S.P. Balasubramaniam  

S.P. Balasubramaniam is my favorite singer. He enthralls audience with popular Kannada and Tamil numbers on one fine Saturday evening 15^th January 2005. Venue was Bangalore’s famous Cubbon Park KSLTA Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association.

There was very tight security because of presence of honorable ministers Mr. Siddaramaiah (Deputy chief Minister of Karnataka) and Industry and Infrastructure Development minister Mr. P.G. Rav Sindhia.

“He started his carrier with Telegu moive SHREE in 1966, then MaryadaRaman. He has established a world record of singing total 38,000 songs. He is a living legend. He is a versatile singer with rich, melodious voice having fine range and timber. He has done many such live concerts at abroad also. He has won many awards including PadmaShree. Andhra Pardesh University has awarded Doctorate Degree to him.”

The anchor was presenting this introduction, and Clad in an off-white kurta and sporting a beard, SPB entered at stage. Audience was cheered up, whistling.

He started with prayer to goddess Sarswati

  yA kundendu tushArahAra dhavalA

  yA shubhra vastrAvritA

  yA vINA varadanda manditakarA

  yA shveta padmAsanA

  yA brahmAchyuta shankara prabhritibihi

  devaih sadA banditA

  sA mAm pAtu saravatI bhagavatI

  nihshesha jAdyApahA.

After prayer, He greeted the audience with Kannada Namsakr, Tamil Vadakkam and English Good Evening. There was a short speech about CTC Sanjeevini and sponsor Divya Sree Developers. The fund-raising concert, organised by Comprehensive Trauma Consortium’s (CTC) a non-profit organisation aiming to provide free-ambulance service for accident victims within the golden-hour. Dial 1062 for free rescue in accident and medical emergency.

He started his first song. It contains word Kaveri. So I assume it was Kannad song! :) It may like our Gujarati song “JAY JAY GARAVI GUJARAT” by Narmad.

For the next song, he invited SuPriya. She is famous on E TV Kannda. She bow down to SPB for the blessing. The song was similar to our Hindi Filmi song “Dekha Hai Paheli Bar – Saajan). By neighbor informed me, it was from movie BailGaadi.

Hailing Ilayaraja as one of the ‘greatest composers in Indian cinema’, whose compositions have the quality of spurring his troupe with renewed vigour and energy. He  belted out some of Ilayaraja’s evergreen numbers with great zeal.

SuRekha supported the next song. It was about rain. HELLI. Next song again with SuPriya. Its tune was similar to one Hindi song, that I could not recall.

Next a Tamil song, composition Ilayaraja. We have a Hindi song with same tune “Nile Nile Ambar Par Chand Jab Aaye” He appreciated all the musicians, that in the original recorded music also one mistake is there, that is taken care by his troupe.

Next song, I do not know which language, as he did not mention! :) However, we have such Hindi song “Chaaha thaa…, Pyaar Naa Hogaa Kam. Teri Yaad Jo Aaati Hai…”

He introduced all the musicians.

Finally he sang a Hindi song. It was his first Hindi song for movie ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’. He won one award also. “Tere Mere Bich Mai Kaisa Hai Yeh …”

Next was one fast non-Hindi song. Then he took the rest. Uday and SuPriya continues.

Then there was announcement about CTC Sanjeevini, with some statistical data about road accident. SPB also promoted it. Few renown people donated for additional new ambulances.

Next was a devotional song

“Shankara Naad Sharia Paraa Ved Vihaaraa Haraa Jiveshwaraa”

Last song was also devotional “Govindam…”

He requested the audience for not to leave their seat when song is being performed. The singer feels like it is a market. There was breathless song.  It is different from Breathless by Shankar Mahadevan. He honestly admitted that, it was just computer trick of copy and paste to make it breathless. At this age, even after climbing few steps he breathes heavily so breathless can never possible. He presented the breathless song with breath!  Few more singers joined named Kushala, Uday, Krishna.

Again one one Hindi song from HAHK “Pahela Pahela Pyar Hai…” His voice always reminds me about Salman Khan. Roza title song, he started with Hindi, in between he sang stanza from the original Tamil (?) Roza song. One song was like Idea’s advertise “98…..”

Someone requested Hindi song from Main Pyar Kiya. He replied “AAP NE PYAR KIYA YEH BAHUT KHUSHI KI BAAT HAI” :) He also mentioned that he do not remember lyrics of all the songs that requested by audience. If he fulfill everyone’s FARMAISH then, it will take one year to be there on stage and sing all the songs. During this time, his beard will grow and become like RavindraNath Tagor’s beard. He requested not to shout very loud else, they need to call 1062 for Sanjeevini!

At last it was vote of thanks. Thanks to Radio City, Infosys, Banglore City Police, Press etc. He appreciated, that we all were such a wonderful audience. It is quite difficult to please the audience with all the languages. He mentioned, if want to come again and again on this earth and sing the songs.

I noticed SPB night was totally different from Sonu Nigam, that I attended. No colorful smokes. No colorful lighting. Out of around 23 songs, he sang only 4 Hindi songs. I do not know language of other songs :) Recently I come across a Kannad movie during bus travel named “Aakasmik” He sang one song from that movie. We had different classes of tickets. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Platinum, Invitees, Press and complimentary. I got tickets from Lucent Technologies itself. Thanks to our HR Seema V.

For media coverage please visit

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan162005/c3.asp