Work on Rafi museum to be completed this year

An artist’s impression of the proposed Mohammed Rafi Museum in Kozhikode.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Kozhikode’s dream of a museum for late singer Mohammed Rafi is fast becoming a reality as the construction has begun under the aegis of the Mohammed Rafi Foundation, Kozhikode. The visit of Shahid Rafi, son of Mohammed Rafi, on Sunday was a shot in the arm for the Foundation that has been working hard to realise this dream for nearly a decade. Once completed, it will be the second Mohammed Rafi Museum in the country and the first one in South India.

The foundation stone for the Mohammed Rafi Garden & Museum was laid in 2020 by Thottathil Raveendran, the current MLA of Kozhikode North, when he was the Mayor of Kozhikode. The 4.6 cent plot on Aurobindo Ghosh, which used to be a waste dump, was donated by the Kozhikode Corporation. The Mohammed Rafi Museum Committee under the Rafi Foundation is handling the construction at a cost of ₹60 crores.

Clearing the plot, getting permission from the Forest Department to cut down the trees and COVID, were some of the reasons for the delay in completion of the work. “The foundation of the two storied museum is now done and we expect to complete the building within the year”, said T.P.M. Hashir Ali, Founder Chairman of the Foundation and the curator of the Museum.

The plan is to showcase all songs of Mohammed Rafi along with some of the artefacts used by him, in the museum. It will also have facilities to conduct research on the musical life of Rafi. A small amphitheatre is also part of the museum, where regular music programmes will be held.

The visit of Shahid Rafi ensured the support of the singer’s family to the museum. The Foundation expects the family as well as Rafi fans to share some of the artefacts used by Rafi with the museum.

Meanwhile, Mr.Shahid Rafi said he was spellbound by the number of Rafi fans in Kozhikode. “I have seen my father’s fans in all parts of the world sharing their true love for him. But in Kozhikode, there are more fans in one city alone”, he said.