True Voice - Mohd Rafi

The following article was brought to my notice when Sharad posted it on MAS. The article has been trimmed down a bit keeping afloat Rafi details. However, anyone interested can go visit the source at http://tfmpage.com/forum/4980.6302.04.57.19.html

I am Swaminatha Iyer and I am 78 years old. I hail from Tiruchi and I am a part of music associations in Tiruchi, M’as as well as in West Bengal and Maharashtra.

I think it is wrong to condemn music or artists on either side of Vindhyas. Our Indian music is one of the few which has not been cleaned off by the western music though there has always been a influence. It speaks a lot of the richness of our music. Sometime back director of MTV had said that MTV westernized the music wherever it went but in India , MTV had to be Indianized for it to be accepted. A lot of this credit goes to the Indian film music.



I have been fortunate to have close personal association with Rafi, Sirkali, TMS, Dr. BMK, Kishore, SPB & KJY, PS, Mannadey and the one and only Lata Mangeshkar.

Comparisons are bound to come, but almost every artist or I have met considers Lata to be beyond comparison. Her talents are beyond anyone’s reach. Even Sirkazi used to talk of her singing like a die-hard fan as do countless others.

Now coming to the Rafi-SPB discussion. It might be difficult to convince an South Indian to believe Rafi is the better and at the same time Rafi crowd will never believe any other male singer comes anywhere nearer. There is one more mobile crowd, which is well conversant with Hindi and some south Indian language. Majority of them tilt to either Rafi or Kishore.

During one of my stays in M’as I had stayed with SPB. While talking of true voices he said, I don’t feel like half a singer when listening to Rafi. True voice is not a tech term but many in circle use it. Perfect example would be lata, but to understand consider our own PS who within her range is superb. People who do not have such true voices can never do justice to original. They generally underplay many parts of the song or fake it with bass/superficial singing. True voices make people like Sirkazi, Nusrat Fateh Ali khan, Lata… Inimitable. However since Sirkazi and Nusrat did not have the filmy voices their “real” following is limited to their local arena.

In addition to the true voice if the singer has a very good voice then in “most” cases he/she can better songs of others. It is this combination which makes Rafi stand out among the other male singers. There are many here who seem to have mistaken notions on a good bass and also on high pitch.

Bryan Adams does not require a monster bass in “Summer of 69″ to sound real manly. It is the punch which gives that feel and that is decided only by the comfort level in most ranges (that is by what your throat can support). This you CAN never disguise with bass. Since people have talked about lack of manly voice viz. a viz. Rafi it was necessary to bring this point out. I have had the fortune of listening to most singers in studio and some times without a mike, practicing with MD’s.When Lata or Rafi do, the level is so high that people hesitate to even hum. It felt silly to sing in their presence (and it feels silly when someone says his voice isn’t manly).

In RD’s tribute when SPB sang “Aaja Aaja mein hoon” or “Chaand mera dil” it sounded only sweet and lacked punch if you compare with Rafi’s original.

Yesu once told me God has been partial to Rafi. He said “god gift term anavasyamaa romba common aa ippo use aardu”.. but idu Rafi kee thaan 100% porundu”. This person could sing “as intricately as a lady without sounding thin”, “cover any mood”, “versatility odey perfect example Rafi”. Yesu said most important is the comfort level over ranges which makes you feel God has been partial to Rafi. (But Of course in Rafi’s early career (1950’s) the voice was relatively feeble).


To people exposed to Rafi’s talent, these or any amount of praise can only seem less. I just wish he was alive and you people could get a live chance to hear him. Probably you can get hold of the DD album for the Geet Gaata Chal series where the first four episodes were dedicated to Rafi. Rafi is on camera singing “O Duniya Ke Rakwaaley” and many other songs. If you see and hear the last part you will realize why SPB said “impossible”. I think particularly those people who have talked about scales w.r.t Rafi should see this album. Its a known fact in industry that Rafi ruled high pitch and there is no male singer better in switching notes so easily. There are artists who can go beyond but then they sound strained or they don’t have pleasant voices when they venture into those territories.

Many singers of today are his compulsive followers. But they end up inheriting only part of his quality. Md. Aziz ended up with a sad voice. Mahendra Kapoor with a thick nasal voice. Anwar with a nasal voice. Sonu Nigam with a feminine voice. Rafi neither had a soft voice nor a heavy (bass) voice he had a good voice. Importantly did not strain at high notes, and voice if at all only became better at higher notes. If you see him singing it will remind you of Janaki. However diff the song is or the note is he will be smiling and singing. It is unthinkable that he cannot sing something.

There seems to be lot of talk about “Shankara Bharanamo” song. SPB has sung many a great numbers and things being said about this song in this forum are rather amusing, particularly b’cos 3 out of 4 people who can be called as singers will be able sing it and at least one out of 10 will sing it with the same effect. There are lot of other songs of SPB where this great singer has played with songs in total control. You will find most south Indian singers who have had a good exposure say that it is beneficial to learn Hindustani as it gives better breath control and improves expression.

Rafi was not only able to glide over a song, the important thing was that he could express each word/sound when singing. It is one thing to hold your breath, start and reach a crescendo (high note), as like in “Shankara”, “Anbey (Yennai kaan villaye)” it is different ballgame if you have to do it from low notes or suddenly switch notes. With practice the former can be done, latter requires a special gift. Rafi had a natural ability to do the latter. In “Tum joh mil gaye ho” there is such a transition in the “karwaan mil gaya” part. I have never seen anyone do justice to most of his songs in my life time. In “parda hai parda” quawaali the similar part is “kar doon to, Akbar mera naam”. In fact most of his songs will have these specialty as it was his natural ability to sing freely in a wide range at the same time giving that extra expression.

Whereas SPB takes us to heavens with “Idu oru pon maali”,”Ilaya nila” “bisiladarenu”(kannada), when he sings Rafi’s song it lacks the punch or expression, though it has the bass. But at least most agree that SPB does some justice to original, whereas most others murder the original.



One trivial point I would like to add is that singing in Hindi is harder. There are more “JHA”,”CHA”,”HA”,”THA”, “KHA”,”JA”,”FA”. These take away the breath faster. The more expressive you are the more air you are using up. Just singing from Nabhi will not help, your throat also needs to do a lot, for singing in Hindi, Bengali etc. SPB makes you fall in love with his south Indian songs but same cannot be said about his Hindi songs. If you just glide through words having these sounds, you will never be expressive. Doing this as well as reaching high notes is not easy. Rafi had this gift and that’s why it is difficult to imagine anyone else in his shoes. Song “Chalkaaye jaam” has so much expression that it is unthinkable how anyone can sing it. When Rafi switches to a high note with “Mitwaa” in the song “Chaahunga mein tughey” you cannot replicate it with bass. Most others will sound as if they are shouting in such cases. That man’s throat had the ability to freely sing at such levels.

Versatility is not just the ability to sing in various styles, more important is how good you are singing in those styles. You have lot of Ghazal singers today but when Rafi sings a Ghazal you will sit up and take notice. You don’t have to be part of the Ghazal listeners crowd. This is one important aspect. Whatever style you sing you should be able to pull the common man to listen and not just a particular crowd. Pick “parda hai parda” or any qawalli and it will stand tall among other qawalli’s.

Variety is amazing :

songs of Guru Dutt’s Khagaz key phool or songs like abhi naa jao chod key, Aaja teri yaad aayi, Aaj kal mein dhal gaya, Aaj kal terey merey pyaar, Aasmaan sey aaya farishta, Dil ney pyaar kiya hai, Deewana mujh saa nahi, Din dhal jaaye, Duniya paagal hai, Jaane walon jara, Dil joh na kaha saka, Dil key jharokon mein, Dil kaa bhavar, Chalkey teri aakkhon sey, Kar chaley hum fida, khilona jaan kar tum, Woh jab yaad aay, Woh hain jara khafa, Vaadian mera daaman, Pathar key sanam, Chaand mera dil, Main zindagi kaa saath, Mainey poocha chaand sey, sun sun jaalima, Koi jab raah na paay, hum to chaley pardes, badan pey sitaarey, laal chadi maidaan, Tum jo mil gaye, O meri shaahey, Sau baar janam lengey, Tum mujhey yoon bhula, Tumney mujhey dekha, Terey merey sapney, Tumny pukaara hum chaley aay

Name a situation/mood and Rafi’s song will be there on the top.

Swami
http://www.mohdrafi.com/meri-awaaz-suno/true-voice-mohd-rafi.html

"Dedication helps singer to reach pinnacle of Success"

Somehow the wors "gentleman" sounds a bit inadequate for a person of his
decorum, refinement and humility. But for want of a better word in the English
language, it will have to suffice.

Sripathi Panditharadyula Balasubramaniam or S.P.B., for the Indian music
lovers, is a charming unassuming gentleman of 48, whose achievements have not
only beennn phenomenal but also have transcended regional barriers. If he is
singing less Hindi songs than he was four years ago, it is by choice - because
Balu, as he is known in the film industry, has curtailed his quantum of singing
in not only Hindi, but also Telugu, Kannada and Tamil films. Telugu is his
mother tongue.

"I have been selfless to my profession", he says, "My normal schedule
was: dubbing gtom 7-9am, shooting till 1 pm, dubbing again till 3 in the
afternoon, shooting again till 6pm and singing from 6-11pm. Except for the two
months every year when my wife and I used to take a total break and head
for the United States where my children are based. I hardly had time for her
and for relaxation. After Maine Pyar Kiya (89-90), I was dividing a month
equally between Bombay (doing eight or more songs in a day), banglore (for
Kannada films) and Madras (for the other three southern languages). The strain
began to show. My throat developed a 'polyp' singer's nodule) which had to
be surgically excised."

SPB, therefore, feels that it is time for him to be "selfish", look after his
voice and interests, and may be fulfill his dream of mastering
classical music, he told India West in a recent interview.

Since he hasn't learned classical music, what are his credentials as a musician
(he is a music director too, and specially loves doing background scores,
like he did for the Hindi films Hum Panch and Mache Mayuri, at the
recommendation of the composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal) and a singer?

"A good ear fot music and a penchant for listening", smiles the singer amiably,
"I learnt notation on my own and can, to an extent, play the harmonium and the
flute" (that puts him in the Kishore Kumar and K.L.Saigal league of
self-trained singing genuises). "In my home-town Nellore, in Andhra Pradesh,
my father earned his living reciting HArikatha (stories about God and religion)
at social and religious gatherings. He knew a little classical music and
I guess I must have inherited his flair."

The father was keen on an academic career for young Sripathi, and the boy
himself set out to do so, even joining an engineering college in Madras, but
once SPB's interest in singing was confirmed his father advised him to make a
choice on his own.

Destiny made him bid good-bye to the engineering course when (at a college
function) his voice caught the attention of music director Kodandpani. "He
asked me if I would like to sing for films. I agreed. And that's how I entered
films - by accident." His mentor even took him to other composers and made them
listen to his singing. "If it hadn't been for him, there would no Bala. Simple"
he says matter-of-factly.

Today, the singer has a modern recording studio in Madras named after
his mentor. "It was the least I could do in his memory", says Balasubramaniam.

Once he had made his choice, Balu purused success single-mindedly. Every
struggle saw him become more determined, and every pitfall increased his
determination. His single-mindedness was strengthened by his early fondness
for yoga.

Though his first song recording in December 1966 was for a Telugu film
called "Sri Sri Sri Maryada Rammana", he had to struggle for two years more
before making it in Tamil films, as initially the famous composer
M.S.Viswanathan found his diction faulty. Then came his Malayalam break under
the famous composer Devarajan. Says SPB:" I was introduced to that great man
by Sekhar, father of A.R.Rahman." Meanwhile, he also got a break in Kannada
films.

His Hindi break, of course came when filmmaker L.V.Prasad decided to make
"Ek Duje Ke Liye", the telugu remake of Marocharitra, a love story between
a south Indian boy and a north India girl. "As Kamal Hassan was playing
a south Indian boy, I accepted the challenge since I knew HIndi reasonably well
- it was my second language in school all through - and I had grown up listening
to K.L.Saigal, among others. I was a HIndi film music buff but worried about
my accent. I was introduced to Laxmikant-Pyarelal who had a couple of sittings
with me and they made me sing Hindi songs. They liked me and I sang all the
five songs for Kamal in the film."

He has sung some 26,000 songs to date and has recorded songs in Tulu, Oriya
and Bengali languages also.

His list of awards and distinctions is extensive, but SPB had to struggle
for eight years in Hindi films too. "Anyways, sensations fixxle out fast," he
pointed out with another of his disarming smiles.

After Ek Duje..., L-P continued to give him many songs and followed by
R.D.Burman and Bappi Lahiri, who also gave him a change in Hindi films. "Ek
Duje..." itself wrote commercial and musical history in 1981. "But though I did
sing for heroes like Jeetendra, Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Mithun and even Dharmendra
and Rajesh Khanna, I feel I was identified only with southern heroes like Kamal
(whose career soon nose-dived in Hindi films) and Rajnikant whose forte was
action, not songs."

It was only in the late 1980s when the Rajshris introduced him to a
small-fry composer with big ideas - Ramlaxman, an ardent bhakt of SPB that SPB
finally got a full-fledged chance to identify his voice with a hep, young
now-generation Bombay hero like Salman Khan in "Maine Pyar Kiya". "This would
seem like the most probable answer to the million-dollar question as to why
"Maine Pyar iya" did for me what "Ek Duje Ke Liye" could not." The thundering
success of the film and its music and the fast shift from disco to melody at
that time did the rest. "I think the time should come for everything to happen,"
he sums up.

In the post-Maine Pyar Kiya phase, SPB sang most of his present tally of
around 400 HIndi film songs, most of them under Anand-Milind and Ramlaxman.
Among his hit songs were those songs in
Vansh, Prem Qaidi, Chandramukhi, Love, Mera Pati Sirf Mera Hai (Anand-Milind),
Pathar Ke Phool, I love you, 100 Days, Hum Apke Hain Koun (RamLaxman),
Saajan and Majhdaar (Nadeem-Shravan),
Gardish (R.D.Burman),
Andaz Apna Apna (Tushar Batia), and
Roja, HUmse Hain Muqabla (A.R.Rahman ).
Strangely, during this phase, the music directors who had earlier stood by him,
L-P, RDB and Bappi Lahiri took him sparingly.

"It is again because of time," sums up the singer. "LP have paid me
the unforgettable compliment of calling me the most talented and versatile
singer around and have given me many of my finest songs. RDB was a great
composer and he has been the most versatile music director. He was also the
first Bombay composer to use my voice after L-P. For Bappi Lahiri, I do sing
occasionally."

SPB's list also includes Rajesh Roshan, NiKhil-Vinay, Jatin-Lalit and
Anu Malik, who at time called his singing gimmicky. "No gimickry can cover up
an incorrect accent," discloses SPB in answer to the charge often levelled
against him. "Besides, I cannot do that in every song, like say a sad song,
and in case I cannot indulge in it without the sanction of the composer and
the director." Anu Malik's songs for him include "The Gentleman" hit
"Roop Suhana Lagta Hai" and others in "Haathkadi" and "Shabnam".

About his accent, Balu admits that he has not reached perfection despite
the great improvement he has made over the years. "But singing is basically
an art of expressing and conveyting a particular thought. The knowledge of the
language or atleast the meaning of the words one is singing is very important,
for without that the song will have an incorrect feel, and the singer cnnot put
in much feeling," he observes. "When I sang in Bengali, Tulu and Oriya, I
made it a point that they should explain the full meaning of the lyrics to me.
That way, accent becomes secondary."

The fact that the talent to sing is paramount and the accent is secondary
was proved when SPB got an oppurtunity to sing under Naushad in "Tere Payal
Mere Geet". "To sing for a purist like him was distant dream for me," recalls
Balu, adding, "But it became a reality when Uttam Singh, the arranger who works
for RamLaxman, Ilaiyaraaja and Naushad introduced me to him. I had my doubts
about my being able to satisfy his exacting needs. But I thought I should
atleast sing in his presence because if he rejects me that would also be
a privilege." But after listening to him, Naushad went ahead and
recorded songs. He also complimented Balu lavishly and affectionately "on my
singing and faultless diction." It was the greatest compliment he received
in his entire career, the singer said.

Balasubramaniam's special asset has always been his lightning grasp of
a composition given to him. This, along with technological advances like
dubbing, is responsible for his phenemonal output. "When I come to Bombay,
my secretary arranges my callsheets (dates in Bombay lingo) so that I dub as
many tracks as possible. For example, in a duet, the music track and the other
singer's track are kept ready." SPB favors these technical advances for this
and two other reasons. "If you make a mistake, that portion can be punched in
and you don't have to repeat the entire song. And secondly, the final take can
be perfect. Earlier, minor mistakes had to be retained because of the
difficulties in doing the entire song again."

However, the disadvantage has been that with very few exceptions, Balu
has had very few exceptions, Balu has had very little oppurtunity to sing
"live" with this very good friend Lata Mangeshkar.

"But all our songs in "Ek Duje Ke Liye were recorded live," he says. This
also vindicates his stand on modern gadgetry. For between thm, the peerless
Lata and the superb SPB have complemented each other so beautifully in their
many duets that no one would have believed that they had dubbed them
separately.

Balsubramaniam toured with Lata Mangeshkar during her tour of the U.S.
recently. Both Balu and Lata attended the AAPIO annual program in July which
President Clinton inaugurated in Chicago.

Apart from singing and music direction, Balu is also an actor. When he was
44, "by a freak chance, a film called "Keladi Kanmani" in which I had my first
major role became a huge hit and I was flooded with offers," he grins. "Acting
gives me a break from singing all the time. Besides, anyway we act in front of
the mikes."

Recently, SPB was great as Prabhu Deva's cop-brother in Kaadhalan (dubbed
in Hindi as "Humse Hain Muqabla"). Balu admires A.R.Rahman, but his all-time
idol is M.S.Viswnathan, and R.D.Burman on the Hindi scene. Among the old-timers
from Bombay, he rates S.D.Burman, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Khaiyyam and Jaidev
very highly. While he is a great fan of our singing greats, among his
contemporaries, he has raves about Suresh Wadkar. He loves jazz, but not disco,
and his hobby is photography - time permitting of course.

Subramaniam's wife Savithri is, he says: "A good listener." His son is
studying in New York, while his daughter has completed her studies in radiation
therapy, also in the U.S.

And so the singer strides on, charming millions of fans with his soothing,
unique and melodious voice, and taking time out to act and compose music as
well.

He decisively rates "Aate Jaate" as "Maine Payar Kiya"'s best song, even
though he got a National Award for "Dil Diwana," and regrets that he did not
get any national award for his songs in "Hum Aapke Hain Koun"! But he is also
happy for Kumar Sanu, who swept all the awards for "1942: A LOve Story."

SPB is too much of a nice person to bear petty grudges.
http://www.geocities.com/~sm0e/R-spb.txt

“NILAVUM MALARUM”
A Musical Concert by the Legends of Playback Singing “S.Janaki” and “SPB”

Venue : Nehru Indoor Stadium (Near Chennai Central Station)
Date : 29/07/2007
Time : 6:05pm
Organised by : T.V.K.Cultural Academy
Music by M.K.T. Raja’s “Theem Thiranaa” Orchestra

Dear SPB Fans,

Finally the much awaited day confronted us on 29/07/2007 and an excited team of SPB Fans found itself among the 10,000+ audience which had turned up to experience the memorable moments in store from the Gigantic Legends of Play-Back Singing “Paadum Nila” Balu and “Pani Malar”/”Paadum Kuyil” S.Janaki. In fact, during the program, our SPB gestured at Janakiamma when he sang the song “koo koo enru kuyil koovaadhO…” and she in turn when she sang the phrase “indha kuyil endha oor kuyil…” IT WAS A PLEASANT EXCHANGE.

The excitement started when I entered the parking area. I found it difficult to find space to park my vehicle. The space seemed to represent an ocean of cars and two wheelers. And many more vehicles were streaming in and struggling to find parking space. This was a clear indication that the auditorium would be filled up to its capacity.

The show was scheduled to start at 6:05pm as printed on the tickets. But as usual it started late at around 6:30pm. Having accommodated ourselves with an half-hour delay which is nothing as compared to the treat we were due for, our expectations was that the program would start with an introduction song by the Orchestra and then lend itself fully into the hands of the two Legends. Alas! it was not destined to be so. The Orchestra singers had the luxury of rendering four consecutive numbers ending up making the clock show 6:50pm. This literally meant a probable loss of a few songs from the Legends from their planned list.

Finally, nearing 7:00pm, the two Legends were welcomed to the stage amidst roaring applause. Our SPB greeted the crowd in his typical style of bowing and clasping his hands together and he also took the blessings of Janakiamma by touching upon her feet. He was dressed up in a dark brown coloured pant and a light coffee coloured full sleeved shirt. Janakiamma on her part was in her usual attire of white saree with small flowers printed all over it.

Song by song discussion would have no meaning here as there was not much of narration by our SPB in this show. Normally he conveys lot of information about a song during a program. Maybe since Janakiamma was also there with him and in order to fit in more number of songs with her, he might have restricted his otherwise enjoyable narrations. Also, he did not seem his normal effervescent self for most part of the program. He seemed to be tensed up at times, maybe, due to some technical problems in tuning of instruments by the orchestra especially the Tabla & the Sound System as well and later with the organisors & sponsors for not giving due recognition to Janakiamma during the presentation ceremony which took place in the second half of the program.

They started off with a duet “Paruvame Pudhiya Paadal Paadu…”. SPB did a mimicry of sorts (not able to figure why? Was it a prelude to the song in the film? May be someone can throw light on this) before launching himself into the song. He also improvised the song by first asking Janakiamma “How are you” and she replying “I am fine” and then both of them immersed themselves in the song. Thereafter it was a continuous belting of one song after another with a mixture of solos and duets and when the program did come to an end they had sung 28 songs between them.

SPB mentioned that “nilave mugam kaattu..” was their special choice for the program.

Before the song “vetri meedhu vetri vandhu…” he paid due tributes to MGR and his Guru M.S.Viswanathan for having brought him recognition in the Tamil Film Industry. This song was rendered with great energy by the Legend. He said that eventhough “Iyarkai Enum ..” was his first one, it was the MGR song which brought instant fame and recognition.

“perai sollavaa…” had both of them coming into their groove with a very romantic rendition. The orchestra was also good in this number.

The Greats seemed to enjoy each other’s company once again after a long gap. SPB was always there to help Janakiamma out with respect to timing during the song & also readjusting the orchestra to suit her and she had frequent, cute & affectionate smiles for him throughout. SPB mentioned that she must have sung nearly 1000 songs for ILayaRaja alone

Before he sang “kannaal pesum penne”, he had a few words of praise for Music Director Vidyasagar for churning out meaningful and melodious numbers. Our SPB missed out on continuity during the second charanam but made it up with a jugglery of words to bring it in line and appropriately completed it with “I am sorry, I am sorry..” which was a part of the song itself. I am not sure whether this was an improvisation done by him in order to add more meaning to the “sorry” phrase. His rendition was very energetic and it belied his age totally.

“nethu raathiri yemma..” had the experienced duo turn youthful belting it out energetically and making the audience dance to it. What great effect when two gigantic singing energies combine.

He was all praise for Janakiamma’s versatility for singing different types of songs in her career be it “singara vElanE….” in the classical mould or a romantic number or different voices to suit certain characters. He said that it was a boon for the Music Industry to have such a versatile singer in its midst.

In spite of her age, she did manage to present the songs in her characteristic style and voice even though at times the lower octaves did not come out clearly due to problems with the sound system. Same was the case for our SPB too.

The selection of songs needs to be lauded. Instead of sticking to the normally repetitive numbers, they had brought in great melodies which are not so frequently rendered. It was also spread to include a wide repertoire ranging from melody to fast paced numbers therefore catering to all sections of the crowd. The focus was mainly on the songs recorded during 1975 to 1990 with only a few songs on either side.

SPB said that the song “nanda nee en nila…” was his own selection for the day and he hoped everyone would enjoy it. This might not be a very familiar song for many who had tuned into listening to his songs after the early 80s but it was one of the best songs of SPB from the 1970s with a classical base, a beautiful composition by Music Director V.Dakshinamurthy and rendered exquisitely by our SPB.

During the program, our SPB expressed his thanks to Janakiamma for being one of the first few persons who had encouraged him into film singing. He told that she was around 10 years elder to him and she was still singing having completed 50 years in the Industry. Janakiamma pointed out that it was only “8 years” with child-like enthusiasm and in a sweet voice.

His mention about ILayaRaja had to do with the “then sindhudhE vaanam…” song during the recording of which, ILayaRaja was a part of Music Director G.K.Venkatesh’s Team. This evergreen number was soulfully rendered by the Greats.

His rendition of “koottaththilE koyil puraa…” received the best round of applause as it had lot of sangadhis and swaras towards the end.

Janakiamma’s rendition of “pon mEni urugudhe..” defied all logic. At the age of 69 she was able to still sing it with same emotion and deft silky touches as the original of 25 years ago.

There were a few irritants in the form of projected advertisements on the two big screens on either side of the stage between the songs. This seemed to upset the Legends and the audience too initially but finally logic prevailed as sponsors form a major part of a mega event in terms of resources and advertising during such an event would serve their cause too. This also could have been one of the reasons which would have prevented our SPB from passing on the tidbits about a song.

The presentation ceremony honouring the various sponsors and organisors as also the Legends was in the second half of the Show and it consumed 15 minutes. During this period, our SPB seemed to be perturbed with the treatment meted out to Janakiamma as it seemed she was not being duly recognized during the ceremony. He went all out to ensure that she was given due importance.

I was there till 9:30pm, up to the completion of the song “thedum kanpaarvai thavikka..” and after that I had to leave. I understood that the program came to an end at around 10.15pm. So, I happened to miss out on 6 songs.

Also, I understood later that towards the fag end of the Show, some of the SPB Fans namely Ashok, Covai Ravee, Seshadri & Priya had the honour of presenting silk shawls to SPB & Janakiamma on the stage and also that our SPB did take some time to brief to the gathering about our E-Fan Group and its charitable activities. I regret very much for having missed out on this opportunity to share the stage with the Legends due to my early exit from the Show.

Well, it was a great day for many of us listening to our Jumbo and Janakiamma. Hope you all enjoyed the narration of the event. I am looking forward to share many more such moments in the future too. Please check out for the telecast of this program on Vijay TV.

LIST OF SONGS (in the order as they were sung upto the song "thedum kanpaarvai...)

1) Jaya Krishna mukunta murare ….. (Orchestra Singer - Mukesh)
2) July Kaatre ………(Orchestra Singer - Balaji)
3) Azhage Brahmanidam ….. (Guest Singer - Ganga & Orchestra Male singer)
4) Nilavum Malarum Paadudhu…(Orchestra Singers-Mukesh+Female Singer) from “Then Nilavu”
5) “Paruvame Pudhiya Paadal..” (SPB + SJ) from “Nenjaththai KiLLadhE”
6) “Nilave Mugam kaattu …” (SPB + SJ) from “Ejamaan”
7) “Maadhaa un kOyilil…” (SJ) from “Achchaani”
8) “Vetri meedhu vetri vandhu..” (SPB) from “Thaedi Vandha MaapiLLai”
9) “Perai sollava..” (SPB + SJ) from “Guru”
10) “Paadu nilave then kavidhai …” (SPB + SJ) from “Udhaya Geetham”
11) “Rojaavai thaalaattum thendral …” (SPB + SJ) from “Ninaivellaam Nithya”
12) “Kannaal pesum penne ….” (SPB) from “Mozhi”
13) “Thaalatum Poongaatru …” (SJ) from “Gopura VaasalilE”
14) “Koo Koo enru kuyil koovadho…” (SPB + SJ) from “Kaadhal Parisu”
15) “Malare mounama …” (SPB + SJ) from “Karna”
16) “Naethu raathiri yemma..” (SPB + SJ) from “Sagalakalaa Vallavan”
17) “Nanda nee en nila…” (SPB) from “Nanda en Nila”
18) “Roja poo naadi vandhadhu…” (SJ) from “Agni Natchathiram”
19) “Then sindhudhe vaanam..” (SPB + SJ) from “Ponnukku Thanga Manasu”
20) “Vaanile thenila aadudhe paadudhe..” (SPB + SJ) from “Kaakhi Sattai”
21) “Sandhana kaatre senthamizh ootre…” (SPB + SJ) from “Thanikkaattu Raja”
22) "Sahanaa thooral..." (Orchestra Singer – Mukesh + Female singer) from “Sivaji”
23) “Koottathile koyil pura…” (SPB) from “Idhayakovil"
24) “Pon meni urugudhe….” (SJ) from “Moondraam Pirai”
25) “Yaaro yaarukkul ingu yaaro…” (SPB + Orchestra Singer) from “Chennai 600028”
26) “Mouna maana nerum …” (SPB + SJ) from “Salangai Oli”
27) “Thedum kanpaarvai thavikka …” (SPB + SJ) from “Mella Thiranthathu Kadhavu”
28) “Vettiveru vaasam …” (SJ+orchestra male singer) from “Mudhal Mariyaadhai”
29) “ChandiranO sooriyanO.. Ballelakka…” (SPB + Orchestra Singers) from “Sivaji”
30) “Sundari kannaal oru seidhi …” (SPB + SJ) from “Thalapathi”
31) “Innum ennai enna seiya pogirai …” (SPB + SJ) from “Singaara Velan”
32) “Adiye manam nilluna nikkaadhadi..” (SPB + SJ) from “Neengal KEttavai"
33) “Megam kottattum …” (SPB) from “Enakkul Oruvan”

( SPB solo : 7 SJ solo : 5 SPB-SJ duets : 16 Orchesta Singers only : 5 )

Special Thanks to "S.Muralidharan" for capturing the memorable moments & to "Ashok" for emailing them to me for including in the blog

(this review is posted by dasaradhi on http://spbindia.blogspot.com/2007/07/nilavum-malarum-musical-concert-by-spb.html )

As a child growing up in Nellore, the most exciting day that he remembers is the day when the family acquired a prized possession- a Philips radio, bought for Rs. 265, and that too payable in easy installments! Today his songs are aired throughout the day in most South Indian Radio Stations. The years have flown by, and the small boy who was drawn to music listening to his father’s Harikatha discourses has evolved into an unparalleled music icon. Sreepathy Pandiradhyula Balasubramaniam, or simply SPB or Balu as he is more endearingly referred to, is a name that generations have grown up listening to spellbound. For me personally, SPB’s songs that were aired in the late 70s and early 80s comprised my earliest introduction to tfm, and thus began a passion that remains ardent to this day. And its not just me, I cannot remember a single person of my acquaintance who hasn’t, at one time or the other, fallen for the sheer magic of SPB’s voice …

He started participating in inter-school music competitions, and won many prizes. In one of these events, S.Janaki was the judge. Listening to SPB sing, the clairvoyant chanteuse prophesized that he would become a singer of repute one day, and suggested that he try his hand in playback singing. Little did both of them realize that years hence they would together rule the airwaves as the leading pair of tfm, sharing a rare chemistry that would take their duets to the top of the charts. Sambhamoorthi was naturally overjoyed by his son’s inclination and innate talents, particularly his captivating voice. But prudent, practical considerations made him lay down stern stipulations that SPB should pursue his academic studies with single-minded dedication. Passing out of school, SPB enrolled himself in JNTU College in Anantapur. He had hardly completed his first year there, when a particularly virulent attack of typhoid hastened his return home. After a long, listless recuperation, SPB resumed his studies, this time in Madras, where he took up an AMIE course. And within a few months, his affable, easy going nature and pleasing personality won him a large circle of friends. He couldn’t suppress his passion for long, and soon became a popular figure in college competitions and cultural meets, his performances always eliciting encores and encomiums from the delirious campus crowds.

Then there was this music competition for amateur singers organized by a Telugu Cultural Organization at the Andhra Club at Vijayaraghava Road in T.Nagar. SPB was among the participants, and brought the house down with his fantastic performance. Needless to say, he won the first prize. It turned out to be a momentous day for him in more ways than one, as seated in an unobtrusive corner was Telugu Music Director S.P.Kothandapani. Much impressed by SPB’s performance, Kothandapani walked up to the excited youngster and patting him on the back, urged him to try his luck in film music. He went on to assure SPB that he would call him if he could spy a suitable break. And not stopping with mere words, Kothandapani took SPB around to meet various people connected with the film industry- producers, financiers, directors and even other music directors, recommending SPB with words of high praise.

Another friend who went out his way to help SPB at this juncture was artist Bharani Kumar. Bharani Kumar took SPB to meet Director Sridhar, as Sridhar was known to always be on the lookout for talented newcomers. Even in the midst of a tight shooting schedule, Sridhar took some time off and asked SPB to sing a few lines. The songs of the Hindi film Dosti were greatly popular then, and being a great fan of Rafi, SPB sang the song ‘chaahoonga mein tujhE saanjh savErE’. Sridhar was instantly captivated by the youthful mellifluousness of SPB’s voice and the nonchalant improvisations he brought into his rendition. He sent him to M.S.Viswanathan with words of recommendation. SPB thus had his first meeting with MSV in the Chitralaya office, and sang to the great mellisai mannar (‘nilavE ennidam nerungaathE’, among other songs, if I remember right) A visibly enthralled MSV listened to him, and gave him the happy assurance of a suitable opening in the near future.

But that opening proved elusive for a while. Waiting for a break, SPB continued his studies. He also continued meeting film personalities, presenting his credentials. Among those he met during this period was the redoubtable Bhanumathi. Herself a singer of no mean repute, an impatient Bhanumathi agreed to listen to SPB sing one song. But after the first song, she was so impressed that she sat back and listened to him render song after song. It was no doubt a proud moment for SPB, but all this didn’t translate into tangible gains.

Meanwhile, Kothandapani was quietly continuing his crusade for getting SPB a chance at playback singing. And one of the people who agreed to give SPB a hearing was Telugu comedian Padmanabham. As others before him, Padmanabham too fell for SPB’s charming voice, and gave the usual assurance of helping him get an opportunity. But this time, Kothandapani’s persistent efforts paid off. Padmanabham was producing a film; Kothandapani was composing the music, and Padmanabham kept his promise by telling Kothandapani to ahead and give SPB the break that he well-deserved.

Thus December 15, 1966 was the red-letter day when SPB sang his first film song ever. The song was ‘Emi yee vintha mOham’, the film was ‘Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna’ (1967/ Rekha & Murali Productions), and the music director was S.P.Kothandapani.

After P.Suseela is done with her soulful opening, SPB enters the song midway with an arresting alaap, and commences his piece with ‘raavE kaavyasuma baala’. PBS follows and then Raghuramayya draws the curtains over what presumably is a part-by-part portrayal of the individual dreams of three different men who love the same woman. Thus in his very first song, SPB was had the unique experience of singing with stalwarts.

Though the legendary Ghantasala was the reigning deity of Telugu film music then, the young SPB made swift inroads into the field, and won several fans even in his early years. When song offers started coming in increasing numbers, SPB was in two minds whether to continue his studies or concentrate on his career, as it was becoming impossible to do adequate justice to both. As always, he sought his father’s counsel. Seeing the increasing popularity of his son, Sambhamoorthi was now very clear in his views- music was God’s gift to SPB and he ought not fritter it away. SPB thus left his studies halfway, and plunged full-fledged into playback singing.

The Tamil debut took a few more years to materialize though. By the late 60s, TMS was the only singer left in the reckoning in tfm. PBS was already in the decline; A.M. Raja belonged to the distant past. A.L. Raghavan and Tharapuram Sundararajan were but peripheral players. Seergazhi Govindarajan was earmarked for particular songs alone. Yesudas was yet to arrive in tfm in a big way. Thus TMS was the universally accepted male voice- from MGR to Nagesh, Soundararajan was their singing sound. The time was favorable for a change….and the change, when it happened, took tfm to a new era….an era of caressing enchantment…

MSV didn’t forget the unassuming youngster who sang to him in Sridhar’s office. He decided to try SPB for a rollicking duet with the irrepressible L.R. Eswari. SPB was in the seventh heaven of delight when the summons came- for in those times, it was impossible for an aspiring singer to get such a treasured opportunity. The song was ‘aththaanOdu ippadi irundhu eththanai naaLaachu’, but the movie titled ‘Hotel Rambha’ was given up midway, and SPB’s first Tamil song proved a nonstarter.

But by now MSV and SPB’s destinies were interlinked forever; the astute master perceived in the buoyant youngster the determination and capacity to succeed and took upon himself the responsibility of making it happen… ‘shanthi nilayam’ followed, and the deed was done…

But wait….let us pursue a chronological order, and see how SPB fared in 1969, his very first year in tfm….. and we will follow the order of release of the films that featured his earliest songs.

click here to download the payanam songs http://zakaas4u.multiply.com/music/item/156

Song # 1: ‘malligai poo vaangi vandhEn’ from paalkudam

Sung by SPB & P.Suseela
Lyrics by Vaali
Music by M.S.Viswanathan

14.1.1969. suba dhinam (Vinayaka Films), paal kudam (Manijeh Cine Arts), thanga malar (Ganga Productions), kuzhandhai uLLam (Sri Savitri Productions) and the Malaysian venture raththappEi (Moopen Productions) were released for Pongal, and SPB’s voice was heard for the first time in tfm in two of these albums.

Produced by the famed Dinshaw K.Tehrani under his ‘Manijeh Cine Arts’ banner, paal kudam was based on a stage play. Thooyavan wrote the dialogues. Pattu was the director. The film starred AVM. Rajan, Sivakumar, Pushpalata and others.

MSV set Vaali’s lyrics to tune. P.Suseela’s ‘muzhu nilavin thirumugathil kaLangam illaiyO’ was a song that was often aired even in the late 70s. ‘en vaalibam ennum maaLigaiyil ivaL thaan iLavarasi’ was a frolicsome duet that LRE crooned with TMS, with a chorus that went ‘1969….Baby, you are fine!’ I remember vaguely a rousing TMS solo too (was it ‘thuNindhu nil, thodarndhu sel’?)

And for a duet for which PS had been booked, MSV brought in SPB as the male voice, perhaps to bring some refreshing variety to the album.

malligai poo vaangi vandhEn… punnagaiyin ninaivaaga; shenbagathai vaangi vandhEn…peNmugathin ninaivaaga’ SPB commences with these lines of passionate wooing, ‘unakkaaga, anbE…naan unakkaaga’ being the highpoint of the irresistible appeal. The charaNam lines continue with lines highlighting the sanctity of his love and urging its acceptance, ‘neerinil thOndRiya nizhal alla kaadhal, ninaivugaL theettiya kaaviyappaadal unai ethirpaarkkum manamenum oonjal, indRE nee varuga....idhayam nalam peRavE idhazhaal thEn tharuga..unakkaaga....anbE....naan unakkaaga’… lines that tumble in haste as though so accentuate the depth of the emotional plea… PS makes a whispery entry and goes on sing the second charaNam…interestingly her lines too seem to continue his petition to the unbending female! This, and the villainous laughter that is heard midway are imponderables could perhaps be better understood if we knew the context of the song in the proceedings. MSV crafts the two charaNams in two enticingly different moulds. And to actor Sivakumar fell the honour of appearing for SPB’s first Tamil song to hit the screens.

Like in Telugu, P.Suseela was the lucky talisman who escorted SPB into tfm, and the 70s, the first half of the decade in particular, resounded with delightful duets by the duo. SPB maintains to this day a high regard for this venerable veteran…in a TV show at the beginning of this year that featured both of them, SPB paid repeated panegyrics to PS, which the living legend accepted with a blushing smile.



Song # 2: ‘muthu chippikkuLLE oru poovaNdu’ from kuzhandhai uLLam

Sung by SPB & P.Suseela
Lyrics by Kannadasan
Music by S.P.Kothandapani

V. Sarojini, wife of director V.Madhusudhana Rao, embarked upon an enterprising Telugu movie titled ‘chinnaari paappalu’ in the late 60s- it had an all-woman technical crew. Actress Savitri was the director, Sarojini produced the movie, I believe she wrote the lyrics for the songs as well. P.Leela composed the music for the songs. Mohana was the Art Director. ‘chinnaari paappalu’ (1968/ Sri Matha Pictures Pvt. Ltd) was a hit and went on to bag the ‘Silver Nandi’ in the Andhra Pradesh State Film Awards for 1968.

Emboldened by the success of this experiment, Savitri decided to remake the movie in Tamil, producing and directing it herself. kuzhandhai uLLam (Sri Savitri Productions) had Gemini Ganesh, Sowcar Janaki, Vanishri, Manohar, S.V.Ranga Rao, Shantakumari, Baby Rojaramani and Baby Shakeela in its cast. Dialogues were by Ma. Lakshmanan, editing by M.S.N.Murthy and cinematography by Shekhar- Singh.

S.P. Kothandapani set Kannadasan’s lyrics to tune. ‘poo marathu nizhalumuNdu, ponni nadhi paattumuNdu’, a gentle lullaby by P.Suseela and S.Janaki is easily the pick of the album, and found abundant airtime. I remember listening to it on vividh bharathi even in the 80s. ‘aathangkarai kaathukku vayasu adippOdudhu iLavatta manasu’ (PS), ‘kudagu malai magaLE’ (Seergazhi Govindarajan & PS), ‘angum ingum ondRE raththam’ (PS & Renuka) and ‘O dharmathin thalaivanE’ (TMS) are the other songs in this album.

His mentor being the music director, it seems only natural that SPB’s name finds place in the list of playback singers; but actually it was not through Kothandapani’s recommendation that SPB was offered this song in kuzhandhai uLLam. Immediately after ‘Hotel Ramba’, MSV was composing music for ‘shanthi nilayam’, and he called SPB to sing ‘iyaRkaiyenum iLayakanni’. The song was filmed on Gemini Ganesh. Gemini Ganesh was instantly hooked by the new singer’s voice, and he urged Savitri to give SPB a song in ‘kuzhandhai uLLam’.

‘muthu chippikkuLLE oru poovaNdu, kudi koNdadhE inba thEnuNdu’ is the song that SPB got to sing in the album. The young SPB’s voice is a treat in this forgotten number.

In those initial years, whenever SPB had misgivings about his decision to forsake his studies for a career in music, it was Kothandapani who instilled optimism and self-confidence in him. “If you take up singing, you will reign high for more than 40 years!” he is supposed to have predicted. This is SPB’s 40th year in the field, and how farsighted have the sagacious Kothandapani’s words been! SPB’s biggest regret is that Kothandapani is no longer in this world to see his prophesy for his protégé come true. But SPB has kept alive the sacred memory of his Guru by building a state of the art recording studio and naming it ‘Kothandapani Audio Laboratories.’



Song # 3: aayiram nilavE vaa from adimaippeN

Sung by SPB & P.Suseela
Lyrics by Pulamaipiththan
Music by K.V.Mahadevan

‘adimaippeN’ was MGR’s dream project. Mounted on a lavish scale, the original adimaippeN starred MGR, Sarojadevi, K.R.Vijaya, Jayalalitha, Rathna, Nambiar and others, and was directed by MGR himself. P.N.Sundaram handled the cinematography and Sakthi Krishnaswami wrote the dialogues. The shooting commenced, and the magazines carried pictures of some of the scenes canned; the opulence of the settings and grandeur of the costumes were of a kind seldom scene before. It was at that time that in the course of the shooting, Rathna fell from a horse and was grievously injured. Upset at this unfortunate mishap, MGR put off the shooting for a few days. The TN Assembly polls were announced just then, and the shooting got further delayed as MGR was himself a candidate from St. Thomas Mount. January 12, 1967 saw a different kind of shooting, and MGR was admitted to the Royapettah Hospital with bullet injuries. In the meantime, Sarojadevi got married.

When adimaippeN was taken up again, it was with a modified story, and a fresh crew and cast. K.Shankar was the director, and only Jayalalitha remained from the original team. Jayalalitha now had the rare distinction of appearing in a dual role in a MGR movie- her performance here in the characters of Jeeva and Pavalavalli, especially the latter, won widespread praise. Ashokan, Manohar, Pandaribai, Jyothilakshmi, Chandrababu, Cho and others were brought in now. Ramamoorthi handled the camera. Sornam wrote the dialogues. Most of the movie was shot in rich locales in Rajasthan and Hogenekkal. adimapaippeN (Emgeeyar Pictures) was released on 1st May 1969, and was a colossal success.

K.V.Mahadevan was the music director, and the album had 6 unforgettable songs; with 3 of them written by Vaali; and Alangudi Somu, Pulamaipiththan and Avinasi Mani getting one song each. ‘thaayillamal naanillai’ (TMS/ Alangudi Somu), ‘yEmaatRaathE yEmaatRaathE’ (TMS/Vaali), ‘unnaipaarthu indha ulagam sirikkiRathu’ (TMS/Vaali), ‘amma endRaal anbu’ (Jayalalitha/ Vaali), ‘kaalathai vendRavan nee’ (P.Suseela & S.Janaki/ Avinasi Mani) and ‘aayiram nilavE vaa’ (SPB & P.Suseela/ Pulamaipiththan)

How SPB bagged this magnificent opportunity to sing for MGR is a heartwarming anecdote, and goes to show the innate goodness of the makkaL thilagam.

It was sometime back, and SPB was just then getting a few offers in Telugu. One day he was rehearsing his lines in a recording theater, when MGR who was passing by happened to hear him. The great connoisseur of music that he was, MGR paused and listened in delight at this youthful, refreshing voice. He bade his assistant find out who this new singer was. Soon after, MGR listened to SPB singing his songs in Telugu for the dubbed version of ‘kudiyirundha kOyil’, and desired to give SPB a song in adimappippeN. He recommended SPB to KVM and informed him of his decision. When the unexpected call came, SPB was caught unawares and his joy knew no bounds. Within a few days, SPB was given the lyrics of the duet that he was to sing with Suseela, and with the much-awaited permission to shoot the song in the Jaipur palace coming through, rehearsals commenced with urgency. It was then that SPB fell ill; he couldn’t sing his lines and went home in disappointment. His condition worsened overnight, and when the car came to pick him up the following morning, he informed the driver of his inability to make it to the studio. Looking at him pityingly, the driver remarked that SPB was losing the chance of a lifetime.

It was a long convalescence for SPB, and his thoughts during this time were far from happy. He cursed his fate that had played such a cruel trick on him, he thought of the song that must have been filmed by now in the Jaipur palace, he imagined TMS replacing him in the recording…His only consolation was that MGR might call him for a future film.

More than a month had passed by, when a car stopped by SPB’s house. Imagine SPB’s amazement when a production assistant enquired if he had recovered enough to come to the studios and sing ‘aayiram nilave vaa!’ SPB had not wholly recovered from his illness, he was still feeling slightly feverish, but this time he would not let go of the opportunity. With resurrected hopes he climbed eagerly into the car, his father accompanying him. The assistant smiled at SPB’s excitement, and informed him that the song was yet to be recorded, as MGR was particular that only SPB should sing it. When SPB entered the AVM studios, he found MGR with a group of journalists- MGR smiled at him, and after enquiring about his health, introduced SPB to the press people. “He is Balasubramaniam who is going to sing for me in adimaippeN..”

The recording commenced. SPB was so excited, and still being weak, took 11 takes before KVM was satisfied. MGR sat watching the recording with an indulgent smile.

Exhausted by the strain, yet filled with happiness, SPB gathered the courage to ask MGR why had they waited for him, for with the shooting schedule already set, the movie had now got unnecessarily delayed. MGR’s gentle reply was he had waited for SPB to recover, because this was SPB’s first big break, and SPB must have already informed his family and friends proudly that he was singing for MGR. After all this, if the song was sung by someone else, SPB might become the object of their derision. And more important, his career would be in jeopardy as word may go around that his singing was not satisfactory and that was why he was replaced. Words failed SPB as he stood choked with emotion at the large-heartedness of MGR; his eyes brimmed with tears of gratitude. A smiling MGR shook his hands, and took leave of SPB, wishing him well in his future endeavours. To this day SPB salutes the memory of the charismatic leader with admiration and love.

And as for the song, need I emphasize on its singular beauty, or its timeless popularity? Pulamaipiththan’s lines are soaked in sensuous poetry, and KVM creates a tune of arresting allure. The splendour of the Jaipur Palace, the sizzling on-screen chemistry between MGR and Jayalalitha, the dulcet PS and honeyed SPB adding to the spell with their light brigha-filled rendition… magic in the air….

Song # 4: ‘iyaRkaiyenum iLaya kanni’ from shanthi nilayam

Sung by SPB & P.Suseela
Lyrics by Kannadasan
Music by M.S.Viswanthan

The titles of shanthi nilayam (Gem Movies) credit the story to Mrs.Neeladevi. However it no secret that the story was a clever concoction of two well-known tales- the story of the Von Trapp family as adapted by Ernest Lehman for the musical ‘The Sound of Music’ (1965/Robert Wise Productions) and Charlotte Bronte’s 19th century classic, Jane Eyre.

Bhaskar is a strict disciplinarian, but for all his stringent measures, his wards, the group of kids in the sprawling ‘shanthi nilayam’ let loose a reign of mischief and incorrigible disobedience. Governess after governess have come and gone, giving up the responsibility in despair. It is then Malathi enters the house as their latest tutor, and she is able to achieve the impossible, not by stern injunctions, but by patience, understanding and love. In due course Bhaskar himself falls for Malathi, and they seem all set to enter a life of marital bliss. The story that follows ‘The Sound of Music’ till now, meanders thereafter to trace the course of Jane Eyre from the second half; the events that then occur in ‘shanthi nilayam’ bear marked similarity to those that occurred at Mr. Rochester’s Thornfield Hall.

Gemini Ganesh and Kanchana were just right for the roles of Bhaskar and Malathi. Nagesh, Balaji, K.Vijayan, Vijayalalitha, Pandaribai, the kids led by Ramaprabha(!), followed by Manjula, Master Prabhakar, Master Shekhar, Rojaramani, Mythili and Sumathi were all appropriately cast. ‘Chitralaya’ Gopu drafted the screenplay and wrote the dialogues. The movie was directed by G.S.Mani. Released on 23rd May, 1969, ‘shanthi nilayam’ was a thumping success.

With a great story like this filled with wonderful song sequences at every turn, MSV and Kannadasan came out with winner after winner. ‘iRaivan varuvaan, avan endRum nalvazhi tharuvaan’, ‘selvangaLE , deivangaL vaazhum nenjangaLE’ and ‘kadavuL orunaaL ulagai kaaNa thaniyE vandhaaraam’ were all songs that P.Suseela, accompanied by chorus voices, brought to vivacious life. TMS made merry with ‘bhoomiyil iruppathum vaanathil paRappathum avaravar eNNangaLE’. L.R.Eswari bestowed her characteristic exuberance upon ‘peNNai paarthum yEn pEchchu varavillai’ and ‘kaNgaL thEduvadhu uLLam naaduvadhu.’

‘iyaRkaiyenum iLayakanni’ is of course, the dazzling jewel of the crown. If the rich and colourful visuals, with the beautiful Kanchana at her stunning best, linger long in the memory, the accompanying audio track is simply unforgettable.

The song opens to a lilting humming by P.Suseela with an answering call by SPB, and following their celebration in unison, MSV leads them to the pallavi. And as for the pallavi…the charming elongation of each line therein is something so typical of the master’s handiwork. Kannadasan fills the lines with playful banter so natural for those besotted in love; and as always, there are adept analogies in abundance, this time the bard brings nature and her wonders into the context. MSV’s interludes are top class as always, and the ‘ha ha ha’ humming is something that we would instantly recognize anywhere, anytime. The song, I believe, remained at the top of the charts for a long, long while; and rightfully so.



Song # 5: ‘pournami nilavil pani vizhum iravil’ from kannippeN

Sung by SPB & S.Janaki
Lyrics by Vaali
Music by M.S.Viswanthan

kannippeN (11.9.1969/Sathya Films) was produced by R.M.Veerappan. Jaishankar, Sivakumar, Vanishri, Lakshmi, ‘veNNiRa aadai’ Nirmala, Major Sundararajan, Senthamarai, Manohar and G.Shakuntala were in the cast. The story was by the ‘Sathya Movies Story Team’, comprising of S.Jagadeesan, Vidwan Lakshmanan and RMV himself. The screenplay was also credited to RMV. Dialogues were by R.K.Shanmugam. The film was directed by veteran A.Kasilingam. Veerappan’s Sathya Movies/ Sathya Films bannners, though primarily formed to make MGR starrers, did produce some small budget movies with other actors in between. kannippeN was one such venture. Jaishankar had developed a sizeable fan following since the beginning of the ‘Bond’ series, and most of his movies assured producers of modest returns. Hence RMV roped in the popular young actor and embarked upon this project. Vanishri’s star was on the ascent then, she was being paired with the top stars of the time. Lakshmi had made her debut just the previous year; here she played the kannippeN that the title referred to. Being RMV’s movie, MGR attended the song recording and the first day’s shooting, offering the team his best wishes.

MSV came up with some worthy songs as always. ‘oLi piRandhapOdhu mannil uyirgaL piRandhadhamma’, by TMS & LRE, glistens with the poetic flourishes of Avinasi Mani. ‘adi yEndi asattu peNNE’ is a playful female duet by P.Suseela & L.R.Eswari. ‘aththaikku oththakkaNNu indha pakkam thaan’ is a fun-filled ditty, where TMS and P.Suseela bemoan the lack of privacy that a newly married couple have to put up with. TMS had a solo that went ‘iRaivan enakkoru ulagathai padachu’. LRE’s ‘dharmam ellaam uruvamaaga’ and Seergazhi Govindarajan’s ‘uLLaththai neruppilittu’ are the other songs in the album.

And for a duet to be filmed on Sivakumar and Nirmala, MSV came up with a bewitching tune and sent for SPB and Janaki to do the honours.

The whole of the 60s saw Janaki struggle for recognition in tfm. Though she enriched each song that came her way with dainty touches and inventive improvisations that showed her class, save some rare exceptions, she had to be content to remain in the sidelines. It was only at the end of the 60s and the beginning of the 70s, that tfm finally opened to her. And of course with IR anointing her as his prima donna, she rose to invincible heights in the latter half of the decade. Janaki, of course, was no stranger to SPB. As we have seen earlier, it was Janaki who first predicted to the high-school student that he would become a singer of renown one day, and it was her forecast that sowed in the impressionable teenager the seeds of motivation to make it big.

It must have been a wonderful moment when MSV decided to bring together SPB and Janaki to sing this song. Could the master have known that he was tethering together a tantalizing team, a pair of singing birds that would together rule the roost in the not so distant future? Would the sorcerer have supposed that he was setting the stage for a soiree whose entrancement would defy ravages of time and vagaries of taste?

This then was SPB’s first year in tfm, and these then, were the five songs that heralded his debut therein. And SPB marked his arrival in style- he was adjudged the ' Best Playback Singer' in the TN State Film Awards for 1969 for his 'aayiram nilavE vaa' and 'iyaRkaiyenum ilaya kanni'! What an epoch-making entry, and how propitious a progress! The 70s beckoned to him with beatitude; tfm would never be the same again....

clk here to download the songs http://zakaas4u.multiply.com/music/item/156

Vocal music is one of the oldest and most universal art forms. A discovery and celebration of one such voice is Sripathi Panditharadhyula Balasubrahmanyam. His music transcends all barriers - linguistic, geographical and chronological. He is a phenomenal success and incredibly talented. He is S.P. BALASUBRAHMANYAM, popularly known as Balu.

SPB took the Indian film music scene by storm in 1979 with his phenomenally successful rendition for the movie SHANKARABHARANAM. He won his first National Award for the same and came the international fame. After this, there was no looking back. He consistently topped the Indian musical charts.

He has none of the airs of a star. His warm, vibrant nature and almost childlike innocence is infectious. He does not obtrude his presence on others and does give people due respect. He has a magnetic stage presence and enthralls the audience with an exceptional performance, inspiring the other singers to match his emotions and energy with a mesmerizing voice and passionate singing style. An easy-going person, Balu can be bubbly and charming with any age group.

Balu was born on June 4, 1946, in Konetampet, then in Andhra Pradesh, now in Tamil Nadu. His father, Sri. S.P. Sambhamurthy was a fine musician and an excellent exponent of "Harikatha" (a fine art form of entertainment combined with music and story telling).

Blessed with an adorable voice and impeccable musical skills, SPB was never trained to be a singer. A young, Telugu-speaking lad from Andhra Pradesh, like any other boy his age was studying to pursue a career in Engineering. He had a natural flair for singing and participated in most of the singing contests from college. In one such contest, was spotted by his mentor the late, Sri. S.P. Kodandapani. Balu won the first prize and walked out with his first break to sing in the film "SRI SRI SRI MARYADA RAMANNA" in 1966. Thus began a legendary career which became history.

Before he became a full fledged cinema singer, Balu was the leader of a light music troupe that comprising
* Anirutta, who was working in Corporation and was the harmonium artist
* Ilaiyaraaja who joined the group as Guitarist and then moved over to harmonium after Anirutta became busy in his regular job
* Baskar, Ilaiyaraaja's brother who was in charge of Percussion
* Gangai Amaran another brother of Ilaiyaraaja who was the Guitarist after Ilaiyaraaja moved over to Harmonium

Balus first break in Hindi films was EK DUJE KE LIYE. Subsequently, he created history by bagging the National Award for his first song in the first Hindi movie.

So far, Balu has sung over a record 36,000 plus songs in a span of 39 years, in all languages which include several albums of contemporary Indian music, private albums for devotional songs and movies. It is amazing to see the ease with which Balu can render his voice for any language namely, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Tulu, Oriya, Assamese and Punjabi.

There has been no arena of music left for experimentation.

* From singing to composing was a short leap, compiling music for 45 films in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Hindi.
* Dubbing for south Indian stars is another venture that brought him recognition for his deep and astounding voice. He even received the best dubbing artiste award for ANNAMAYYA for lending his voice to Suman, who played Lord Balaji in the movie.
* He has also successfully portrayed character roles in as many as 45 films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada

Awards & Achievements


PRESTIGIOUS TITLES
Year Title Presented by
2001 PadmaShree Award President of India K.R. Narayanan
1999 Doctorate from Pottisreeramulu University (A.P). Governor Rangarajan.


NATIONAL AWARDS
Year Name of the movie Language Song Music Director Producer
1996 Minsara Kanavu Tamil Thanga Thamarai Magalae A.R.Rahman A.V.M.Saravanan
1995 Gana Yogi Panchakshara Gavayi Kannada Hamsalekha
1988 Rudra Veena Telugu Cheppaalani Undi Illayaraja Nagendra Babu
1983 Sagara Sangamam Telugu Illayaraja Edida Nageswara Rao for Poornodaya Films
1981 Ek Duje Keliye Hindi Tere Mere Beech Mein Laxmikant Pyarelal L.V.Prasad
1979 Sankarabharanam Telugu Om Kaara Nadaanu K.V.Mahadevan Poornodaya Art Creations


STATE AWARDS
Year Title Presented by
2002 Best Playback Singer - Nandi Award Andhra Pradesh Government
2000 Best Playback Singer Award Tamil Nadu Government
2000 Andhra Pradesh Government Award - Received 10 times Andhra Pradesh Government
1981 Kalai Mamani Tamilnadu Government


OTHER AWARDS
Month & Year Title Presented by
April, 2002 'Rashtriya Vikas Shiromani Award (Life time)' in 2002 Delhi Telugu Academy's
August, 2002 "Dr. Bezawada Gopala Reddy Award" given during a function in Nellore
January, 2002 Swaralaya-Kairali-Yesudas' award in 2002
September, 2002 Life time Achievement Award "Play back King" TVS Victor Aalaapana Music Awards
August, 2001 Sangeeta Ganga award in 2001 Rani Satish (Minister of State for Kannada and Culture)
January, 2000 Innumerable Awards from Magazines & Associations fostering films
January, 2000 Mia Tansen Award Sur Singar Sanjad (Bombay) for best classical rendition of a song from 'Tere Payal Mere Geeth' composed by Naushad Sab
January, 1990 Film Fare Award for the film 'Maine Pyar Kiya'


ACHIEVEMENTS
# Has recorded over 36,000 songs in a span of 35 years, which include film songs and devotional numbers recorded by various recording companies of the country. It's a world record which will be soon entering into the Guinness Book of World Records.
# Has recorded 17 songs in Kannada for the composer Upendra Kumar in Bangalore from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. on February 8, 1981 which is a record.
# Has recorded 19 songs in Tamil in a day, and 16 songs in Hindi in a day, which is a notable achievement.

Four decades and still going strong, S.P.Balasubrahmaniyam talks about his journey

If listening to him is a delight, a rendezvous is unforgettable. Padma Shri S.P. Balasubrahmanyam is a gifted personality, whose voice continues to mesmerise millions with his effortless singing. The Guinness Book of World Records calls him an artist with the maximum number of recorded songs (over 36,000 songs in many languages and counting), six national awards, a successful innings as a dubbing artiste, actor and composer... his phenomenal success is no ordinary feat.

Blessings matter

"Achievements and awards have been a part and parcel of my journey. Being part of the industry for three to four generations is due to luck, blessings and hard work," says the singer. SPB never had classical training. Do the current crop of singers with a base in classical music put him off? "I'm amazed by their knowledge. Often, I have felt that I should have taken music lessons. Training in Carnatic music helps one to grasp tunes quickly. But, there is more to music — the capacity to express, the way you feel the song, and putting your heart and soul into it. I have learnt my lessons right."

Becoming a singer, he says, was destiny. "There are very talented people who cannot become singers. And, there are `very ordinary singers' like me who have become singers. What I tell budding singers is, be original. If you try to imitate someone, you will not get any recognition. Develop your own individual style." SPB favours technical advances and says his transition from harmonium days to new technology has been smooth. "Technology makes recording much easier for singers. However, how it is being used matters. There has to be a balance so that it doesn't take away the soul of the song."

Ask him if technology has brought opportunities on a platter for newer singers, and he says: "I'm happy that singers now get opportunities easily. It's not only because of technology, but also because composers like A. R. Rahman want variety and introduce new voices."

He also rues the lack of songs tailor-made for situations. "Where do you have situational songs in films now? Today, songs are used like fillers. Add them or remove them, there is little difference," he says, adding, "I just hope it is a passing phase."

Ask him why he has cut down on playback singing and he admits, "Instead of singing 500 songs, I now sing 100 a year. And, I don't miss out on not lending my voice to the kind of songs being composed now," he adds.

SPB has a fan following for his acting too. Pointing to his sparse whiskers, he says, "This is for a Telugu film. I am now choosy and accept only characters that suit me." Four decades, and his voice has continued to work its magic. How did he manage to change with the times?

"I have just been very sincere. I respect my profession but I also love life. So, I enjoyed it. Even today when I face the microphone, I feel it is my first song," he says.

(source - http://thehindujobs.com/thehindu/mp/2006/08/10/stories/2006081000210100.htm)

On December 15, 2006, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, the evergreen star of South Indian film music, completed four decades of singing career. On the same day in 1966, then a lanky Balu made his debut under the baton of his mentor S.P. Kodandapani to render a song along with stalwart singers of the time. His mentor had predicted then that he would be around for at least four decades as a singer.

Kodandapani's prophecy has come true and SPB, the singer par excellence, is still busy singing in films, on stage in India and abroad besides occasionally donning the grease paint for a celluloid portrayal.

Balu as he is fondly called by the industry folks and friends is on the verge of entering into the Guinness Book of World Records as the singer who has rendered most number of songs.

That the man who had no basic training in classical or semi-classical music, went on to become top-notch playback singer in so many languages is no mean achievement. He won a national award for his soulful rendering in the semi-classical 'Sankarabharanam' (1979) and won appreciation from none other than the famous Carnatic exponent, Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, who received a similar award for 'Hamse Geethe,' a film in the same genre.

In these four decades SPB won the national award six times as the best playback singer. His haul started with 'Sankarabharanam' (Telugu -1979) followed by 'Ek Duje Ke Liye' (Hindi -1981), 'Sagara Sangamam'- Telugu (Salangai Ozhi in Tamil -1983), 'Rudraveena'- Telugu ( remade as Unnal Mudiyum Thambi in Tamil -1988) and the Kannada film, 'Saagara Ganayogi Panchakshara Gavai' (1995) and 'Minsara Kanavu,' (Tamil-1996) – Of these six films two each were directed by K. Viswanath and K. Balachander.

The Kannada film 'Gavai' is based on the life of a Hindustani music exponent. And SPB won the national award for a Hindustani rendering in the film. Wonderful voice, that can mould easily to a Carnatic tune or Hindustani music and can even win accolades at the national level!

To quote the singer on the national award for the song 'Umund Ghumandu Ghana Gar Je Badara' from 'Gavai': "I felt thrilled when I came to know about the award. Its base was Hindustani classical which I do not know. First I had apprehensions about the rendition. But music director Hamsalekha insisted that I should sing. They completed the movie and waited for six months for me to sing. I relented only after practicing the song, daily for an hour. Normally I finish rendering a song in half an hour. But this one took three and a half hours to record. I underwent lot of strain while singing the number. At the end it was a rewarding experience. I am happy Hamsalekha too bagged a national award as best music director for the film."

By the way, SPB's rendering of 'Endaro Mahanubhavulu' and other Thyagaraja krithis in the film, 'Thyagayya' under the music direction of K.V. Mahadevan, can be compared with the rendering by classical exponents of Carnatic music.

Till a few years ago, one found the name of singing queen, Lata Mangeshkar, in the Guinness Book of World Records. But a controversy sparked then by late Md. Rafi made the publishers withdraw her name. Today the only singer who can find a place in the records book is S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. In 40 years he has sung nearly 40,000 songs, in all the South Indian languages, besides Oriya, Tulu and Hindi.

Balu has created a record of sorts by singing as many as 15 songs in a single day in different languages shuttling between recording theatres, without a trace of exhaustion. Mind blowing performance indeed.

Veteran music critic V.A.K. Rangarao agrees that he is a phenomenon and considers SPB as the very best as of now. Today the same mellifluous voice emanates from the burly figure as it did at when the singer was a lanky youngster. Age has not withered his voice. Nor has constant singing made it stale.

Born in an orthodox Telugu Shaivite family on June 4, 1946 in Konetammapeta, then in A.P and now in Tamil Nadu, SPB was the second son in a large family of three sons and five daughters. His father Sripathi Panditharadhyula Sambamurthy was a fine musician and a well-known exponent of Harikatha.

During his childhood SPB took to singing as a hobby. He never had the inclination to take up music as a profession. His father wished his son to be an engineer. That brought the teenaged Balu to Madras. He joined the AMIE course, but pursued his hobby too and won prizes in many singing competitions.

It was in 1964 that Andhra Social & Cultural Association popularly known as Andhra Club in Chennai (then Madras) with a popular film personality T.V.S . (Pratibha) Sastri as the cultural secretary organised a competition for amateur singers.

SPB rendered a lyric he had himself written and composed – 'Ragam Anuragam'. The judges were popular music directors of the time Pendyala, Susarla and Ghantasala. SPB won the first prize, a prize that changed the course of his life.

Among those in the audience that day was S.P. Kodandapani, a Telugu music director. He offered the budding singer a film career. SPB was too bewildered to reply. This was one area he never thought till then. He was 17 plus at that time. He was too young to playback for the conventional heroes and too old to sing for the child actors. His mentor waited for two years to give him a break.

Actor-producer-director B. Padmanabham was making a Telugu film, 'Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna' in 1966. Kodandapani was the film's music director. He summoned SPB to sing along such stalwarts as Raghuramiah, P.B. Srinivos and P. Susheela, the song, 'Emi Ee Vintha Mohamu." The singer arrived.

Providence brought SPB to replace Ghantasala, the original choice for the song, recalls Padmanabham. "We had no idea then that a singer par excellence will be launched along with the film. Ghantasala had to leave for his native place as he received news that his mother was unwell. Kodandapani recommended this young lad. I was skeptical, but decided to give him a chance. To my surprise he sang like a seasoned singer. He could get it okayed in the first take itself."

keladi_400


It is said that later, after listening to this song, M.G.R was so impressed with the voice that he wanted SPB to sing in his 'Adimai Penn (1969). Balasubramanyam's second song, a duet, was for a Kannada film, "Nakare Adhe Swarga.' M. Rangarao who was associated with the music of 'Maryada Ramanna' gave him this break.

His third song was his first solo was for 'Private Mastaru,' under the baton of K.V. Mahadevan. He rendered a Malayalam song tuned by Devarajan for 'Kadal Palem.' SPB is perhaps the only singer in South to make a debut in so many language films almost simultaneously.

M.S. Viswanathan was the first to try Balu's voice for Tamil films. He sang a duet with L. R. Easwari in 'Hotel Rambha.' Unfortunately, the film was never completed.

But his biggest break came with M.G.R's 'Adimai Penn.' K.V. Mahadevan was the music director. When the offer came his way, SPB was suffering from viral fever. It was a near miss situation.

But MGR, a talent spotter, waited for SPB for a full month till he recovered and recorded the song, 'Aayiram Nilave Vaa…' which became a sensational hit. At the same time the singer also rendered for Gemini Ganesh in 'Shanti Nilayam' under the baton of M.S. Viswanathan. He won best singer award from Tamil Nadu Government for both the films.

No matter for whom he sings, SPB's voice suits the actor to the tee. He even 'ghost voices' with ease for Kamal Haasan, Rajnikanth and other actors whenever their films are dubbed into Telugu. Being a good mimic has helped him accomplish this feat.

He has the rare distinction of rendering most number of songs on a single by any singer – 20 in Kannada, 17 in Hindi and an equal number in Telugu. His songs from 'Ek Duje Ke Liye' and 'Maine Pyar Kiya' catapulted him to top slot in Bollywood at that time.

PB scored music for about 50 films and acted in as many films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Interestingly he composed music for a Kannada film, 'Sambandha' which has no songs. He won Karnataka and A.P. State awards as an actor. "Acting is just to satisfy my inner urge as an artiste. Singing is my passion."

A multi-faceted personality, SPB received the Padma Shri and won the Tamil Nadu State award as best singer thrice and the AP State award for ten times. He received the 'Kalaimamani' from Tamil Nadu Government and a honourary doctorate from Potti Sri Ramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad besides numerous other awards.

SPB built Kodandapani Audio Lab, a state-of-art recording theatre and named it after his mentor. Many new singers try to imitate him. For them his advice is – "You can imitate my singing but not my voice. Have your own identity. No one can be an obstruction to another in this industry. With talent and luck anybody can make it here."

SPB's recent U.S.A. trip was such a hit that wherever the singer performed, he received standing ovation… which only speaks volumes for his charisma, popularity and singing prowess that sailed through forty years and nearly forty thousand songs. Indeed, SPB is a true phenomenon.

(written by-Malladi Narasimham)
http://indiainteracts.com/columnist/2007/01/03/SPB-a-legend-in-his-lifetime/

The Mega Event - "Meet & Greet SPB 2007"
(to commemorate his 40 years of singing and also launch of the SPBFans Charitable Foundation)


Venue : Hotel Hari International, Bangalore
Date : 28th January 2007.
Time : 3.00 ~ 7:00 pm (planned) ; 4:30pm to 8:30pm (actual)

Dear SPB Fans,

Many of you who had not attended the meet have been very eager to have an insight into the happenings at the meet and have been sending many emails. Due to time constraints, the details could not be posted and please accept my apologies for the delay. On behalf of the SPB Fans group i am posting this article for the benefit of all.

As all of you know that the physical activities of the event at Bangalore were organized by Sowmya & Maggie with our Webmaster, Venkat & Ashok coordinating other activities from here at Chennai. The other activities include preparation of banners for the event, memento for our SPB, memento for the participants, travel arrangements for the Chennai Fans and program schedule for the event

My first physical contact with this event was the boarding of the Minibus (at Chennai) which carried 20 eager participants from Chennai. The travel started at around 5:00am and left Chennai at 6:00am. Ashok briefed us about the schedule for the event and he also displayed to us the memento that was to be presented to our SPB which was a unique wood carving of our SPB’s profile. It was really good. Please go through the photo album posted by Covai Ravee / Vikas earlier. Thanks to Venkat & Harikrishna for making this unique memento ready. There was also a momento for the participants of the meet to be presented by our SPB in the form of a Desk Top Calender with the front page carrying 6 photos of our SPB and these same photos appearing again alongside the months with 1 for every two months. It was really great and would be a great memoir for the meet and a treasured possession for the fans . Each one was to be autographed by our SPB before being presented at the meet. We all had a great time singing our SPB songs (numbering around 50) with Balaji and Ashok taking the lead and the others lending their voices in a chorus with Madhumati and Priya also joining in and playing a major role. We reached Bangalore quite late than planned at around 2:45pm and after freshening up, were all assembled in the Hall at around 3:30pm.

This event if you remember (from various emails) was also planned to be a launch pad for the “SPB Fans Charitable Foundation” a registered entity now. As understood (me being a new member – 2 months old) our group has been doing charitable activities in the previous years at a small level and it was long felt that there should be an organized setup to take it to a higher level. This was the very reason why our SPB was ready to associate himself with this SPB Fan Group which was oriented toward social activities and not just serving as a forum for discussing about him and his portfolios. Towards this, our Chennai coordinators had made ready three banners announcing the launch of the foundation (with our SPB’s photo at the centre) and these were displayed at three strategic locations in the Hall. The main banner acted as a backdrop to our SPB’s seating (refer to the photographs).

The Hall was filled up with around 65 to 70 members and with some Press persons (Hindu, Deccan Herald….) also who had been invited to cover the event. From our side a Still Camera and Video Graphers were arranged to cover the event (courtesy the Chennai coordinators). Every one of us eagerly awaited the arrival of our SPB and each head turn of a person seated nearby presented an illusion that SPB would have arrived. The time was well past the scheduled start and we were all tensed up indeed. At around 4:30pm our compere Mr.RangaRaj announced that our SPB was on the way and that in order to avoid further delays later, requested us to have our High Tea before he arrived and that our SPB would eventually join with us. While we were half through with the High Tea, our Great SPB arrived at 4:40pm much to the excitement of all present. He was dressed up in a dark coloured pant, a light blue full sleeved shirt and sandals. He was straightaway escorted by WM for snacks and Tea. Those of us who were quite excited and impatient as well, started crowding around him and taking photographs of him attending to his snacks. Our SPB took all these in good spirits and at one point of time enquired if there would be a photo session and he would be with us for photos then. This did not deter the die hard fans and we still continued hovering over him and at one point of time he uttered a noble sentence “You all go to your seats and I will come to you”.

Following this, our Great was escorted to his seat. Before getting seated, he was presented flower bouquets by a few children which he gleefully accepted and he spent a few moments whispering to the young children. He also ensured that the bouquets were presented in the right position so that the photographs came out well (considering the position of the camera spotlights ..). Quite thoughtful of him to ensure that nothing went wrong for the fans.
Then, our SPB was shown his honorable seat and he was handed over a pile of mementos (desktop calendars) for his autograph. This was later to be presented by him individually to each and every participant. While he was on the signing spree, our compere Mr.RangaRaj welcomed the Hero of the Event and outlined the list of activities for the evening as follows :

1) Welcome Speech
2) Launch of a Revamped SPB Website www.spbindia.com (courtesy : SEAMIT for designing the site)
3) Photo Session combined with Presentation of Memento to each participant
4) Screening of a surprise Video Show to our SPB
5) Our SPB’s small Speech
6) Presentation of Memento to our SPB
7) Launch of the SPBFans Charitable Foundation
8) Question & Answer Session
9) Closing up

I will not dwell much on the Welcome Speech as it is a formal opening to any event. Our SPB was signing the desktop calendars while our compere started his welcome speech

Next was the launch of the Revamped SPB Website. The revamping of the site was handled by Mr.Vishwak of SEAMIT and he himself made a presentation through a Slide Show explaining the various features. The opening page of the site has a greeting message by our SPB. It has all the features of the previous site plus a few additions. Please visit the website to explore the modified version. Our SPB formally pressed the button on the Keyboard to launch it. This was followed by the Photo session. Wishing you all happy SPB browsing.

Upfront, our SPB made it clear to everyone that he did not want anyone bend down and touch his feet nor prostrate in front of him as it would embarrass him. (in spite of this some die hard fans did do that). The fans one by one were asked to come over to our SPB and take photographs and also receive the autographed memento (desktop calendar). There were quite a few fans who had come along with their family also. It was a great moment indeed especially for first timers like me who got to see him for the first time in real. I would like to mention one touching gesture by our SPB which will not be known to others. It seems one of our SPB fans (seated near me from Chennai) had taken photographs twice with him at the event and unfortunately both turned out to be unclear and were not good. The Fan hesitantly approached our SPB again for taking photograph for the third time informing him that he was sorry. You know what our SPB had said to this fan “Come on, it is my responsibility to ensure that you have taken a good photo with me – I want to take photo with you anyway”. The fan was really moved when he narrated this to me personally. What a great and heart moving gesture by our Great. Such gestures is also one of the reasons which attracts us all to the Great. Hats-off to him. There was also another gesture. When Ms.Sowmya went up to him alone for the photo session he made it a point to ask her to call her husband also (I understood that she was recently married) and then took a photo. What else to say about this Great Man. Thoughtfulness personified. Right through the photo session he was cool and calm and enthusiastically conducted himself giving an overall pleasant experience to one and all. At one instance, when one of the individual photographers had a problem with his camera he gave out a call to everyone to check their respective cameras so that they come out with good pictures without any disappointment. Our SPB was dumbfounded by one fan when he turned up for his autograph on a photo taken at the event itself. He wondered how that was possible and queried whether he was carrying a personal printer with him. There were many fans who took repeated autographs on note books, pieces of paper, diaries and so on and our SPB acknowledged everyone with a charismatic smile. The entire Hotel Staff also utilised this opportunity of getting themselves photographed with him and also obtaining his autograph.

Following this, was the surprise Video show played to our SPB. I would like to put in a few words about this. This was totally a surprise package and it was not made known upfront to others except a few who were involved in a fan meeting on 31st Dec 2006 at Chennai. All the speakers in this video were requested not to inform our SPB about the interview and I understand that even the Web Master was not aware of a major position of this Video. This was thought up by our Venkat & Ashok who felt it appropriate to interview some of our SPB’s Cine Colleagues, his mother and his close friends and make a video presentation to SPB on the eve of 40 years completion in singing. It was a really a good one. It started off with our Evergreen SPB partner “S Janakiamma” talking about our SPB, the happy times she had with him during recordings and the small fights (Oodal & Koodal as you may call it) they used to have. She expressed a longing once again for those times when they sang together and she blessed our SPB to continue till 100 years or more. This brought out the childlike enthusiasm of SJ amma. Really touching. PB Srinivas followed next and he went back to those days when our SPB recorded the first song with him, PS and some other Telugu singer. At that time, PBS was not sure that SPB would grow to such great heights and through bhakthi and dedication he had done it he said. Next was “Maanicka Vinaayagam” who highlighted about the human side of our SPB. The next person to speak was none other than the creator of our SPB “his mother”. We learnt that he was addressed as “Mani” by his family and close friends. She said she was blessed to have a son like him and may God bless him all through. During this portion of the video, I observed that our SPB was moved to tears hearing his mother speak about him. His friends 4 of them followed next. Their narrations clearly brought the high regard that our SPB had on friendship. Even to this day, he has never forgotten them in spite of all his name and fame and he makes it a point to be with them whenever possible. One of his friends shared his experiences of our SPB’s first song recording. As many would have heard, the car which was supposed to pick-up our SPB for the recording did not turn up. Worried that they might not have been satisfied with his rehearsals earlier, he thought he was out of consideration for the song. But this friend ensured that he pedaled our SPB on a bicycle and took him all the way to the recording theatre. The guard there was not willing to allow him inside and the friend was willing to place himself and the cycle as security for our SPB to be allowed in to the recording theatre. Meanwhile, hearing the commotion, people inside had summoned our SPB inside. This friend was really moved while narrating and said that he was indeed fortunate to be associated with SPB during those trying period and at the start of his career. Even the other friends spoke of him very highly and of his undying friendship and as fans we got to know one more facet of this Great Man. The Chennai Fans involved in recording this video shown were Venkat & Ashok. Thanks to them for having taken the initiatives and efforts to visit each speaker and also go to Nellore to meet our SPB’s mother and friends and record the interview. What was shown was a concised 20 minutes show edited from a 1-1/2 hour recording by the above team. Three Cheers to the Team.

Next, our SPB was requested to address the fans and also his comments on the Video. He started by saying that the Video embarrassed him as it had all of them talking high of him. As friends and close associates they were bound to do so. It also moved him to a great extent seeing his mother speaking. He said that any mother will tell only the truth about her son and he was indeed fortunate to hear his mother bless him. He stopped with this mentioning that any further talk on this would lead to his emotional breakdown as he was so moved by the occasion. During this speech, he mentioned about the pranks he used to play on Janakiamma. It seems that Janakiamma had the habit of holding a small handkerchief in her hand and keep fidgeting with it during recording of a song. Without that she would not feel comfortable. Our SPB sometimes used to pull at the hanky to distract her attention and she used to respond by slapping him or throwing things like pen, pencil etc. at him. On one such occasion it seems that she did this and walked away from the recording cabin. Later SJamma’s husband who also is a close family friend of our SPB came over to our SPB and told him that she was seated in the car outside and asked him to cajole her and bring back inside the recording room. This brought out the intimate relationship they had in their singing career which has given us so many great duet songs.

He also introduced to us some of his friends and close associates who were there in the meet. One friend had come from Dallas and one of his associates happened to be the owner of the Hotel Hari International where the meet took place

He once again wondered why the fans were so attached to him and what great work he has done for that (modesty to the core) except taking up singing as a profession like any other person. He jokingly said that he had no chance of switching over to any other profession as he was neither skilled nor would his age, past retirement now, would fetch him one. When one enthusiastic fan got up to throw a counter to that, he stopped him saying that he did not expect any answer to that. He expressed his happiness to be associated with this fan group which had the intention to carry out charitable activities as part of the fan club and felt proud that his name was used for this purpose. He was not for fan clubs which had no social cause attached to it. He mentioned that he was aware of many fan clubs started in his name (without his approval) which had no noble purpose attached to it except talking about him and his achievements. However it was not practically possible for him to close down all these. He also mentioned that he always carried a Blackberry with him so that he could attend to all the communication from all his fans wherever he was and also reply immediately depending on the topic. (in fact I received a reply from his blackberry once when I emailed my New Year Greetings to him)

He also requested fans to donate blood and also their organs so that they would be of use in saving a precious life and making life comfortable for many.

Next was the presentation of a memento to our SPB by our Venkat & Ashok. As explained earlier this memento was unique in the sense that it was a wooden carving done with our SPB’s photograph as the reference. Our SPB’s profile is at a level higher than the base of the canvas and looking at it live gives more insight. It also looks great on the photograph (please also take a look in the photos posted by our Covai Ravee). Our SPB was greatly impressed by this.

The launch of the SPBFans Charitable Foundation was the next agenda. This was done by the fans handing over the filled up registration forms to SPB himself who received it on the behalf of the Foundation. This was one more chance for these participants to come into physical touch with our Great while presenting their form to him. I once again felt the delight of clasping his hands with both my hands to savour the touch and the moment while handing over the form (chinna chinna aasai). Around 35 members enrolled themselves in the Foundation on the spot itself. Hope every SPB Fan becomes a member of this foundation so that we all can contribute to the society in some way in the name of our SPB. As detailed earlier this Foundation will be carrying out charitable activities in an organized set up. During this event, our SPB came out with a very noble announcement that “he would also make a monthly contribution of Rs.10,000 from his earnings”. He assured that this amount would reach the concerned every month. This would be over and above the contributions that he has been already making in the name of a foundation (not publisized much) run in memory of his Father. He mentioned that he did not want to be a silent spectator since this foundation was named after his fans. On the lighter side he said that he felt jealous of the fans and hence wanted to make his own contribution and become a member himself. He also requested all not to make contributions just for the sake of it. He advised us that contributions should be made only after taking care of our own basic needs as the income for many would be meagre.

During the close-up note, our compere thanked our SPB for spending his valuable time with us in spite of the busy schedule.

Our SPB mentioned that he was approached for allotting three days for the Telugu 75 years celebration i.e. 26,27 & 28 Jan. But he declined 28 Jan as he wanted to attend this Fan Meet which was already planned. He also informed us that he had a film shooting for the next two days or so at Bangalore and he had a busy schedule ahead. He thanked all especially the fans who had traveled all the way from Tuticorin, Salem, Chennai, Hubli and Mumbai. He particularly mentioned about Vikas Kamble from Mumbai who had come all the way from Mumbai to see him and also his interest in his South Indian language songs even though he did not know these languages. He sang ‘Telusa Manasaa..” and ‘Ilamai Enum Poongaatru…” for his sake.

I have not covered the Question & Answer session here since this requires some homework in order to capture all the Q&A. This will be posted at a later date after obtaining the details from the respective participant so that nothing is missed out. However during the Q&A, our SPB brought out the extreme regard he had for Mohamed Rafi. He said Rafi was the ultimate playback singer of the world and no one can near him. He said that his own singing was basically modeled around Rafi’s singing and basically his songs had atleast 20% of Rafi’s influence in them. During the initial period of his career he used to go overboard trying to bring in more of Rafi into his singing which he had controlled at a later stage, he said. He also mentioned one instance where Kishore Kumar wanted Rafi to sing for him in one of his home productions. He mentioned that he had two chances of meeting Rafi, once at a nearby recording theatre when he went inside and took his blessings only and later at a concert where he was a front bencher as he could not muster the courage to approach the legendary Rafi.

Another event which I like to mention here is as follows :

The final session of the Meet was over and our SPB had packed up and was almost leaving the Hall. At that time Ms Sowmya approached and requested him to make a brief Video talk regarding the progress of the Prodigy club that was inaugarated by our SPB sometime back and the contributions that this club was making in the field of education. With due honour to our Sowmya, he once again traced back his steps to the dias and gave a brief ex-tempo talk about the club and then left. This showed what great regard he had for the sentiments of his fans and the extent to which he was willing to go to satisfy them. This was one of the points mentioned by him that he could not say "no" to anyone when approached and this occasion was a clear example of this attribute of our Great SPB.

Throughout the event, our SPB spoke in Kannada & English and sometimes in Tamil also for the sake of the Multi-lingual gathering.

(Original post by Mr. Dasrathi)

SPB's 40-Year record plays on

Bangalore, DHNS: Fans Came to the city in droves from all over Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka & Mumbai.

The Occasion: Playback Singer S.P.Balasubramanyam's completing his 40th year in the film industry and the launch of the SPB Fans Charitable Foundation, on Sunday.

And did the fans make a song & dance about the occasion! Some were heard crooning his numbers in his inimitable style, many contended themselves with mimicking his equally inimitable voice. Many others were discussing the
finer points of their favourite SPB song & improvising on the riffts. All this they did when they were not posing for the photographs with their idol.

Belting out a song from the film Roja in SPB style, Vikas Hublikar, mimicry artist fron hibli, gets a round of raucous applause from fellow fans. "Like SPB, I married a Telugu Girl and I plan to name my children Charan & Pallavi after the Legend's own children," he says.

Vikas, a graphic designer from Mumbai, Said "I came all the way just to meet him. I don't understand Tamil & Telugu but I listen to his songs all the time."

But the modest SPB said on the occasion that he had always discouraged fans clubs, but commended those behind setting up of the foundation "for their charitable motive".

Balasubramanyam pledged to donate Rs 10,000 a month to the trust to help it carry out its work for the needy.

(source: Deccan Herald, 29th Jan 2007, Bangalore)