The Voice That Transcended Boundaries

The Voice That Transcended Boundaries

S.P.Balasubrahmanyam (04-Jun-1946 to 25-Sep-2020) - A Tribute

There was a sense of unrest from the previous evening, when out of the blue came a hospital bulletin that called his condition 'extremely critical'. Celebrities and family members had started making a beeline to the hospital. One had started anticipating an official confirmation anytime. Such is our fickle mind that not so long ago prayed for him to come back sooner and stronger. One could sense what was coming. A few minutes past 1 pm, director Venkat Prabhu (son of lyricist/composer Gangai Amaren) broke the inevitable truth. The lungs that breathed immortality into thousands of songs had finally given up.

For about an hour that followed, I was staring blankly at my laptop screen not knowing how to go about my work for the rest of the day. I could not listen in to a webinar I had signed up for and quietly dropped off. It was a tsunami of sorts thereafter, with a deluge of messages, forwards, RIP's, audio-video clips, and thoughts. I tried to hold on and concentrate on the work at hand. But my resilience broke instantly as piercing notes of 'Neengaadha Baaram En Nenjodu Thaan' came wafting from my wife's phone and that was it. I could not control my tears any longer.

I have never called myself an 'SPB fan' (I have been an Ilaiyaraaja fan, whose favorite male singer remains M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar), akin to many of my other music lover friends, but had enormous respect for his achievements and unparalleled abilities. But why does this loss feel so personal?

I was born in the era when SPB was at the peak of his prowess and was churning out hits every Friday in the company of Ilaiyaraaja. As kids hustling to take the auto to school, his voice (along with S.Janaki and later K.S Chitra) was served daily along with breakfast, thanks to the radio. SPB and S.Janaki's names were heard together so often that as a kid I thought they were married to each other. That is how much his music was entwined in our lives.

There have been some absolute legends before him in the industry starting with MKT, T.M.Soundarrajan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, and P.B.Sreenivos to name a few. He also brushed shoulders with some exceptional talents in Dr.K.J.Yesudas and Malaysia Vasudevan during his peak. But what set him apart was his sheer versatility and range.

He was at ease singing a 'Brochevarevarura' (Shankarabharanam) as he was in belting out a 'Singari Sarakku' (Kakki Chattai) or the pensive 'Nalam Vaazha' (Marupaiyum) or the devotion laden 'Lingashtakam'. He morphed into the hero onscreen whether it was Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, or Rajendra Prasad in Telugu, Vishnuvardhan, Shankar Nag or Ravichandran in Kannada, Salman Khan in Hindi or Kamal Haasan, Rajnikanth or Mohan in Tamil. The list of leading men he has catapulted to success with his vocals, over the 5 decades, is endless.

If his arrival on the Tamil playback scene in the late '60s added a fresh perspective to M.S.Viswanathan's music, it was Ilaiyaraaja who utilized his virtuosity to the limit. At the turn of the '90s, A.R.Rahman explored SPB's voice from a new outlook and that set the tone for the rest of his career working with new age composers. Substantial hits across 4 generations of composers in multiple languages is a feat that most top singers can only dream of.

Apart from his legendary singing skills, he was also an acclaimed voice actor. For the uninitiated, he was Kamal Haasan's voice in Telugu for most of his career. He also put forth this talent of his into many an iconic song. Starting with Kadavul Amaithu Vaittha Medai (Avargal), Rathiri Nerathu (Anjali), En Jodi (Vikram), Maaman Oru Naal (Rosaappoo Ravikkaikaari) the list goes on. In fact, the viral video clip of him demonstrating the different voices in Kamal Haasan's Dashavataaram, he dubbed for is pure gold.

A successful actor who played many a memorable role as a leading man (Pakkinti Ammayi, Keladi Kanmani, Sigaram, Mithunam) and various other endearing characters and cameos (Minsara Kanavu, Thiruda Thiruda, Avvai Shanmugi) he was as pitch-perfect in his performances onscreen as he was behind the microphone.

SPB also composed music for over 40 films and the flashes of brilliance are there to be seen. One can safely assume that he composed far less for his talent owing to his other commitments.

This one featuring the voices of M.S.Viswanathan, Ilaiyaraaja alongside SPB the composer, is a gem.

Listening to him live in a concert was a special experience in itself. Yours truly has had the blessing of listening to him live more than once and the energy he brought to the stage was unmatched. One would wonder how he could reproduce a song so perfectly with every familiar nuance and dynamic as in the original recording 3 decades ago!

Beyond all the towering achievements and stature, it was his simple endearing nature, humility, magnanimity he showed in praising a fellow musician, unbridled affection and encouragement he showered on upcoming talents, the childlike enthusiasm he displayed, and the perennial joy and positivity that he exuded, that put an instant smile and has seeped into the life of every music lover across geographies.

I leave you with 2 songs. One a personal favorite from the extraordinary discography SPB shared with Ilaiyaraaja and reflects the current state of mind of his fans and another, a more recent release - from last year, that is a throwback and tribute to SPB's golden period and his zest for life.

I am slowly getting back to listening to his songs as the reality sinks in. Something I struggled to do since hearing of his passing. I should better get used to it as I realize I cannot escape it anymore. 

His voice and music are and will be omnipresent!

Rest well, Sir!

Thanks for the entertainment and the myriad gifts!