Venkat Raman
Auckland, October 8, 2020
At Freemans Bay Community Centre, Auckland on October 30, 2020 (7 pm)
A group of artistes led by the son of legendary singer Malaysia Vasudevan will pay tribute to Guinness entrant S P Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) at a free music concert to be held from 7 pm at Freemans Bay Community Centre (52 Hepburn Street) in Auckland City.
The event, called, ‘Anjali Pushpanjali,’ put together by Yugendran Vasudevan through his Rambutan Media Works, will feature a selection collection of singles, duets and group songs rendered by SPB in his fifty-year singing career and a resplendent career which ended with his death on September 25, 2020.
Yugendran considers himself extremely fortunate to have been sired by a famous singer who was a close associate and family friend of SPB.
“Our families have known each other for more than five decades. Because of border closure following the outbreak of Covid-19, I could not attend the funeral of uncle. I was very disturbed by his passing and prayed with my family for the departed soul to rest in peace,” he said.
Yugendran said that as a tribute to the late SPB and to celebrating his life, he and his team of singers are organising the music concert on October 30, 2020.
“We would like all music lovers in general and followers of SPB in particular to attend this show and hence entry is free. Among the singers would be Ravi Muthu Manickam, Ashwathy (First Runner-Up of Tamil Karaoke Star 2019), Shankar, Sarfudheen, Bobby, Jereth Abdeen, will render some of the most popular numbers including ‘Sundari Kannal,’ ‘Kadhalin Dheepam Ondru,’ ‘Mandram Vantha Thendralukku,’ ‘Nilave Vaa,’ ‘Sangeetha Megham’ and ‘Pani Vizhum Malar Vanam.’ ‘Anjali Pushpanjali’ will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube.
YouTube: www.youtube.com/yugendranvasudevan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SingerYugendranVasudevan
Yugendran Vasudevan
About Rambutan Media Works
Rambutan Media Works has been functioning as an accredited company in Singapore for the past eleven years and established its presence in Auckland two years ago as ‘Rambutan Media Works New Zealand Limited.’
Mr Yugendran said that the Company plans to produce films in New Zealand in collaboration with local production houses.
“Rambutan Media Works New Zealand is conducting this event to reach out to the wider Indian community living in New Zealand and Australia,” he said.
Among the supporters of this Project are Kabeer Mohamed (Brightlane), Ilango Krishnamoorthy (New Zealand Hindu Temple Society Inc), Suresh Ramadoss (Harcourts), L D Kumar (Papadums) and Media Partner Indian Newslink.
About Yugendran Vasudevan
Yugendran Vasudevan has hundreds of songs to his credit in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam and has experience as a Music Director and Programme Host.
Yugendran performed at the launch of ‘Swarna Oli’ a Radio Station in Sri Lanka in 1999, where he met his wife, Hayma Malini, a popular RJ host.
“Rambutan Media Works New Zealand Limited will be conducting another International music composers contest soon. We will be collaborating with a popular record label in India,” Mr Yugendran said.
About S P Balasubrahmanyam
SPB was an artiste par excellence, and with more than 40,000 songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and many other languages, he has a place of pre-eminence in the Guinness Book of Records.
He recorded 21 songs in Kannada in 12 hours on a single day (February 8, 1981), for composer Upendra Kumar; later, he recorded 19 songs in Tamil and 16 songs in Hindi, both in a day on separate occasions.
More, he has a place of permanence in the hearts of millions of men and women across the globe, with the credit for having moved them to rock in rhapsody or cry in sympathy or sorrow. Such is the power of his voice that he evokes emotions of humankind in tune with the vicissitudes.
One of the little known facts is that ‘Balu,’ as he is affectionately called in the industry, was the leader of a light music group in the late 1960s, in which Ilayaraja, who was to become a musical legend later, his older and younger brothers Bhaksar and Gangai Amaran were instrumentalists.
Unique playback artiste
SP was perhaps one of the luckiest in the South Indian film industry to have lent his voice to the legendary M G Ramachandran for Adimai Penn (1969).
Several films in the four major South Indian languages (another record) followed but it was in 1979 when Sankarabharanam, one of the greatest movies of all times was released that singer SP arrived. It was said in those days that anyone who did not cry listening to his songs in the film, had either no sense of music or a heart of compassion.
Even as his prowess was being proved, producer-director K Balachander insisted on music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal to have him sing for Kamala Hasan in Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981). The rise of the artiste in the Hindi film industry thereafter was tempered by his selective approach.
There are hundreds of Hindi film songs that have catapulted him and the concerned films to fame but among the notables in my view are Maine Pyar Kiya, Andaz Apna, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Junoon.
Awards and Citations
In 2001, the Indian government honoured him with the ‘Padma Sri’ award for his contribution to music and followed with Padma Bhushan in 2011. He is also a recipient of a number of national and state awards given by public and private organisations and the Andhra Pradesh government.
Many other governments and associations around the world with awards and citations in his career that spanned 54 years.
Programme in Auckland
New Zealanders were fortunate to listen to the lilting voice of SP at a programme held in Auckland on February 23, 2008 at Logan Campbell Centre. He was accompanied by his sister S P Sailaja and other popular singers Gopika Purnima and Mallikharjuna Rao and a 12-piece orchestra.
The then Prime Minister Helen Clark was the Chief Guest at the Programme, promoted by Indian Newslink and Radio Tarana. While we have promoted hundreds of events over the year, this musical evening remains fresh in our memory.
