SP Balasubrahmanyam, the famous playback singer who sung over 40,000 songs in several languages in a career spanning 54 years, died on Friday at the age of 74 due to coronavirus complications. His loss has been mourned by film stars, politicians and sporting personalities all over India. His contribution to the film industry in a five-decade career has been path-breaking. But, did you also know that he was a savior to one of India’s finest sporting personalities in history?
Not many people know this, but SP Balasubrahmanyam was responsible for saving the chess career of five-time world champions Viswanathan Anand. It was during the 1983 Indian National Team Chess Championships and Anand was playing for the Madras Colts team. Unfortunately, the squad ran out of sponsorship money and their participation in the tournament was uncertain. However, SP Balasubrahmanyam…