Biennale Music: Cochin Azad rekindles Rafi magic at General Hospital

KOCHI:
Noted singer Cochin Azad today recreated the magic of the Mohammed Rafi by belting out a slew of evergreen numbers by the late legendary singer at the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s weekly ‘Arts and Medicine’ music programme at the Government General Hospital, Ernakulam here.
For the past three decades Azad has been reliving the voice of Mohammed Rafi through his songs on a number of stages.
His impeccable renditions today evoked huge applause from the audience. The crowd clapped, swayed along with the melodious tunes with Azad singing from his heart and managing to evoke all the right emotions that are typically felt when listening to any Rafi song.
“After years of singing experience, I am naturally attuned to Rafi songs of which I am an ardent fan and lover. Each successful rendering of a programme gives me immense satisfaction ,” Azad said.
“Initiatives like the one which the Kochi Biennale has taken which provides solace to patients is a commendable gesture and shows of this magnitude have to be encouraged”, he said.
Azad and co-singer Asha Ravindranath, a homemaker who has participated in a number of stage performances, took the audience through the melody of songs like Badi Door Se Aaye Hain,Baharon Phool Barsao, Jo Vaada kiya Woh Nibhaana Padegaa,Tumhari Zulf Ke Saye Mein, Duniya Ke Rakwaale, Chaudhvi ka chand among others. They also sang half a dozen Malayalam songs.
Another singer Yahiya Aziz crooned the Yesudas retro number, ‘Nisa Gama Pani’.
The one-hour long programme, with around 15 songs, concluded with a pathos-filled number O duniya ke rakhwale from the Hindi movie Baiju Banwara, which struck a concluding nostalgic note w
ith the audience.
“The event marks the 139th edition of the Arts and Medicine programme, organised every Wednesday by the Kochi Biennale Foundation in association with Mehboob Memorial Orchestra and Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre Limited.