Voice of Reason

Doesn't this talented singer sound uncannily like Mohd. Rafi? The accompanying message I got was this.

Listen to Mustafa Parvez, grandson of Mohd. Rafi singing in a program in Cochin. 
Who will dispute the fact that music runs in the genes.

Um...I will dispute it (also because the missing question mark in that last sentence bugs me no end). 

This clip also exists as multiple videos on Youtube with the same attribution of the singer being Mohd. Rafi's grandson (or great grandson in one case). It doesn't take more than a quick websearch to figure out that the singer is Mohammed Aslam, a Bengaluru-based singer who sounds uncannily like Rafi Sahab. Here's a little about him - turns out there's more to his singing career than just someone with a Rafi-esque voice.

And on Mohammed Aslam's Youtube channel, the same video appears with what I believe is a true attribution.  And he doesn't make any claims of being related to Rafi Sahab.

Seriously - what's with our obsession with the thought that talent and genes are intrinsically linked? They may be linked or not in the scientific sense which I am not qualified to dwell on, but this example is a clear case of believing that (a) a singer who sounds like Rafi must be related to him (b) Rafi's family have this talent for singing uncannily like him, in their genes.

When we share videos like this without verifying the contents of the accompanying message, we are reinforcing our belief in the genetic passing down of talent. This is unfair to two sets of people - one is the person singing in the video whose talent and years of hard work are being undermined (however gratifying it may be for the singer to be mistakenly assumed to be related to Rafi Sahab). The other set of people this is unfair to are Rafi Sahab's own grandsons/great grandsons who have chosen to pave their way through life on a different path to Rafi Sahab.

If you must share the video and you suspect that the message accompanying it may not be true (it's ok to be suspicious),  just share the video and say you don't know who the singer is. The song will sound just as melodious.