The 35th death anniversary of the legendary M S Baburaj passed by largely unnoticed on Monday, but for P Susheela Devi, a singer who had the privilege of working with him, it was an occasion for recollecting her association with this extraordinary music director.
‘’I used to listen to all his songs, but I had not met him. The Hindustani style songs always made me think of him as a tall, young, handsome man who resembled some Hindi actor. But on the day of our first meeting at Bharani studio, it was hard for me to convince myself that such a humble being can generate magical rhythms which still resonate in the minds of many,’’ Susheela Devi, who is the younger sister of Bichu Thirumala, recalled.
Susheela Devi, who is into her sixties now, leads a retired life at Thirumala. She sang five songs in all for Baburaj, but two of them were fated to remain unheard by the public as the films never came out. ‘’I vaguely remember the lines of those two songs. One began, ‘’Orikkal koodi...’’ and the other ‘’Anjalibhaddhayaayi....I don’t remember the names of the films, though,’’ said.
Her first song for Baburaj was the fourth in her career; ‘Mookkilla rajyathae…’ for the movie ‘Sambhavami Yuge Yuge.’ This was followed by other songs from the movies ‘Swarna Malsyam’ (‘Njattuvela kaaruneengiya...’) and ‘Panimudakku’ (‘Vijayadashami vidarumee...’).
Most music lovers in the city adore the much-celebrated Baburaj songs sung by S Janaki or P Susheela, but they seldom recollect the songs of Susheela Devi, who never vied for recognition or fame. She has served as a teacher in various music colleges and departments for the past four decades and taught music to many generations of playback singers, including K S Chitra, B Arundhathi, Bhavana Radhakrishanan, Srinivas and Krishnachandran.
Susheela Devi cherishes the moment when Baburaj praised her talents as a singer. ‘’During the initial stage of my career, all of us in the family, including my brother Bichu Thirumala, shifted to Chennai. One day, we decided to invite Baburaj for lunch. After lunch, we all spent time together and he made me sing. After listening to the songs, he expressed his anxiety at me not getting identified in the industry as a mainstream singer. It brought tears to my eyes,’’ she said. She was in her twenties at the time.
Baburaj died in 1978, aged 57. Susheela Devi feels that his death was too sudden and considers it a personal loss. ‘’I don’t say he forgot to earn but he forgot to save for himself and his family. He never argued over payments. His innocence was a tool for others to exploit him. Alcoholism was another menace which ruined his life,’’ she recalls.
Thyroid problems put a pause on her singing career during the late 1990s, but Susheela Devi is now regaining her position as a singer. This year, she sang at the Onam celebrations in the capital, and hopes to make a comeback to active singing.