Wrapt In Divine Velveteen

바카라�Is this SPB sir바카라�s house?바카라� I asked an aut­orickshaw driver in Kamdarnagar, Chennai. Yes, he said. I wondered. How come? No buzz, hustle, hovering security. I walk into the welcome area and get ready for a long wait. But I am called up immediately. I enter a large room, trembling in respect and awe. Yonder sits my icon. My music hero바카라�the legend S.P. Balasubrahmanyam. Like a schoolgirl, I squirmed and could only say, 바카라�Sir, am a big fan바카라� His reply came in a flash: 바카라�I have been following your shows. You have a good taste. God bless you ma바카라�.

That was in 1996; that day, I requested him to host Sapthaswarangal (a music-based reality show). He softly rep­lied: 바카라�I may not be that good with Tamil songs and talking about Tamil films. You should get a better person.바카라� This is just a sample of how unbelievably humble the great singer was. And he remained thus바카라�passionate fans by the thousands, yet more hits, an award a week바카라�nothing changed him.

Tamil film music of 바카라�70s simply soaked in his exuberant, youthful voice바카라�that one line, Naalile nalla naal (Maadhamo Aavani), that one note from Manam, Gunam, Ondraana Mullai from Samsaram Enbadhu Veenai, Idhazhil Thenai Kudithu from Paadumpothu Naan바카라�.it바카라�s difficult to list the crevices and fissures in his mellifluous voice that made us lose our senses.

Surprisingly, in the 바카라�80s, with ageing, his voice grew younger. Kamal Haasan바카라�s naughtiness, Mohan바카라�s youthfulness and Rajini바카라�s romance was all SPB for us. 바카라�If someone else speaks for me in Telugu films, I feel I have lost a half of myself. We are simply two bodies, one soul,바카라� Kamal had said when I had done a show with just them two. Truly, SPB knew when Kamal would laugh and where he would cry. Not just lip-syncing, 바카라�Mic바카라� Mohan (for whom SPB has probably crooned more than for any other Tamil hero) had to sing along for perfection. 바카라�I had to emote as if I was actually singing because people are living with SPB바카라�s voice. I cannot spoil their dreams by acting subtle. My expressions must match his singing바카라�.

Any other singer would have bluntly refused a surgery on his vocal chords for nodules. SPB boldly went through that procedure. For, he knew that music wouldn바카라�t betray him. Acting, dubbing, performing, all at the same time바카라�he was hard on himself. And he excelled in all. His golden voice literally transcended generations as he sang for father-son duos: NTR and Balakrishna, Nageswara Rao and Nagurjana, Sivaji Ganesan and Prabhu, Muthuraman and Karthik and Sivakumar and Surya.

People marveled at his humility. Success, awards, achievements in such profusion led us to believe he바카라�d be inaccessible. But he kept drawing a straight line after every rise in the graph that kept him grounded. Even while judging contests, his criticism, laced with positivity, would only encourage바카라�never a harsh word or a condescending comment. Every time he was on stage, he would mention his mentors. Has anyone ever told you SPB fought with him/her?

Even as my own children reply to my messages a day late, I receive an instant reply at any hour of the day when I send a text바카라�to the inimitable SPB. He was never too busy for that. Rising to his feet to receive a guest irrespective of age is impossibly humble. But that is SPB. He missed my daughter바카라�s wedding, but that lovely voice note he sent to the couple is the best mantra I heard on that day. As I rewind a million times, his voice note wishing me for the 100th #QFR (My YouTube show during the lockdown) keeps me inspired to touch the 200 mark.

For any singer, 50,000 recorded songs are a stupendous achievement. Even when 70-plus, he was singing songs like Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalali with the same josh and gusto as he did over two decades ago. He represented a truly golden chapter in Indian film music. His voice has been our oxygen for over fifty five years now. The 바카라�SPB fever바카라� if you like, is an incurable, permanent disease. He has left us breathlessly happy.

(The writer is a producer of musical shows for stage and television)