MY FIRST BRUSH WITH GREATNESS

Ali Peter John

I was still determined to be a bus conductor, when my uncle asked me if I would like to attend the recording of a film song.I didn't even know what he was saying and I was more interested in traveling by a train and having some good food which he had promised me.

I reached the Famous Recording Studio and within a few minutes after I have reached and had some hot tea in a glass, I saw a man dressed in immaculate white and I could see every one around standing up and showing their respect for him.I knew the man was Mohammad Rafi, who I had seen in several photographs in magazines.There was something very saintly about him and his smile was almost the smile of a man who had a direct relationship with God. I was introduced to him by my uncle and I still don't know why I asked him for an autograph. He kept smiling as he signed his autograph for me and then very lovingly asked me ,"bete ,iska kya karoge ?"No one had asked me a question like that and I didn't have an answer to his question....

I was then introduced to Rajinder Singh Bedi,the well-known Urdu writer who was making his first film called ,"Dastak".He was a very handsome Sardar the kind of Sardar I had never seen before and I have not seen after him. He made me ,a nobody feel comfortable and introduced me to the music director of the film, Madan Mohan and within another half an hour I had met the lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri and the leading lady of the film, Rehana Sultan who I knew because my uncle who took me to the recording studio was her secretary. But the biggest surprise for me was still to come.
And it came around 2.pm when another man in white entered the recording studio and I kept looking at him in disbelief.He was Sanjeev Kumar, the hero of many films I have seen while I was in school and in college.

The recording of the song began and everyone sat in silence as Mohammad Rafi started singing "tujhko sunaao ek baat pari si"and he kept singing while his voice captivated the small audience of great people among whom I was the only unknown identity. The song was finally recorded around 5.pm and my uncle kept his promise of giving me lunch and what a lunch it was with Rajinder Singh Bedi, Madan Mohan and Sanjeev Kumar giving me company...

That morning I had taken my first autograph and that was a great start with a man who was adored by millions all over the world, the one and only human being like him,Mohammad Rafi. The only other autograph I had taken in my life was years later when I asked the renowned playwright and writer Vijay Tendulkar for his autograph.

It was like a dream I had seen during the day, but little did I know that this dream would also come true for me .Bedi used my house in a slum to have his meetings and smoke his India Kings cigarettes and smoking cigarettes was a kind of crime for Sardars like him.

Majrooh was a regular visitor to the office of Abbas Saahab when I was working with him. Rehana became a star after the release of the "Dastak "and even won the Urvashi Award as the National Award was called then and had received a letter from Satyajit Ray to congratulate her.Neither see nor my uncle knew English to thank Satyajit Ray and I was asked to write the letter to "Manikda "(As Ray was called, I knew for the first time). I couldn't meet Madan Mohan because he died before I could find my way in the Industry, but I had become a very good friend of his son, Sanjeev Kohli. But, the one who became my friend for life was "Hari bhai "as Sanjeev Kumar was known among his friends and who remained my friend till the very end and I had spent a whole day with him and he had shocked the world when he died two days later at the age of forty six, an age at which he had predicted he would die.

Some events are like an unknown trailer of what life has in store for you.....