India, Dec. 28 -- It all started in Kotla Sultan Singh, a Punjab village and a hamlet like many other, but if you go to Wikipedia, you will learn that it is no ordinary settlement but the birthplace of Mohammed Rafi (24 Dec 1924-31 July 1980). Rafi as we know him was no ordinary person but a legend whose songs are stamped on every Indian heart. He was a rare singer and he was considered the greatest and the most influential singer of the subcontinent'.

He was born to a Punjabi family and his father was a respected figure in the village with henna dyed hair and beard. He was addressed as Haji Ali Mohammad for he had gone thrice to the Islamic pilgrimage at Mecca in Saudi Arabia, all the way from his remote village. Rafi's mother's name wa...