100-ft-Tall Steel Minar to Honour Legendary Singer Mohammad Rafi

Mumbai: As part of the year-long birth centenary celebration of legendary singer Mohammed Rafi, a 100-foot-tall ‘Rafi Minar’ will be erected at his birthplace in Punjab.

The birth centenary celebrations will begin in Mumbai on Sunday at the Shanmukhananda Hall in collaboration with the World of Mohammed Rafi Welfare Foundation (WMRWF) and the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts Sangeetha Sabha (SSFASS).

The year-long celebrations will culminate in a mega musical event on Rafi’s 100th birthday on December 24, 2024.

The SSFASS and WMRWF are constructing a 100-ft  tall ‘Rafi Minar’ at his birthplace in Kotla Sultan Singh, near Amritsar in Punjab. This steel minar will have his 100 top songs engraved on it along with the lyrics to remind all future generations of his valuable contribution to music. At the top, there will be the Indian flag. The memorial will be ready in the first half of 2024

As part of the centenary celebration, 12 special concerts featuring only Mohammed Rafi songs will be organized on the 24th of every month. All the shows will be live-streamed on YouTube for Rafi’s fans worldwide.

The SSFASS will start an endowment in Rafi’s name at the Shanmukhananda Community Charitable Hospital to provide free kidney dialysis to one patient daily.

The SSFASS has instituted a ‘Sri Shanmukhananda Mohammed Rafi Centenary Memorial Award’ for a young musician, carrying a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh, a trophy, and a live concert at Shanmukhananda Hall on the great singer’s birth anniversary every year.