For Kozhikode, Mohammed Rafi is a household name. The legendary playback singer has such a huge fan base in the city that almost every ‘Rafi Nite’, whether at Town Hall or Tagore Centenary Hall, is houseful. The town hall even has a photograph of the singer placed amongst the cultural icons, after he visited the city in 1966 and 1973. Hence it may not come as a surprise to many that the city will soon have a Rafi Museum.
The initiative for the museum has come from the Mohammed Rafi Foundation, which has been keeping the memory of the singer alive for decades through a wide variety of programmes round the year, with the support of the Kozhikode Corporation.
Yard of vehicle parts
The Rafi Museum is coming up on a 4.6-cent plot owned by the Corporation on Arabind Ghosh Road, close to the Fourth railway gate. “It is a huge dumping yard in the heart of the city where vehicle spare parts and rejects have been piled up to around 8 ft high. We plan to transform it into a space for music lovers,” said T.P.M. Hashir Ali, president of the foundation.
The foundation has undertaken complete responsibility for the project, including clearing the garbage and converting it into a garden-cum-museum. A Thumboormuzhi model waste treatment plant will be set up at one end of the plot while the rest will be used for a music room-cum-museum, toilet, and an open garden space.
The entry to the garden will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day during which classic film songs in Hindi and Malayalam will be played there. There will also be small musical programmes and gatherings occasionally. “The museum will feature old photographs of Mohammed Rafi, his records, and hopefully, a life-size replica of the singer,” Mr. Hashir Ali said.
Mayor Thottathil Raveendran laid the foundation stone for the museum on Friday in the presence of Town Planning standing committee chairman M.C. Anil Kumar and Health standing committee chairman K.V. Baburaj, besides office-bearers of the foundation.
The Mohammed Rafi Foundation is also known for its charity activities and encouragement extended to upcoming talents. Singer Saurav Kishan, one of the protégés of the foundation, had recently made headlines after his song went viral on social media. The foundation made a mark recently by providing aid to 40 ailing musicians during the observation of the 40th death anniversary of Rafi.
