MAKING THEIR PRESENCE FELT: Siju Nilambur, left, and Hadiya Zacharia, distinguished themselves at the tribute event. Photo: Umer Nangiana
By Umer Nangiana
Music has no language and knows no boundaries. The voices of great singers resonate across the globe regardless of the cultural and geographical background they come from. Mohammed Rafi was one such great Indian singer whose voice reverberated with even those who did not quite grasp the language of his songs, Hindi.
It has been more than three decades since the legendary singer died yet his voice has inspired scores to take up singing. Some of them from the Indian and Pakistani expatriate communities got together to pay tributes to the master at a Rafi Night organised recently at Skill Development Centre (SDC) by the Punjab Music Group.
Amongst them was Siju Nilambur from Kerala, India. He sang Rafi’s melodies Mujhe Ishq hai Tujh hay se, Akele Hain Chalay Aayo to the pleasure of a large audience.
Like most of the singers at the concert, Nilambur is a self-taught singer. Rafi’s voice and songs inspired him at a time when he could not even read, write or completely understand Hindi language.
“I have been singing since my childhood at different platforms but publically I started singing some four to five years back. I have learnt and trained by listening to all those old songs including that of Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi on radio,” the 35-year-old singer tells Community during a chat backstage.
“My father actually loved those songs and he would listen to them on radio and from him I developed an interest in it. I also sought many musician friends’ help in learning the technicalities of music compositions and how to control the pitch of my voice,” he explains.
Coming from Kerala, he did not speak Hindi proficiently but after listening to Hindi songs on the radio, he started grasping the language. He believes his voice and pronunciation improved with time and the quality of his voice is similar to the voices of Kishore and Kumar Sanu.
“I have basically focused more on developing my voice than trying to understand the language first. Once you catch the tune and the pitch of the song, it becomes easy to understand the language and the meaning of the song. And now I can read Hindi as well,” says the amateur singer who has received no formal training in music from anywhere.
He started singing from local platforms such as wedding functions or ghazal nights in his hometown. After coming to Doha, he began giving public performances where he would sing solo as well as with groups. Nilambur says he has also created a team of singers here and together they perform at events and special music programmes.
“I listen to a song and then I can sing it in the exact same style and pitch. Even today, I do not know the technicalities of music and composition that much but whenever I have sung, I have been able to do it right. I guess it comes to me naturally,” says Nilambur.
Even during live performances, he says, he has been able to pitch it with the right kind of musical composition. The Indian expatriate arrived in Doha in 2008 and works as a manager in an American company but music, he says, is his passion.
“When I was 5 or 6-year-old, I developed some problem with my vocal chords and had problem speaking. I underwent a surgery and luckily regained my voice. I am so thankful that I have been able to return to singing,” says the singer.
His first performance in Doha was at a Malayalam community gathering. Then, he rendered mostly Malayalam songs.
Nilambur wants to make it to Bollywood someday and make a name for himself. “Frankly, I would love to (do it). It is my dream. I know it might be difficult and I might not be able to make it or maybe I would, who knows? I like to dream big,” says the Indian, who sings both Rafi and Kishore songs with control and authority.
If a real opportunity comes his way, he would definitely make the most of it, says Nilambur.
“You know star singers, like Kishore Kumar for instance, began as an actor and then became a famous singer. Similarly, Kumar Sanu started as a tabla-player and then reached Mumbai where his talent for singing was discovered and he became a big singer,” suggests Nilambur, hoping he would be able to follow the same path someday.
Singing Rafi is not an easy job, acknowledges the rising singer. The best you can do is to select certain songs by him and then practice the melodies. “If you get the melody, you can sing them,” says Nilambur.
Speaking of melodies, another melodious voice at the concert was 12-year-old Hadiya Zacharia who also comes from Kerala, India. Like Nilambur, she is also completely self-taught and started taking music lessons just a month ago after participating in a reality show in India last year.
Hadiya has a powerful throw in her voice and exercises good control over the delivery of notes at such a tender age. She can neither understand Hindi nor read it, but sang Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar songs just like any native Hindi speaker would sing.
The 8th grader has been living with her family in Doha for the past 12 years. It was around 2-3 years ago that her family discovered that she had talent. “It was at a school function where she rendered a few songs and was much appreciated.
“I went to Kerala to participate in a reality show last year and scaled to the quarter-finals. It was just recently that I have started a bit of training, otherwise my voice is all natural,” Haiya says.
She listened to Rafi songs just two to three days ago while preparing for the tribute concert. In order to memorise the melody and the lines, she listens to the songs first and then writes them in Roman English to practice.
“I like Rafi’s voice. It is mesmerising and powerful,” said the aspiring singer.
On stage, she carried herself like a professional, motioning to the musicians with a wave of her hand that a particular song has three stanzas in it. Before the song, she would also go up to the musicians and tell them the song she was going to pick so that they could compose the tune accordingly.
Hadiya wants to become a big star like her idol Lata Mangeshkar one day and is ready to choose music as a career path. She can sing Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi songs.
Many other singers and musicians from Indian and Pakistani community paid tributes at the Rafi Night organised by Nazakat Ali Khan of PMG.
