I think it was in 2013 that I first got roped into playing with him on stage. It was a momentous occasion for me, as this was the “Voice of God” that we had all grown up with. His was the voice that accompanied our attempts at our first courtships, our balm during stormy weather and the anchor for our lives. To imagine that I was going to perform on stage with him was making me giddy.
Events so transpired that he could not be present physically for the rehearsal before the show and decided instead to call me, without warning, on the phone – and sing to me as I played him the notes and sequences in accompaniment. To this date, it is perhaps one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. To have the great SP Balasubramanyam sing only to me, in preparation for a concert.
To millions around the globe who have grown up with South Indian cinema or music, he needs…