characters in Bengali literature, along with Feluda of Satyajit Ray, Kakababu of Sunil Gangopadhyay, Parashor Barma and Ghanada of Premendra Mitra and Tenida of Narayan Gangopadhyay.

Development[link]

Although the story Satyanweshi, in which Byomkesh and Ajit meet for the first time, is often the first story in most Byomkesh anthologies, the first Byomkesh story written was Pother Kanta in 1932, followed by Seemanto-Heera in the same year. Sharadindu started writing the stories regularly. By 1936 he had written ten stories, all of which were published by Calcutta publishers Gurudas Chatterjee and Sons in three collections. Sharadindu stopped writing Byomkesh stories for 15 years, during which time he lived and worked in Mumbai, writing screenplays for Bollywood films, including Durga, Kangan and Navjeevan (all 1939).

On returning to Calcutta in 1951, Sharadindu began writing Byomkesh stories again after friends asked why he had stopped and published Chitrochor in the same year. He wrote a further 21 stories, including one, Bishupal Bodh, left incomplete by his death in 1970.

Meeting with Ajit[link]

Byomkesh meets Ajit for the first time in the story Satyanweshi. He initially introduces himself as Atul Mitra to prevent others from knowing his actual motives there. Through a series of complicated events, one of which resulted in him being accidentally arrested by the police on charge of murder, he ultimately unmasks the criminal, which turns out to be the mess owner himself. As a result the mess members are forced to vacate the mess, while Byomkesh takes Ajit to his own mess in Harrison Road, where he entreats him to stay there with him, saying that after living with him for the last two weeks he would find it difficult to live alone. Ajit consents, and since then they live there along with their devoted servant Puntiram [পুঁটিরাম], until in Arthonamortham Byomkesh gets married to Satyaboti who henceforth lives there too.

Early life[link]

Not much is known about Byomkesh's background and early life. Ajit mentions in Adim Ripu that his father used to be a mathematics teacher in a local school, while his mother busied herself in reading scriptures. Both died of tuberculosis when he was very young. His relatives never cared to look after him, leaving him to fend for himself. He earned scholarships from universities which enabled him to complete his studies. Though his relatives are still living, Byomkesh isn't interested in keeping any contact with them.

Relationship with Ajit[link]

Ajit narrates all but five of the thirty-three cases which feature Byomkesh. In all these stories he assists and accompanies Byomkesh in his escapades. Most of the stories are centered on Kolkata, except a few like in Byomkesh O Baroda, where they go to Munger in Bihar, or Amriter Mrityu, where they go to Baghmari. SharadinduBabu had intended to portray Ajit as a stereotype foil to a super-sleuth. Indeed, in all the stories the readers find that Byomkesh single-handedly solves the mysteries, while Ajit's narration, punctuated by his own interpretations of events, offers interesting insight into the story. Byomkesh's opinion about Ajit's intelligence and acumen is somewhat underwhelming, in Durgo Rohosyo, when Ajit throws some intelligent light on the mystery, he is very surprised, which prompts him to concede "Can it be that at last you have really developed your faculties!" However, he let Ajit try to solve the case in his lieu in Makorsar Ros, though admittedly it was more due to circumstances precluding him from engaging himself in the case than due to his trust in Ajit's abilities; inasmuch as he was busy solving another case concerning some large scale forgery of notes. Ajit however is unable to solve the case, and even naively suggests at one point that the only explanation of NandadulalBabu still managing to intoxicate himself with Tarantula extract is that he devours those roaming on his room-walls. This preposterous idea compels a hearty laugh from Byomkesh, much to his chagrin; however after he had solved it out himself, Byomkesh tells the family that it was Ajit who had solved it, with only a minor assistance from him.

Occasionally Byomkesh assigns Ajit some role in solving the mystery: in Pother Kanta he lets Ajit go to New Market incognito to procure a letter from an unknown person, though later we find that he followed Ajit close at heels all the time. In Amriter Mrityu he asks Ajit to interrogate a suspect while he busied himself in some other affairs.

Personality and Traits[link]

In Pother Kanta, Ajit writes that Byomkesh, for all his astuteness and intelligence, is a bit queer. For example, he opines that the most spectacular pieces of news in a newspaper lay hidden not under the headlines, but in the advertisements. Though Ajit refuses to buy this, and can't control an urge to chaff him too, it later turns out that what Byomkesh had told was true, at least for that story. Ajit also writes that the outer appearance of Byomkesh won't do much to suggest anything out of the ordinary, but if he is cornered, he comes out of his shell and then his words and actions become something to be reckoned with. He calls himself a ‘’Satyanweshi’’ (the ‘’truth-seeker’’), and dislikes it when people call him a detective, perhaps to avoid the negative connotations of professionalism likely to be associated with the term private detective. However Ajit insists that even though Byomkesh dislikes the moniker, he knows very well that he is indeed one.

He often quotes Tagore to explain a certain situation to Ajit; in the later stories we find that the nonsense poems of Abol Tabol by Sukumar Ray too had attracted his interest. He is an avid reader of Mahabharata which we discover in The Will That Vanished. He never discloses the actual specifics of an ongoing case to Ajit until the very end (Amriter Mrityu being one exception), but occasionally drops subtle hints, which however fail to satisfy the curiosity of the latter in most cases. Since Byomkesh isn't interested in cases involving petty thefts or murders as they don't provide much space to exercise his intelligence, most of the times he remains at home idling away his time in newspapers and his personal library. He ascribes this to brilliant criminals being few and far between. He often paces his room relentlessly while cogitating on a mystery, consuming endless number of cigarettes. He knows that sound contribution from the police is essential to solving any case, and hence maintains a cordial relation with most police officers. When this doesn't work out, for example in Arthonamortham, finding that the officer in charge is adverse to him, Byomkesh blandishes him to elicit a thorough description of the entire event.

Although he is supposed to determine the culprit and hand him (or her) to the police, Byomkesh refrains from doing so on more than one occasion. In Adim Ripu, he lets the murderer go scot-free, stating that even criminals have a right to freedom on the auspicious day of their nation's freedom (the timeline of the said story coincides with the last phase of Indian independence movement) and concluding that the knowledge of his parentage obviates having him to go through any further punishment. In Rokter Dag, he lets the murderer off on moral grounds, arguing that the act, while not acceptable in the eyes of the law, works for the greater well and hence he is worthy of pardon. He repeats this act in Hneyalir Chhondo and Achin Pakhi.

Methods of detection[link]

In most of the story we find that Byomkesh banks more on instinct and intuition when concrete proof is unavailable. Sharadindu never expresses it explicitly through Ajit; however in Seemonto-Heera the boastful and condescending Sir Digindranarayan Roy mentions it while he pretends to make an analysis of Byomkesh's faculties from his appearance only. Ajit visibly is unable to agree with the fact that intuition can supplant material proof, though he acquiesces after Byomkesh does solve the case. In Bahnni-Patanga we see that Byomkesh is somewhat perplexed by the seemingly trivial fact that in a painting depicting Dushmanta stealing a glance at Shakuntala, the artist had chosen to paint the iris of the latter in blue. Based on this fact alone, he constructs the entire case, which we later we find accurate.

Achin Pakhi perhaps provides the best example of his intuitive skills, here just in the act listening to an unsolved case as recounted by a retired police officer, he realises that the perpetrator of the crime in question is none other than the person recounting it. Byomkesh keenly focuses on the most quotidian events and facts, and many a time we find that such a fact proves all important in the solution of the mystery. He encourages his clients to state everything they can remember while they recount their experiences, insisting that nothing is unimportant to him. In Pother Kanta, this leads to the client stating that just prior to his being attacked; he heard the ringing of a bicycle bell. Later this turned out to be the most crucial piece of clue in deciphering the mystery. In "Arthonamortham", he correctly guesses that Sukumar returned from cinema at exactly 12 am. In fact there are very few stories where concrete proof does materialise to help him solve the case; for example in Chiriyakhana and Benisanghar he gets substantial help from the police. Many times we see that even though he already knows who the culprit is, he waits for an opportune moment to catch him flagrante delicto, such as in Pather Kanta, Lohar Biscuit and Shojarur Kanta.

Trivia[link]

• The customs and manners of Calcutta during the British Raj are very well portrayed in the earlier books, from street names to the names of the shops. Interestingly, the bridge spanning the Hooghly river, was a pontoon bridge as mentioned by Byomkesh twice in Pother kanta. This was prior to the current Howrah Bridge, construction of which began three years after the publication of the first edition of the novel.
• In the foreword to the first anthologized edition of stories featuring Byomkesh, Byomkesher diary, published by Gurudas Chottopadhyay & Sons, which contained Pother Kanta, Satyanweshi, Seemanto-Heera and Makorshar Ros, Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay wrote: "Many will be anxious to know whether these are original stories or merely transcreated from foreign novels. For the interest of the general reader, I'd like to make it known that these are completely my own creations"
• Although Pother Kanta was the first novel featuring Byomkesh that Sharadindu wrote, since Satyanweshi is the novel in which the character of Byomkesh Bakshi is established, it is considered by readers to be the first in the series.
• Byomkesh received M.Sc. in Physics from Calcutta University.
• Byomkesh learned to play chess from Ajit.
• Byomkesh learns to love poetry on reading Sukumar Ray's Abol Tabol, a book presented to his son by Ajit.
• Byomkesh's father was a mathematics teacher by profession.
• Byomkesh reads the personal advertisements in a newspaper as if they were the real news. In stories like Pather Kanta, cases are partially introduced through the personal advertisement section of the newspaper.
• Although most stories are penned by Ajit, somewhere through the second book of Byomkesh stories, he gives up writing Byomkesh's accounts. Though, in a few of the last stories, the narrator is the author himself, i.e., these stories are written in a third person speech.

Stories[link]

The following list is arranged chronologically of publishing.

1. Satyanweshi (সত্যান্বেষী)
2. Pother Kanta (পথের কাঁটা)
3. Seemonto-Heera (সীমন্ত হীরা)
4. Makorshar Ros (মাকড়সার রস)
5. Arthonamortham (অর্থমনর্থম)
6. Chorabali (চোরাবালি)
7. Agniban (অগ্নিবাণ)
8. Uposonghar (উপসংহার)
9. Raktomukhi Neela (রক্তমুখী নীলা)
10. Byomkesh O Boroda (ব্যোমকেস ও বরদা)
11. Chitrochor (চিত্রচোর) (later translated as Picture Imperfect)
12. Durgo Rahosyo (দুর্গরহস্য)
13. Chiriyakhana (চিড়িয়াখানা)
14. Adim Ripu (আদিম রিপু)
15. Banhi-Patanga (বহ্নি-পতঙ্গ)
16. Rokter Dag (রক্তের দাগ)
17. Monimondon (মণিমণ্ডন)
18. Amriter Mrityu (অমৃতের মৃত্যু)
19. Shailo Rahosyo (শৈল রহস্য)
20. Achin Pakhi (অচিন পাখি)
21. Kohen Kobi Kalidas (কহেন কবি কালিদাস)
22. Adrishyo Trikon (অদৃশ্য ত্রিকোণ)
23. Khunji Khunji Nari (খুঁজি খুঁজি নারি)
24. Adwitiya (অদ্বিতীয়া)
25. Mognomoinak (মগ্নমৈনাক)
26. Dushtochokro (দুষ্টচক্র)
27. Hneyalir Chhondo (হেঁয়ালির ছন্দ)
28. Room Nombor 2 (রুম নম্বর ২)
29. Chholonar Chhondo (ছলনার ছন্দ)
30. Shojarur Kanata (শজারুর কাঁটা)
31. Benishonghar (বেণীসংহার)
32. Lohar Biscuit (লোহার বিসকুট)
33. Bishupal Bodh (বিশুপাল বধ)

The last one, i.e., Bishupal Bodh is incomplete. Narayan Sanyal once wrote Bishupal Bodh: Uposonghar [বিশুপাল বধ: উপসংহার], which is basically a completion of this novel. Sanyal fulfilled some terms given by Pratul Chandra Gupta, who edited Bandyopadhyay's collected works. Samaresh Basu, as the editor of Mahanagar, a magazine, published it in a Puja issue.^[2]

Regular characters[link]

Recurring characters in the Byomkesh series include:

1. Ajit Bandyopadhyay [অজিত বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়]: Byomkesh's close friend and narrator of most of his stories.
2. Satyaboti [সত্যবতী]: Byomkesh's wife. The two first meet in Arthomanortham.
3. Khoka [খোকা]: Nicknames of Byomkesh's son. His original name is nowhere mentioned.
4. Sukumar [সুকুমার]: Satyaboti's elder brother. Byomkesh saves him from a murder charge in Arthomanortham.
5. Puntiram [পুঁটিরাম]: Home servant. He is seen in every story which takes place in Calcutta.
6. Rakhal [রাখাল]: Policeman.
7. AnukulBabu [অনুকূলবাবু]: He is first seen as doctor as well as the landlord in Satyanweshi, later he is found in Uposonghar.
8. Tridibendra Narayan Roy [ত্রিদিবেন্দ্র নারায়ণ রায়]: Jamindar of a certain territory of North Bengal, seen in Seemonto-Heera & then in Chorabali.
9. Ashwini Ghatak [অশ্বিনী ঘটক]: This doctor is found in Chitrochor & Durgo Rohosyo.

English rendering of Byomkesh[link]

• Picture Imperfect and Other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries (Penguin Books)

1. The Inquisitor
2. The Gramophone Pin Mystery
3. The Venom of the Tarantula
4. Where There's Will
5. Calamity Strikes
6. An Encore for Byomkesh
7. Picture Imperfect

• Byomkesh Bakshi Stories (Rupa & Co.)

1. Raktomukhi Neela (The Deadly Diamond)
2. Seemonto-Heera (The Hidden Heirloom)
3. Achin Pakhi (The Avenger)
4. Shaila Rahasya (The Phantom Client)
5. Chholonar Chhondo (The Man In The Red Coat)
6. Chorabali (Quick Sand)
7. Room Nombor 2 (Room Number 2)

• The Menagerie and Other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries (Penguin Books)

1. The Menagerie
2. The Jewel Case
3. The Will that Vanished
4. The Quills of the Porcupine

• The Mystery of the Fortress & Other Stories (New Age Publishers)

1. The invisible Triangle
2. Iron Biscuits
3. The Crooked Circle
4. Thus Spoke Kavi Kalidasa
5. The Mystery of the Fortress

Film and TV adaptations[link]

1. Chiriyakhana a.k.a. The Zoo (1967) directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by Harendranath Bhattacharjya of Star Productions was the first screen adaptation of the sleuth's cases. Uttam Kumar had played the role of Byomkesh Bakshi while Shailen Mukherjee played the character of Ajit. The film boasted an ensemble cast of contemporary actors. The film was a huge success with Uttam Kumar as Bakshi bagging his first National Award for the role and director Satyajit Ray receiving a National Award for best direction.
2. Shajarur Kanta (1974) directed by actress-turned-director Manju Dey and produced by Star Productions was the second film of the Bakshi series. Satindra Bhattacharya replaced Uttam Kumar as Bakshi while Shailen Mukherjee reprised his role as Ajit. The film was a moderate success, not being able to attract as large an audience as the first film.
3. In the early 80s Kolkata Doordarshan produced several episodes of Byomkesh Bakshi where Ajoy Ganguly acted as Byomkesh.
4. Byomkesh Bakshi (1993) directed by Basu Chatterjee was the critically acclaimed television adaptation of the series. Actor Rajit Kapur played the role of Byomkesh Bakshi, for which he was highly praised. Ajit was played by K.K. Raina and Satyaboti was played by Sukanya Kulkarni who was the first actress to play the character. The series lasted for 33 episodes.
5. Byomkesh Bakshi (2004) directed by Swapan Ghoshal was the second television adaptation of the series also aired on Doordarshan. This series was a success. Actor Sudip Mukherjee debuted with the role of Byomkesh Bakshi and got a grand success following Rajit Kapur. Debdut Ghosh have played the role of Ajit and also accepted by audience. Satyaboti was played by Maitreyi Mitra. Like the Hindi series, this series also had some of ensemble cast of that time.
6. Byomkesh (2007) directed by Swapan Ghosal who also directed the previous series for Doordarshan that time he collaborated with Tara Muzik (a private Bengali T. V. channel). Actor Saptarshi Roy has played Bakshi while Ajit and Satyaboti were played by two other lesser-known actors. This version of series is a bit low-profile unlike its predecedors. The series did not get the success. The DVDs of the series was released by Mosearbear again.
7. Magna-Mainak (2009) directed by Swapan Ghosal again who also directed the two Bengali TV series on the sleuth. The film is featuring several TV actors. TV actor Shuvrajit Dutta is playing Bakshi. The film did not run fare. Though the director-producer have announced that they will make at least a trilogy on Byomkesh with stories such Bonhi-Potongo and Rokter Dag.
8. Byomkesh Bakshi is first installment of another Byomkesh-film-trilogy directed by singer-songwriter-actor-director Anjan Dutta and produced by R P Techvision Pvt Ltd. The film was released on 13 August 2010 and turned out to be quite popular with the audience. This movie is scheduled be followed by the other two film-adaptations of Chitrochor and Kohen Kobi Kalidas. The second film adaption is titled "Abar Byomkesh". Like several successful films of Dutta, this trilogy is also expected to be enacted by some young and relatively lesser-known actors. In the first film, Abir Chatterjee plays Bakshi while Ushoshi Chakrabarty plays Satyboti. The character of Ajit is played by the veteran actor Saswata Chatterjee. Three of them are going to reprise their roles in the second film. Coincidentally, Chatterjee also played the role of Topse - the juvenile assistant of another Bengali private investigator, Feluda (played by Sabyasachi Chakraborty) in Baksho Rahashya (film) in 1996 and a T.V. miniseries Feluda 30 (1997–2001).
9. Director Shaibal Mitra had approached the experienced Hindi film actor Naseeruddin Shah for the role of Bakshi in his 60s for a Hindi film adaptation of Shajarur Kanta.
10. Prabir Chakroborty, a Mumbai-based film director, has had negotiated for the Hindi rights of six Byomkesh Bakshi stories, including that of Arthonamortham. This information was supplied by Malabika Chakroborty, the director's wife who has the power of attorney for dealing with Bandopadhyay’s works, to The Times of India, 21 February 2009.
11. Director Rituporno Ghosh announced his intention to make a film-trilogy on Byomkesh, starting with Arthamanartham, under the productions of Rose Valleys Motion Pictures. It was decided that the Bengali film-actor, Prosenjit Chatterjee would enact Bakshi, Tapas Paul as Ajit, and Paoli Dam as Satyaboti. The project was, however, shelved.

Besides, many small scale productions have been made by drama organizations throughout West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Byomkesh Bakshi episodes (Hindi)[link]

The episodes of the TV series which aired on DD 1 Byomkesh Bakshi Season 1 in 1993 and Season 2 in 1997, directed by Basu Chatterjee are:

1. Satyanveshi
2. Raaste ki kanta
3. Seemant heera
4. Wasiyat
5. Reth ka daldal
6. Makdi Ka Ras
7. Lal neelam
8. Bhoot
9. Agnivaan
10. Upsanhaar
11. Tasveer Chor
12. Kile ka Rahasya
13. Chiriyaghar A
14. Chiriyaghar B
15. Aadim Shatru A
16. Aadim Shatru B
17. Aag Aur Patanga
18. Vansh Ka Khoon
19. Necklace
20. Amrit Ki Maut
21. Pahadi Rahasya
22. Anjaan Khooni
23. Kahin Kave Kalidas
24. Adrishya Trikon
25. Wasiyat Ka Rahasya
26. Bemisal
27. Balak Jasoos
28. Chakrant
29. Paheli Gatha
30. Kamra No 102
31. Dhokhadhadi
32. Sahi Ka Kanta
33. Veni Sanhar
34. Lohe Ka Biscuit

See also[link]

• Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
• Satyajit Ray
• Narayan Sanyal
• Hemendra Kumar Roy
• Nihar Ranjan Gupta

References[link]

External links[link]

• For a complete critical overview of the Byomkesh Bakshi stories, with special reference to their postcolonial aspects, see the Maldah College-Assistant Professor Pinaki Roy's The Manichean Investigators: A Postcolonial and Cultural Rereading of the Sherlock Holmes and Byomkesh Bakshi Stories, published by the New Delhi-based Swarup Book Publishers in 2008 (ISBN 978-81-7625-849-4).
• Byomkesh.com - a fan-site
• An outline of Bengali fictional detectives
• An English translation of a few stories (ISBN 0-14-028710-8)
• Byomekesh Bakshi at the Internet Movie Database

Mohammad Rafi (December 24, 1924 – July 31, 1980) is considered to be the greatest Indian male playback singer of all time.^[1] He was awarded the National Film Award, Best Singer Award, six Filmfare Awards and the Best Singer of the Millennium award. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India.^[2] His singing career spanned about 35 years, and he is noted for his ability to sing songs of different moods and varieties:^[3] 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.^[4]

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[link]

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).^[5] Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, began singing by imitating the chants of a fakir in his village.^[5] Rafi's father moved to Lahore in the 1920s where he ran a men's salon in Noor Mohalla in Bhatti Gate Lahore.^[6] 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.^[7][8] His first public performance came at the age of 13, when he sang in Lahore featuring K. L. Saigal.^[7] 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).^[9] In that same year, Rafi was invited by All India Radio Lahore station to sing for them.^[10] 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.^[4]

In Bombay[link]

In 1944, Rafi moved to Bombay. He and Ahmed rented a ten-by-ten-feet room in the crowded downtown Bhendi Bazar area. During this time, poet Tanvir Naqvi introduced him to film producers including Abdur Rashid Kardar, Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer.^[6] Shyam Sunder was in Mumbai and provided the opportunity to Rafi to sing a duet with GM Durrani, ‘Aji dil ho qaabu mein to dildar ki aisi taisi…’, for Gaon Ki Gori, which became Rafi’s first recorded song in a Hindi film. Other songs followed.^[11] 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.^[12]

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".^[11] 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.^[10]

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.^[10] 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)^[13] and "Khabar Kisi Ko Nahiin, Woh Kidhar Dekhte" (Beqasoor, 1950),^[14] etc.

Recording career in the 1950s and 1960s[link]

In his early career, Rafi associated with many contemporary music directors, most notably Naushad. In the late 1950s and 1960s, he 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.^[15] 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.^[12]

Rafi's association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi Cinema.^[10] Songs from Baiju Bawra (1952) like "O duniya ke rakhwale" and "Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj" furthered Rafi's credentials.^[9] Rafi ended up singing a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) for Naushad.^[16]

In the 1960 film Mughal-E-Azam, Mohammed Rafi sang the song "Ae Mohabbat Zindabad", composed by Naushad, with a chorus of 100 singers.^[17]

Association with S D Burman

S. D. Burman patronized Rafi as the singing voice of Dev Anand and Guru Dutt.^[18] 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.^[16] 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.^[19]

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".^[10] 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".^[20] 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.^[21] 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.^[22]

Rafi and OP had a fallout during the recording for movie "Sawan ki Ghata", as disclosed by OP during one of his interviews.^[23]

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.^[16]

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”.^[24]

Between 1950 and 1970, Rafi was the most sought after singer in Bollywood.^[25] He sang for many male stars in Hindi films.^[26] 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.^[7] 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).^[18] 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.^[27][28] 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.^[28] 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.^[29]

Singing career in other languages

Rafi sang several hit songs in Chris Perry's Konkani album Golden Hits with Lorna Cordeiro.^[30]

Royalty issue[link]

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.^[27][28] Later, at the insistence of S. D. Burman, the two decided to reconcile and sing duets.

Early 1970s[link]

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.^[27][31] 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".^[18] 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.^[32] 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[link]

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.^[16]

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.^[18] 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, Rafi 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.

Guiness World Records controversy[link]

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.".^[29] In an interview to BBC recorded in November 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then.^[20]

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."^[33] 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.^[33] The Guinness Book entries for both Rafi and Lata were later removed in 1991.

Death[link]

On Thursday, 31 July 1980, Rafi died at 10:50 p.m., following a heart attack.^[34] His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" (Aas Paas), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death.^[29][35]

Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery.^[36] It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people attending.^[37]

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.^[38]

Trivia[link]

• 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.^[39]

• His "Aaj Mausam Bada Beiman Hai" is featured in the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding.^[40] 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.^[41]

• Several of Rafi's unreleased songs will be used for an upcoming film titled Sorry Madam.^[42]

• A documentary about Rafi’s life is under production by The Films Division of India.^[43]

• 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.^[44]

• The Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai and Pune (extending MG Road) is named after Rafi.^[45]

• In June 2010, Rafi was voted the most popular playback singer in the OUTLOOK Music Poll, conducted by Outlook Magazine, along with Lata Mangeshkar.^[46] The same Poll voted "Man re, tu kahe na Dheer Dhare" (Chitralekha, 1964), sung by Rafi as the #1 song.^[47] 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.^[48]

• 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".^[49]

• There have been appeals ^[50] to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award)^[11]

• 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".^[51][52]

• 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".^[53]

• 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.^[54][55]

• 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.^[56]

• After his death, seven Hindi movies were dedicated to Mohd Rafi; Allah Rakha, Mard, Coolie, Desh-Premee, Naseeb, Aas-Paas and Heeralal-Pannalal.^{[citation needed]}

• Over 9000 musical tributes were organized in July 2011 commemorating the 31st anniversary of the singer's death.^[57]

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

List of Songs[link]

Personal life[link]

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.^[58] He used to perform his riyaz (musical practice) regularly. His only indulgences were playing carom, badminton, and flying kites.^[11]

Awards[link]

Honorary

• 1948 - Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day.^[10]
• 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^[59]. Rafi won with 70% of the votes.^{[citation needed]}

National Film Awards^[60]

Filmfare Awards^[61]

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

Sur Sringar Award

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mohammad Rafi at the Internet Movie Database

Pritam Singh (born 2 August 1976) is a politician from Singapore. A member of the opposition Workers' Party, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency since 2011.^[1]

Career[link]

In 2007, Pritam founded Opinion Asia, an online commentary syndicate with a focus on Asian issues.

Political career[link]

At the 2011 general election, Pritam was part of the five-member Worker's Party team which contested the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC). The team also included the party's Secretary-General, Low Thia Khiang, along with Sylvia Lim (the party's Chairman), Chen Show Mao and Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap. They faced the team from the governing People's Action Party (PAP), which was led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, George Yeo, and also included Lim Hwee Hua, Cynthia Phua and Zainul Abidin Bin Mohamed Rasheed. The Workers' Party's team defeated the PAP team by 72,289 votes (54.7%) to 59,829 (45.2%),^[2] marking the first occasion in Singapore's history in which an opposition party had won an election in a GRC.

Since the election, Pritam has represented the Eunos ward within the constituency in Parliament.^[3]

Within the Workers' Party, Pritam is currently the Vice-Chair of the Media Team on the party's Executive Council.^[4]

Education[link]

Pritam was educated at Woodsville Primary School, Belvedere Primary School, St Thomas Secondary School and Jurong Junior College, before going on to the National University of Singapore where he completed a BA (Hons) degree in 2000. He won the Straits Steamship Prize for the top undergraduate student reading History and Political Science in 1999. He later reveived a Chevening Scholarship^[5] to study at King's College London in the United Kingdom, where he completed a Master of Arts degree in War Studies in 2004.^[6] He also earned a Diploma in Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia in 2005.^[7]

References[link]