Nea ly
six
yea s
afte
the
passi g
of
lege da y
si ge
S.P.
Balasub ahma yam
(SPB),
memo ies
of
his
wa mth,
f ie dship
a d
ext ao di a y
musical
jou ey
co ti ue
to
touch
millio s.
Ove
the
yea s,
seve al
people
who
wo ked
closely
with
him
have
sha ed
emotio al
sto ies,
but
music
di ecto
Ga gai
Ama a
has
ow
evealed
o e
of
the
most
hea tb eaki g
mome ts
f om
the
si ge ‘s
fi al
days.
Speaki g
i
a
ece t
i te view,
he
ecalled
his
last
co ve satio s
with
SPB
a d
disclosed
the
wish
the
lege da y
si ge
ca ied
while
u de goi g
t eatme t
i
hospital.
SPB
wa ted
to
see
Ilaiya aaja,
eveals
Ga gai
Ama a
Recalli g
SPB’s
fi al
days
i
a
chat
with
I dia
Exp ess,
Ga gai
Ama a
said
the
si ge
eve
expected
his
hospital
visit
to
become
his
last
jou ey.
“Whe
he
was
admitted
to
the
hospital,
I
called
him.
He
told
me,
‘I’m
o ly
goi g
fo
a
check-up.
I’ll
be
back
i
fou
days.
You
ca
come
a d
meet
me
afte
that.
Do ‘t
come
to
the
hospital
ow,'”
Ga gai
Ama a
ecalled.
As
SPB’s
health
wo se ed,
he
was
able
to
speak
to
him
o ly
th ough
a
video
call.
“Whe
I
saw
him
with
tubes
attached
to
his
ose,
I
told
him,
‘You
a e
the
ma
who
always
wo e
headpho es
to
si g.
B eak
those
tubes
a d
th ow
them
away.’
It
was
ve y
pai ful
to
see
him
like
that,”
he
said.
Ga gai
Ama a
the
evealed,
“Du i g
those
fi al
mome ts,
he
had
o e
wish.
He
eally
wa ted
to
see
Ilaiya aaja.”
A
f ie dship
that
we t
beyo d
music
Ga gai
Ama a
explai ed
that
SPB
a d
Ilaiya aaja
sha ed
a
f ie dship
that
bega
lo g
befo e
they
became
lege ds
i
I dia
ci ema.
They
t avelled
togethe
fo
stage
shows
du i g
thei
ea ly
yea s
a d
emai ed
close
th oughout
thei
ca ee s.
SPB
we t
o
to
become
the
voice
fo
i ume able
u fo gettable
so gs
composed
by
Ilaiya aaja
a d
ma y
othe
top
music
di ecto s.
Thei
elatio ship
was
mo e
tha
just
about
music,
but
yea s
of
espect
a d
pe so al
ega d.
Ga gai
Ama a ’s
emotio al
evelatio
has
o ce
agai
emi ded
fa s
about
the
close
f ie dship
that
the
two
ico s
sha ed
beyo d
the
eco di g
studio.
SPB’s
musical
legacy
co ti ues
to
i spi e
ge e atio s
S.P.
Balasub ahma yam
sta ted
his
ca ee
i
Telugu
ci ema
befo e
maki g
his
debut
as
a
Tamil
playback
si ge
i
‘Aayi am
Nilave
Vaa’
f om
‘Adimai
Pe ‘
(1969),
sta i g
M.G.
Ramacha d a .
I
the
ext
five
decades,
he
sa g
thousa ds
of
so gs
i
a
umbe
of
I dia
la guages
a d
le t
his
voice
to
ge e atio s
of
leadi g
acto s
i cludi g
Raji ika th,
Kamal
Haasa ,
Chi a jeevi
a d
ma y
othe s.
His
wo k
with
Ilaiya aaja
still
emai s
some
of
the
most
celeb ated
i
I dia
film
music.
SPB
died
o
Septembe
25,
2020
but
his
eve g ee
so gs
a d
the
memo ies
sha ed
by
his
ea est
a d
dea est
keep
his
legacy
alive
i
the
hea ts
of
music
love s.