RAFI HOLIDAY

ADAAB RAFI TO ALL !!!

सभी रफ़ी भक्तो को स्नेह भरा "आदाब रफ़ी"

The curtains have finally come down for this year's RAFI HOLIDAY and wow !! what a stupendous start. Doston, we had always knew that it was going to be a big hit with all you folks, but the huge success of the event, with such active participation from one and all could not have been forecast to the last detail. The event is an eye opener in more than one sense. Yes, we are not ready to hold such meets of Rafi Bhakts and with each passing year we can also make several more innovations. Nothing can hinder our path friends, for we have seen that we have the will and the ways are aplenty ahead of us. Some of us have already started giving our feedback on adaabrafi (the e group). I had asked Guruji to write an article on the day's proceedings on 14th Nov itself but after discussing the same with him and Narayananji, the buck has fallen back on my doorstep. I would write certainly and write extensively on this very unique programme and just as the celebration of Rafi Sahab was executed with so much fun, galore, gumption - the bonds of friendship between the Rafi Bhakts from Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi were cemented with the choicest of songs of Rafi Sahab. This is too good an omen and the future will see more and more friends from other centres too join all of us in celebrating Rafi Sahab in our own unique style, year after year.

Doston, I would like you all to recount your experience of 14th/15th November 2009 and give your feedback. This will help me in shaping the two "hatke" articles for both www.mohdrafi.com and www.rafi.co.in (in the latter website, the write up will be in Hindi and English). Also, if BBR/Zareefbhai can send us the photos/videos (soft copies) we will be able to incorporate in the articles that I will be sending in a couple of days to both the websites. Also, BBR may please send me the list of participants from Bangalore (though I remember most names). I have readily the list of participants from Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai.

Finally friends, I could not broach up three topics as we were really short of time and they are too important for me to leave for some other time. About one of them I did speak very briefly - that of creating a new website of Rafi Fans which has a combination of the existing ones to post articles, to debate, etc and also other websites like www.midomi.com (or www.esnips.com) where one can record songs in our own voice. In the new website, we would encourage all to sing and record songs of Rafi Sahab so that all such Rafi-centric budding singers can be found on a single platform. We can also incorporate the "e book" of all the songs of Rafi Sahab that I think should be made as fast as possible (just the listing of songs, the movie from which it is taken, the year of release, lyricist, md, co-singers and the characters on whom the song is picturised on, etc.). Just by a click of a button, one should be able to locate these details in the same website.

The other two topics are : (1) Creating of Rafi-email id by all Rafi Bhakts. Many of us do have such an email id but many more do not. All of us must have such a distinct email id - it gives us a shade better introduction. Those of us who do not have such a Rafi-email id can easily create one and use your existing email ids for other purposes than topics on Rafi Sahab. Do give this a serious thought and get back to us with your new Rafi-email id. You can also then create your signature with a line or two from your favourite song of Rafi Sahab.

(2) Caller tunes on mobiles (I would look like a salesman for mobile companies, but I am insistent friends). When I dial some of you and am greeted by a lovely song of Rafi Sahab, it makes my day. So also, whenever even those not connected with Rafi Sahab's songs call me or some of you and find a song of Rafi Sahab greeting them, they would like to hear it more and would not want us to answer the call immediately. Invariably, I am told by many that I do have a wonderful caller tune. Downloading a caller tune is now so much in vogue that just plain ring tone looks too outdated and if it happens to be a song of Rafi Sahab - then it is "sone me suhaga".

By the time RAFI HOLIDAY knocks at our doors the next year, let us have more and more Rafi-bhakts joining us in our area and also in other cities where we have known friends.

Do come back with your feedback/experience of the RAFI HOLIDAY just gone by at Bangalore, which was full of enthralment to all of us.

ADAABRAFI once again,

A S MURTY