MUSICAL SESSION ON 2nd Nov 2008

RAFI FOUNDATION

HYDERABAD CHAPTER

Friends, my recent mails on the next musicl session gave several optional dates - 26th October, 2nd November and 9th November 2008. This was immediately after our musical session on the 12th October 2008. Some of our members pointed out that 26th October was just before Diwali and we had better postpone it to a later date. We thought of 2nd November as the next date, but it did not suit a few more and then we had planned for 9th November 2008. To this some more of our members pointed that it was unduly delayed and they opined that 2nd November 2008 should be the date for our next musical session.

Considering these, I did talk to a few of our friends and found that most would prefer 2nd November 2008 as the date for our next musical session. We will therefore have our next musical session on the coming Sunday, 2nd November 2008 at S M R Empire from 3.00 p.m. (the usual venue and the timings). I will have a word with Subramaniam too tomorrow on the eve of Diwali and he will arrange the hall for us.

Like we had suggested the last time, I would like each one of us to have a list of 5 songs given to me in advance so that the common songs can be diluted and a mock programme can be conducted, all with announcements etc. We can have the 'theme based" programmes from a later date onwards as I received only one response so far on this subject.

I would once again invite all those who have not participated in our musical sessions so far to attend on the 2nd November 2008. Some of our regular members too have not been attending our musical sessions of late and this trend has to be reversed. Some of our members are not checking up their mails regularly and this hampers communication.

On our subject of a grand musical show towards Dec 2008, I have to inform you all that the spade work has just begun and soon we will be drawing up a full scale programme which may be held around Feb/March 2009 only. Sponsorship is delaying the programme, but this will be sorted out soon. Unless we are sure of certain funds, we cannot go ahead with the rest of the organizing. That is the reason why Feb/March 2009 is now the target. We should have a proper programme in place in the coming weeks.

Let us therefore meet once again on the 2nd November 2008 at S M R Empire complex in Marredpally. For exact location of our venue, members can contact me or Subramaniam (27700235).

See you all on the 2nd November 2008.

A S MURTY 93912 67272 27th October 2008 HYDERABAD.

MIDOMI.COM === A FEW GOOD SINGERS

Poornimaji from Toronto, Canada, is yet again a good singer. She chooses her songs very carefully and does her best in rendering them with utmost dedication. Here she is with the immortal Rafi Sahab bhajan from Baiju Bawra: Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj - not the "cup of tea" for most singers though everyone's fancy.

MIDOMI.COM === A FEW VERY GOOD SINGERS

And RAMALAKSHMIJI sings beautifully too :

I am trying to post here the songs of all these good singers whom I had chanced upon at www.midomi.com and they are real good singers.

MIDOMI.COM == A FEW GOOD SINGERS

HERE ARE SOME OF THE FINEST SINGERS SINGING SOME OF THE BEST KNOWN COMPOSITIONS ON www.midomi.com

THIS ONE IS FROM DIVYASHREE :

सरिताजी के रिकॉर्ड किए हुए gaane

शुभ दीपावली

गूंजते हैं तेरे नगमों से अमीरों के महल,
झोंपड़ों में भी गरीबों के तेरी आवाज़ है,
अपनी मौसिकी पर सबको फक्र होता है मगर,
मेरे साथी आज मौसिकी को तुम पर नाज़ है

=========नौशाद साहब ============

नौशाद साहब की जुबानी - एक दिन एक नौजवान मुझे आया नज़र,
जिसने रौशन कर दिए संगीत के शामो - सहर

वक्त के फनकारों में उसका अलग था इक मकाम,
ज़िक्र जिसका कर रहा हूँ, "रफी" था उसका नाम.

RAFI FOUNDATION

HYDERABAD CHAPTER

PRESIDENT SECRETARY TREASURER

S RAMAKRISHNA A S MURTY S CHANDAR

MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Mrs. Radha Chandar (Ladies' Rep), R. Padmanabhan, G. Sunder Rajan, Sunil Sharma

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ONE MORE MUSICAL SESSION – ONE MORE MUSICAL GATHERING

The date 21^st September 2008 was decided quite sometime back and so also the venue i.e. S M R Empire complex in Marredpally. Each intervening day looked too long for me and I was eagerly waiting for this opportunity to meet all the members of the Rafi Foundation – Hyderabad Chapter. I had an intuition that newer members would join us this time. I had sent the information to all quite some time back and I had nothing more to do for nearly 10 days. But I did send a few more mails, by way of reminders (not that it was required at all) and sending the detailed directions on how to reach the place (copied from an earlier mail from Subramaniam). Then, two days prior to our musical session I first telephone to Subramaniam and when the confirmation came, my joy knew no bounds. I immediately rang up Chandar and then the others. A V Srinivasan conveyed his inability as he had already fixed up another programme for the day. Sunil Sharma (Sahil) too had a prior commitment. But those who conveyed they were available all came except for Sunder Rajan.

We all assembled between 3.00 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. and soon the singing session got going in full swing. The first timers who came this Sunday are as follows:

1. Mrs Panicker (Resident of SMR Empire complex) - She sang quite a few songs in Malayalam, including a bhajan or two. She has a very sweet voice and we expect her to be a regular and to sing in Hindi too.

2. Mr. Raj Kumar (Ramakrishna's close friend from their Mouthorgan group whom we had met earlier too). He played quite a few good and fast songs on his "harmonica" and entertained us all. I am sure he liked our gathering too and that he would be a regular in our musical sessions.

3. Mr. Veerabhadram (yet another addition from "The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd" and thanks once again to Raghavendra Rao). While he did not sing any song, he did seem to relish the songs rendered by all our members. Perhaps he too would be our regular members here onwards.

4. Mr. Prashant and his wife (I did learnt her name on that day, but have forgotten now – I should have jotted it right away). Prashant is a stage singer, a professional artist and sang songs of Rafi Sahab, Kishore Kumar and even Telugu Songs. He said they both would be regulars in our group. Raghavendra Rao introduced the duo to us.

5. Vivekananda Rao – son of Raghavendra Rao who too sat through the entire session and perhaps liked the songs.

Our regular members included Subramaniam, Chandar and his wife Mrs Radha, self and my wife Vijaya, Nitin and his wife Mrs Nirmala Dhepe, Sanjay and his son Sachin Deshpande, Ramakrishna, Padmanabhan, and N. R. Padmanabhan. That way we were 18 music lovers singing away for four hours, one after the other.

I found N R Padmanabhan singing very well this time. He sang from his heart and chose his songs well too. Subramaniam, Chandar, Mrs Radha, Padmanabhan all sang just as exceptionally well as they always do. This time Ramakrishna besides playing his harmonica, also sang one song of Rafi Sahab.

We were all so engrossed in the songs that no one bothered about any snacks, etc. However, snacks in small measure were arranged despite the heavy rain and water gushing down the streets.

At the end of the singing session around 7.15 p.m., I addressed the gathering informing all that we plan to hold a musical show on a big scale in December 2008, coinciding with the 84^th Birth Anniversary of Rafi Sahab. I also informed all that the Bank account was opened with Bank of India, Ameerpet. We shall also register our body as Rafi Foundation-Hyderabad Chapter in the coming weeks. Ramakrishna, while addressing the gathering, informed that he will invite a person who had been close to Rafi Sahab for our forthcoming musical show. Raghavendra Rao also briefly spoke about how our group should accommodate singers of all languages, just as retaining the spirit of Rafi Sahab.

We all decided to give the next two Sundays a break due to the festival season and re-assemble at the same place on 10^th October 2008 (Sunday). The immediate TV programme on SONY TV by Sonu Nigam was on everyone's mind and we all hurried to our homes to be in front of the telly. This was a telecast of a programme – Rafi Resurrected – organized by the London Symphony in Birmingham (UK) and Sonu Nigam presented some of the best songs of Rafi Sahab. As we all later say, the programme which started at 8.00 p.m. went on upto 11.00 p.m. (with scores of Ads though).

Friends, I would like all to be regulars on the internet also. You can participate in discussions on various good articles that keep coming up on www.mohdrafi.com, www.eternalrafi.com and also on Orkut where communities on Rafi Sahab are growing by the day.

Finally wishing all a very happy festival season ahead. Keep smiling, keep singing and wish everyone with a ADAABRAFI. Thanks..