New Delhi, Dec 24 : An unparalleled voice in Hindi films, this playback singer, who had already sung for many generations of heroes for nearly three decades, once came home extremely delighted, gathered all his family, and excitedly told them that he just had the pleasure of singing for Amitabh Bachchan.

And, Mohammad Rafi, who had sung hundreds of tragic songs, actually cried just once - when he thought he had lost his voice ahead of a concert for soldiers near the war front.

That was the magic of Rafi, who was born on this day (December 24) in a small village in Punjab's Amritsar district exactly 100 years back. Working his way from a barber's shop in Lahore to becoming a legend of the Indian film realm, he, however, always remained a shy, self-effacing man who never forsook his intrinsic humility and simplicity.

As one of his friends recalled, Rafi was taken aback when fans once surrounded him and demanded his autograph. "Eh ki chande hain?" he quietly asked in the Punjabi he never forsook and was hesitant to comply since he could not sign his name in English. But, he then relentlessly practised at home, much to the annoyance of his wife for wasting reams and reams of paper with his scribbling, till he could effortlessly sign for his fans.

In fact, the only concession he made to his fame was to help people in need with money or his art, agreeing to sing for new composers without or at a greatly reduced fee

Statistics tell us Rafi sang 4,425 Hindi film songs but the figure, though impressive, doesn't give the full picture of the effect he had.

Would Dilip Kumar have achieved his brooding image without the likes of "Koi saagar dil ko behlataa nahi" ("Dil Diya Dard Liya") or his playful side without "Nain lad jaihen" ("Gunga Jamuna"), or would Shammi Kapoor's exuberant screen persona come through without songs like the full-throated "Chahe mujhe koi junglee kahe" ("Junglee") or Taarif karoon kya uski" ("Kashmir ki Kali"), with this line rendered successively in a higher and higher pitch?

Could Dev Anand have portrayed his jauntiness as effectively if "Main zindagi ka saaath nibhata chala gaya.." ("Hum Dono") was in another voice, or could someone else have provided the same verve to "Main jat yamla pagla deewana" ("Pratigyaa")with verve for a comically boisterous Dharmendra - after something like the sensuously romantic "Chhu lene do naazuk hothon ko" ("Kaajal").

His first notable performance was singing in the chorus as the legendary K.L Saigal warbled 'Mere Sapnon ki Rani' ('Shahjehan'), but Rafi soon himself became Bollywood's most recognised playback singer. His amazing versatility brought life to everything from soulful ghazals to exuberant qawwalis to heartfelt bhajans to romantic songs - spanning the spectrum, laments on human deceptions, classically-tinged songs and patriotic works.

Besides becoming the prime voice for Dilip Kumar - after Talat Mehmood, and for Dev Anand, he also sang for several generations of Bollywood's leading men - Bharat Bhushan, Rajendra Kumar and Guru Dutt, down to Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Amitabh Bachchan ('Teri Bindiya Re' in 'Abhimaan'), and Rishi Kapoor. His voice was also heard on comedians like Mehmood, Johnny Walker, and Radhakrishan and even fearsome villains like Ajit and Pran (in their positive roles).

Though some of his most enduring work was with composer Naushad Ali and song-writer Shakeel Badayuni, he worked with almost every music director and lyricist of the Hindi film industry to create some of the most unforgettable film songs from 'Gaon Ki Gori' in 1945 to 'Zamaane ko Dikhane Hai' in 1982 - melodies which are still heard with pleasure today.

Take romantic songs like the softly haunting 'Chaudhvin ka chaand ho ya' ("Chaudhvin ka Chand"), the questioning 'Maine shayad tumhe pahle bhi kahi dekha hai' ('Barsaat Ki Raat', the wildly imploring 'Akele akele kahan jaa rahe ho' ('An Evening In Paris'), especially when he goes up in pitch to ask 'Khushamad karega to phir kya karoge..'.

The classical touch was rendered effortlessly and perfectly in "Madhuban mein Radhika ache' ('Kohinoor'), the plaintive 'Sukh Ke Sab Saathi Dukh Mein Koi' ('Gopi'), and "Man tadpat Hari darshan ko aaj" ('Baiju Bawra") - a milestone of his virtuosity and the range and amount of pathos he can inject.

On the other hand, there were 'children's songs' like 'Chun chun karti aayi chirya' ('Ab Dilli door nahin'), or comic numbers like "April fool banaya, to unko gussa aaya" and many more till his over three-decade-long career abruptly ended in one rainy day in July 1980.

However, Rafi will never be forgotten, as Dilip Kumar, in the foreword to one of his biographies, noted how "millions loved the songs he sang from his soul for their enjoyment and inner enrichment".

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

/IANS