Sometimes, it does take a jolt for us to understand how powerless humankind and scientific advances are when confronted with the inexorable force of nature, time and fate.
From the 5th of August 2020, millions of Indians,
especially those belonging to the southern part of the country prayed with all
the piety for the recovery of one man who had enthralled them for more than
five decades.
But, nature chose to respect its self-made rules, brushed aside
the collective will of millions to put an end to one of the most illustrious lives
in Indian cinema – that of Sri SP Balasubrahmanyam garu (the Sri and Garu are out of respect).
If the English word legend were a person, it would feel embellished
if SPB were called a legend.
Most Indians who are exposed to a heavily North-West Indian focused,
hyperbole obsessed, glamour seeking media might not have realized what kind of
a colossus Sri SPB garu was.
When Sri SPB started his film career in 1966 , Mrs Indira Gandhi
was India’s Prime Minister, Bangladesh was still East Pakistan, India had not won
a test series abroad.
In the years that passed- Emergency, the rise of new regional parties (Telugu Desam),
the ODI world cup win, Mrs Gandhis’s and Rajiv Gandhi’s unfortunate assassination,
the watershed reforms of 1991, rise of Indian IT and Middle class, the rise of
Mr Modi, Demonetization, revoking of
article 370 took centerstage at various points in time. The country was
constantly evolving.
But, there was one constant.
The mellifluous voice that wafted through the air in
millions of homes as they listened to their favourite songs – whether it was
from the gramophone records in the late 60’s or through streaming music channels today.
Sri SPB Garu sang over 40000 songs in a career spanning 54
years. That means, on an average 2 songs everyday for 54 straight years. As if
this were easy, he sang songs in 16 different languages, the primary ones being
Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam. Simplified, this means in two days, 4
songs, each in a different language!!!!
In cricketing terms, it is like playing in Perth in the morning, Lords in the afternoon, Johannesburg the next morning and Mumbai the next afternoon and still be good enough everywhere. AND, do this for 50 plus years!
Of course, each song sung with effortless ease. Be it the
legendary NTR and ANR in Telugu cinema or superstars like Kamal Haasan or
Rajini in Tamil cinema, we never felt that someone was dubbing for them due to
Sri SPB Garu’s incredible voice modulating capability.
By belting out memorable classical songs in the Telugu
classic Sankarabharanam, he demonstrated that even the lack of classical training
could not be a handicap in his remarkable journey.
No singer – be it Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi, Sonu Nigam or
the current favourite Arijit Singh has an oeuvre (the body of work) anywhere
close this.
For someone who has accomplished so much, arrogance would
have become a natural ally. But, Sri SPB garu was different.
Greatness sat lightly on an him and he never treated it as a
burden. His brilliant career was never
carried in the form of medals and epaulettes to be displayed and showcased.
Despite being in the entertainment industry which is notorious
for its indiscipline, corruption, promiscuity, one-upmanship and sleaze, like
the proverbial lotus in the muddy pond, Sri SPBs career was blemish-less and spotless.
Always humble, always smiling, always helpful, he showed
that true greatness transcends time, language, culture and even the environment
around you.
While there might be another Mohammed Rafi or a Kishore Kumar
tomorrow, it is difficult to imagine another SPB Garu – such were the
commanding heights he reached.
It is a matter of great pride to every Telugu that their own
Sri SPB Garu has carved out a corner in millions of music lovers across the
globe – whatever be the language they speak.
