It has been years since the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi has left us, still his mesmerising voice never fails to win people’s hearts, even after so many decades. The songs still showcase his artistic calibre and versatility, probably that is why people still wonder if someone with a similar melodies singer will ever come again. Anand Mahindra has now shared a video which may provide an answer to that question.
The 23-year-old Saurav Kishan, is a medical student at a university in China, and has been homebound since February. As he speaks over phone, he continues to remain in disbelief over the amazingly positive response that has come his way for his video.
“I remember singing at a music reality show, where late Johnson Master said my singing sounded like listening to a Chota Rafi sa’ab.”
Narrating that the epithet isn’t new for him, he says it was acquired soon after he started participating in programmes where Rafi’s songs were part of his repertoire.
The clip, which shows a person singing a song by Mohammed Rafi in a soulful voice, was originally shared by Twitter user Judish Raj.
Raj’s caption detailed that the singer’s name is Saurav Kishan who hails from Kozhikode, Kerala. He also added that Kishan is locally known as Chota Rafi.
The video shows Kishan singing the popular song Teri Aankhon Ke Siva. And, Anand Mahindra is right, his voice is such that it may make you want to hear the song on loop.
Saurav Kishan says “I recorded a few songs at home amid the pandemic, and put them on social media from where they got picked and were shared on social media.”
But Mohammed Rafi continues to remain my idol,” says Kishan, who is trained in Carnatic as well as Hindustani music. And even today when I pick one of Rafi sa’ab songs to sing, I walk away with multiple lessons in a single song. That is how brilliant his music is!”
So what does the future hold for this Chota Rafi? “I’m busy studying since online classes are going on in full swing. In my free time, I sit and practice at a small makeshift home studio. I aim to make medicine my profession and music my passion,” says Kishan. But, what if a music director asks him to lend his voice to a song? “That is my dream… nothing would be better,” he confesses.
