‘Oh no, he has passed away!’ I read the news item with sorrow. I know that he has been in critical care for a while. But it still hits hard. I go about my day but it is there at the back of my thoughts….this passing of a voice which has been so familiar and so dear for so long.
Browsing the internet, I see that ‘Ayiram Nilave Va‘ was one of his earliest songs. Oh! I remember the radio blaring out this song from when I was just a young girl! One doesn’t forget the songs of one’s childhood and youth, does one? I listen to his songs in the background as I read the eulogies which flood the internet. His voice is like velvet, enveloping me in a zone of comfort. What can I say that so many others have not already said? Only that I love his voice, and that I am grateful for the many gems that he has given us over the years. He may be a public figure but I grieve his loss as if it were a personal one. My respects to the great S.P.Balasubrahmanyam.
It is very difficult to choose just one song from his repertoire of more than 40,000 recorded songs. But I have chosen one, a song which appealed from the first time I heard it and still does. More importantly, it features a glimpse of SPB in a role that he has played all his life with such excellence.
Here’s a link to a totally light hearted song in which his singing prowess shines brightly as always. I hope it makes you remember him with a smile just as I do 🙂 Thank you SPB.
Music To My Ears 
Very sad. He walked into the hospital more than a month ago, mostly as a precaution. And then it all went downhill.
We have all grown up with his music. When he sang, the world seemed altogether a better place.
As the Americans would say, this was the day the music died 😦
I’m truly sad…
பாடும் நிலா இன்று நிலாப்பாட்டாகி விட்டது. அந்த நிலவணிந்த சங்கரனுக்கு அடித்தது யோகம்.
எனக்கும் தோன்றியது …எங்கேயோ அவர் பாடி கொண்டுதான் இருக்கிறார்
Thank you for the post. I too remember when Aayiram Nilave Vaa was first hit the airwaves. Adimai Penn movie was a mega hit and the introduction of SPB as a new playback singer was a major news item. Hard to pick just one song as a favourite. RIP.
Impossible to pick one song! We are lucky that thanks to online availability of his music in many sites, we can continue to enjoy his songs all our lives.
Thank you for the post. I too remember the day Aayiram Nilave Vaa first hit the airwaves. I agree – it is hard to pick one favourite song from such an accomplished artiste’s repertoire. Thanks to SPB for his gift of song. RIP.
What a repertoire! We are all so privileged to have had his voice to enjoy all these years!