THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘Ninakkayi Thozhi Punarjanikkam, iniyum janmangal onnu cheraam”....
( I can take a rebirth for you, my beloved, If there are more lives, we can reunite).
These beautiful lines from the first superhit Malayalam album ‘Ninakai’ marked the arrival of composer Balabhaskar during the late 90s. For many, these romantic verses defined their youth. And, it wasn’t just coincidence that Balabhaskar’s compositions appealed die-hard romantics then. Because very few celebrated love like the musician himself.
An inspiring voice
For music lovers all over, Balabhaskar’s untimely demise has left a huge void. For them, Balu Chettan was not just a great musician, but a great human being as well. Rarely did one see him with a gloomy face. Like his music, his demeanour and attitude were always inspiring.
Balabhaskar’s contributions in making violin a popular musical instrument among the youth are immense. Though his career began as a music composer, what made him popular was his electrifying performance on stage shows. His attempt at fusion and medleys enthralled the audience, prompting many to take to the instrument. Several youngsters, including violinist Sabareeesh and Vivekanandan, followed his style in live shows.
Balabhaskar was also keen on launching a music band while doing his graduation at University College, Thiruvananthapuram. The band ‘Confusion ‘ along with musician Ishaan Dev and others, was perhaps the first fusion band formed by college goers in the state. Balabhaskar soon turned a household name, thanks to the music pop albums that were aired in various channels.
From ‘Ninakkayi Thozhi’ from East Coast Vijayan’s album to ‘No no tension vension’, ‘pyar chahtha hoon mein yaar nazar dekhi’ to ‘kottum mazhai saral’, he churned out hits after hits. Balabhaskar soon started focusing on stage shows with music legends like Mandolin maestro U Srinivas, Hariharan and Veena exponent Rajhesh Vaidhya.
“ Balu chettan’s medley number fusing A R Rahman’s ‘Kadhal Rojavee’ and Ilayaraaja’s ‘Thumbi vaa thumba kudathil’ was the first item which made budding musicians like me follow his footsteps,” says Arun Kumar, a city-based percussionist who had a deep bonding with Balabhaskar.
G Sreeram, playback singer and a family friend of Balabhaskar says, “Balu had the magical ability to strike a chord with the audience. Whenever he performed on stage, it was for the audience. If the audience were college students, he would play peppy music. An artist should be like that”.
For Job Kurian, Balabhaskar was a legend who groomed the singer in him. “ I met him during a reality show. He was one of the judges and he groomed me to become a good musician. I strongly believed he would recover. It is very unfortunate,” says Job.
Violinist Sabareesh says Balabhaskar popularised violin by performing in live stage shows. “Balu chettan was my inspiration, However, I was very keen that my style would not clash with Balu chettan’s. His demise is a huge loss to the industry,” says Sabareesh.