There are certain people who I believe or want to be immortal, because I can never imagine hearing about them not being among us. SP Balasubramaniam is one among them. I developed an unknown interest towards his voice at a very early age. That was the time I discovered that we can develop liking towards, which can be called a becoming a FAN, someone you never met.
The soothing voice has given life to 50,000 pieces of art by many lyricists in a career spanning over 40 years. The human in him has supported many singers by leading the programs like Padutha Teeyaga and Swarabhishekam. His demise is not a loss to a field or an industry but a stab on the beautiful memories gathered by a generation of music lovers.
The voice can melt your heart while describing the pain of a person waiting for his love of life with “Jabilli Kosam Akasamalle”
The voice can make you think while questioning the country’s situation with “Arthasathabdapu Agananne Swatantramandama”
The voice can enhance the beauty of Godavari with “Uppongene Godavari Oogindile Chelo Vari”
The genuine passion in him can be observed when he puts an extra effort to convey the underlying expression of the words even after 35 years of singing. While watching a song, any movie lover can easily identify the voice behind the character. It takes great art to hide the background singer and ensure the voice projects the on screen character. But the great SPB can pull this out with ease; you can listen to “Vandanam Abhi Vandanam” from Premabhishekam and “Shankara Naada” from Shankarabharanam to discover yourself.
I have been searching the web to see if there is any good news about his health since the time he was admitted in MGM. It was a great relief for me when I got to know that his condition has improved and was able to take food orally. But the voice which made me forget the world and experience incredible and indescribable joy has decided to rest forever. It took a lot of effort for me to stop tears from rolling out. I can only borrow the words from his song.
