Mohammed Rafi: Visit to Trinidad and Tobago 1966
Mohammed Rafi is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He was known for his ability to adapt his voice to the persona and style of the actor lip-syncing his song in a movie. He recorded songs for over 1000 Bollywood movies. He received six Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri Award by the Government of India. From around 1970, Mohammed Rafi started giving tours all around the world. It is notable that he visited the West Indies in 1966, a few years before his world tours. This article describes that memorable visit in May-June 1966.
The Arrival of Rafi
Riding on a wave of popularity from his recent successes as Filmfare’s Best Playback Singer in the movies Sasural, Dosti and later on Suraj, Mohammed Rafi visited Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname in 1966. The first leg of his tour brought him to Trinidad. The timing was right. Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko (Sasurai, 1961, which won a Filmfare Award) was still very highly favored on the air waves and event mikes. Dosti too, had only been released six months before and the songs from that movie, especially his award-winning song Chahoonga Main Tujhe Saanjh Savere, was fresh in the minds of his adoring fans.
Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko
On May 1, Mohammed Rafi, accompanied by Minoo Purshottam, Enoch Daniels (Accordion Player), Narayan Naidu (Drummer), Buji Lord (Percussionist) and a host of other artistes arrived at the Piarco International Airport. Despite the dark clouds looming overhead and showers in between, thousands of admirers gathered to meet and greet their idol. At that time, it was reported that the crowd, who braved the weather to welcome Mohammed Rafi and his troupe was the biggest the Piarco International Airport had ever seen, more than that for any dignitary or even the Queen. To the delight of his fans, Mohammed Rafi sang two songs at the airport.
A Warm Welcome
The picture on the left shows an advertisement which extends a warm welcome to Mohammed Rafi and his troupe and announces the dates and times of his shows in Trinidad.
The picture above shows the welcome speech by the Minister of Public Utilities, Mr. Kamaluddin Mohammed, to Mohammed Rafi and his troupe.
The Performance
In Trinidad, Mohammed Rafi and his troupe performed at the Globe Cinema in Port of Spain and the Naparima Bowl in San Fernando. He did three performances at the Globe Cinema from May 3-5, each beginning at 8:30pm. His final charity show was also done at the Globe Cinema. Here is an excerpt from an article by journalist Ramjohn Ali in the Trinidad Guardian on May 6, 1966 which describes Mohammed Rafi’s first performance on Tuesday, May 3 at the Globe Cinema:
From the moment he came on stage, a hush fell on the audience, and when he opened with the religious ‘Hari Om’ listeners were struck by the extraordinary beauty, range and control of his voice. This was to set the tone for the rest of the performance. Rafi showed he deserves to be India’s King of Song. He showed amazing versatility from the classical gazal to the deeply sentimental ‘Mere Mehboob’ to gay, down-to-earth ‘Yahoo’. His selections from ‘Dosti’, ‘Awaaz’, ‘Arzoo’, ‘Sangam’ and ‘Suraj’ were excellent but the crowning point of his performance was the superbly polished and beautifully controlled rendition taken from ‘Baiju Baura.’
About one month before his visit to Trinidad, the movie ‘Suraj’ with the hit song, Baharon Phool Barsao was released in India. It eventually became an award winner at the 1967 Filmfare Awards function.
Baharon Phool Barsao
At Naparima Bowl in San Fernando, Mohammed Rafi did five live performances from May 6-9, four starting at 8:30 pm with an additional show on the Sunday at 4:00 pm. Some of the songs he sang during these performances were O Duniya Ke Rakhwale and Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj from Baiju Baura (1952), always leaving the packed house craving more of his melodious selections.
Duniya Ke Rakhwale
Activities in Trinidad
In spite of his tight schedule, it was not all work and no play for Mohammed Rafi and his troupe. Following his arrival, he attended a dinner at the El Socorro Mosque on Monday 2, May. This event was hosted by the Muslim community of San Juan and was partly in aid of a new mosque. The then Minister of Public Utilities, Mr. Kamaludin Mohammed was present. A function was also held in his honour at the Gandhi Tagore College, Cross Crossing, San Fernando. He also got to socialise with some locals at a party held at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Beharry Sampani from Woodbrook. Finally, a Mohammed Rafi Imitation Singing Competition was held to commemorate the visit of the great singer and his troupe. Mohammed Rafi was present to listen to the various presentations of his songs and in the end, he judged the well-known, local Indian singer Lalchan Singh, the winner.
Departure for Guyana and Suriname
Mohammed Rafi left Trinidad on May 11, 1966 and journeyed to Guyana. On his arrival at the country’s main airport, the Atkinson Air Force Base (now called the Cheddi Jagan International Airport), a massive crowd gathered to welcome him. The gathering was also described as the biggest ever welcome crowd at the time for an entertainer. In Guyana, he performed at the Globe Theatre in Georgetown. Less than two weeks later, scores of Guyanese assembled at the Queen Elizabeth National Park (now the National Park) to cheer with joy and a new sense of nationhood as the United Kingdom’s Union Jack was lowered and Guyana’s Golden Arrowhead was raised to end more than 100 years of colonial rule and herald a new era. Guyana gained its Independence on May 26, 1966.
The final leg of his tour was in Suriname. The people welcomed him with great love and admiration. Whenever Mohammed Rafi went to a foreign country for a show, he would sing a song in the original language there. In Paramaribo, Suriname, it was no different. His rendition of “Aai Aai Aa Sukoo Sukoo” from Junglee (1960) in the Dutch language was a great hit there, especially among the people of mixed origin who loved his childlike enthusiasm and energy.
Return for One Last Performance
After a successful three-week tour which ended in Suriname, Mohammed Rafi returned to Trinidad on Friday 3, June, 1966, for a special performance at Queen’s Hall, in aid of the India’s Famine Relief Fund. This fund was established in Trinidad to assist the people of India who were hardest hit by the famine, especially in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Incidentally, a large proportion of the Indian indentured labourers in Trinidad originated from these two states. The following Monday, Mohammed Rafi presented a cheque of $6,213, which was the total receipts from the show to the Indian High Commissioner, Mr. Muni Lal at the Commissioner’s office, Salvatori Building, Port of Spain, who in turn presented each member of the troupe with a letter of appreciation.
References
https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.448721.2338d7f58c
https://nasirdotcom.wordpress.com/tag/trinidad/
https://www.academia.edu/8909790/The_role_of_Indian_films_in_the_creation_of_Indian_Identity_in_Terrinidad
https://hindisongstt.com/artist_detail.php?id=128
