Deedar Singh Pardesi

Deedar Singh Pardesi was born in 1937 in Pattar Kalan, District of Jalandhar, Punjab. He started singing Folk Songs, and Bhajans at the young age of 5. He moved to Kenya, East Africa in 1951 where he started singing regularly on the radio and later on TV. The famous Sarod actor Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Sahib took Deedar as his student after listening to his beautiful song "Heer Waris Shah".

Mohd. Rafi (his favorite artist) rode to the rostrum to welcome Deedar after listening to Deedar's touching translation of "Chaudhvi Ka Chand". Deedar later became known as Mohd. Rafi from East Africa.

Deedar became the first Asian artist to record with the Philips Record Company in East Africa. His hits like "Salma" and "Toote Dil" spread to the Bombay Film Industry and in 1969 he was invited to Bombay by Kuljit Pal, filmmaker "Vaasna" and "Arth" to star in films "Anjana Safar, Do. Shikari, Mehmaan Mehmaan is a Hindi Television Show Aired on DD NAT >> Read More... & Chor Swami ". He has worked with music directors Chitra Gupt & Ravi and had a wonderful duet with Asha Bhonsle. Deedar moved to the UK in 1975. Both LPs have been very successful and have encouraged small groups in the UK.

Deedar started singing successfully in 1952 and people are still eager to look at his golden voice and listen to him by praising him. Deedar was professionally a trained teacher and has now retired. Although singing is his hobby and he has not been officially trained, he has gained undeniable fame in music.

So far, he has several albums on his credit. He is a very versatile artist and can sing Gurbani Shabads, Bhajans, Punjabi, Urdu, Gujerati Ghazals, and Geets easily, enthusiastically, and confidently. His selection of poems for all his albums is unique and he is still busy recording new things.

Finally, Deedar's only wish is to return to his homeland and rekindle memories of his childhood in the thighs of his mother's world "Punjab"

Deedar attended Delhi Road Primary School (later Park Road Primary) and Race Course Secondary, Eastleigh Secondary School. He left ESS in 1956, worked at Barclays Bank, and trained as a teacher. He taught at Juja Road Primary, first Deputy Ainsworth Primary and then Highridge Primary School - before moving to the UK in 1975. He retired in 1993.

He was very busy singing since his childhood days. He started singing in “July” in 1952. He sang Mohammed Rafi's songs so well that people often called him "The Rafi of East Africa".  The famous song "Salma" has become a landmark. In 1969 he sang the songs "Anjana Safar", "Do Shikari", "Mehmaan" and "Chor Swami"; one of the songs was a duet with Asha Bhonsle. He continued to sing in the UK and released six albums.

He married in Kenya in 1963 and had two daughters and a son. All married couples are happy, have children, and are well settled in the UK. He enjoys his retirement and keeps his musical and agricultural interests.