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Published: 20 February 2023

Last Updated: 20 February 2023

Writing in an essay in June 1936.

Quoted in the PhD thesis, Literature and Politics in the Age of Nationalism: The Progressive Writers’ Movement in South Asia, 1932-1956, by,

Talat Ahmed,

Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 2006.

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Published: 18 February 2023

Last Updated: 24 February 2023

When the reward program was announced in 2001, not many songs or films were there on the internet. Not too many books had been written.

Now there are a ton of Rafi songs available everywhere and hundreds of books listing Hindi film songs have been written.

Therefore the 2001 reward program is ended.

I am announcing a new Rafi Reward Program.

If you believe that you have found an unknown Rafi song, send me its information, i e, film/nonfilm, co-singers, lyricists, music directors, record numbers, as much info as you have. If I find the song listed anywhere in any book, magazine, newspaper, article, thesis, internet website, I will send you the proof that it is a known song, and you get my thanks.

If I cannot find it listed anywhere, then please send me the song in a reasonable quality. I will have it examined by RMIM experts, and, if they agree that Rafi's voice is in the song, you will get my thanks and the reward. I reserve the right to put the song and the whole story on my website and on Facebook.

Rafi from Filmfare 1954.

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Published: 17 February 2023

Last Updated: 17 February 2023

Soon after I posted my Rafi challenge, people pointed out that since I was looking for rare songs $1 may not be sufficient. So, to coax rare Rafi songs out of people I offered $10 for each new song from 1-10 and so on.

For a few months, I received emails almost daily. These were obviously from people who had never heard of Hindi Film Geet Kosh and the other 3 books on Rafi. I had to reject them because the songs were known. Once in a while I would get an email saying that the person had hundreds of unknown Rafi songs but would not part them at any price! I begged them to send me a list so that I can try to get them from another source. They never replied.

Long story short, only a total of 8 new songs were discovered. Four by me, I gave myself $40. Two other people sent songs but refused to take the money, so I gave them rare songs from my collection. All of these songs were songs available only in the film for which no records were issued.

So, did I ever give anybody any actual money? Ketan Dholakia has been pestering me for a long time saying that I never gave anybody money. This is ironic because he was present when I gave 20 crisp one dollar bills to two RMIMErs!

It happened during the June 28, 2002 RMIMeet at Chetan and Poorvi's house in New Jersey. I gave $10 to late Satish Kalra for a song from Balam and another $10 to Chetan for a song from Basant Bahar.

Photographic proof!
Late Satish Kalra and Me.

 Late Satish Kalra, Chetan Vinchhi and Me.

 Me, Chetan Vinchhi, KETAN DHOLAKIA (!), Abhay Indori, Late Satish Kalra and ...

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