June 4 , 2009
Hyderabad

June 4th is one of the most treasured days in the history of Indian music. On this day, a beloved son of Goddess Saraswati descended into the Sripati Panditaradhyula household. The parents had no idea that they gave birth to a majestic VOICE that would go on to mesmerize music lovers for decades together. Eras have passed but the voice still reigns supreme. He is the first person who comes to our mind when we hear the words "song" or "singer". He is none other than PADMA SRI Dr. SP Balasubramanyam.

Blessed with a supremely rich and "once in a life time" kind of voice, Balu, as he is affectionately called by his fans, took playback singing to unimaginable heights and glory following the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor Ghantasala. His career started in 1966 with a movie called Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna. Since then there was no looking back for him. Awards, laurels and accolades religiously followed him wherever he strode. He became the first choice of every actor, producer and director across the south Indian film industry. Balu currently holds the Guinness record for the most number of song recordings for any male singer.

The reason for Balu’s phenomenal success is the commercial touch in his voice. When he sang for NTR, it seemed like NTR himself was singing – same was the case with ANR, Krishna, Sobhan Babu, Rajnikanth, Kamal Hassan, Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh or Salman Khan!!!. Surprisingly, when he sang for Allu Ramalingayya, people felt the same.

It is impossible even to fathom a thought that there will ever be a voice again of such expression, melody, beauty, quality and richness. Thank you sir for all those excellent songs that will remain embedded in our hearts forever.

Balu garu, wish you a very happy birthday. May god bless you with long life, good health and many more musical achievements.

Sreekanth Devarakonda
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