S P Balasubrahmanyam hugged him, now his songs embrace visually impaired Mathimaran

It was the ever-melodious songs of S P Balasubrahmanyam that always soothed Mathimaran Mahendran’s soul immediately after he lost his vision during an explosion in Sri Lanka and thereafter. And Mathimaran is now singing the same songs to come out of the grief that SPB’s death has caused.

Mathimaran is no ordinary fan of SPB as he had the “good fortune” of hearing the legend sing exclusively for him during a visit to Kuala Lumpur in 2019. A video of SPB “surprising” Mathimaran by singing into his ear, hugging him, and telling him that “nothing gives me more happiness than keeping you happy” went viral on social media after the singer’s death last month.

“I never cried even when I lost my vision. But I am inconsolable after SPB’s death. It was devastating to hear that the voice that soothed all my pain for over two decades has gone silent suddenly. I keep singing his songs every day to get out of the grief,” Mathimaran said, singing a few verses from Vannam Konda Vennilave from 'Sigaram', the 1991 musical drama featuring SPB in the lead role.

Speaking to Deccan Herald from Kuala Lumpur, Mathimaran went down the memory lane, narrating his “surprise meeting” with SPB and the “humane” touch the singer had ingrained in him.

“His voice always connected our souls and for me, SPB was more than a singer. He was a healer, his voice healed my wounds, gave me the confidence to face life despite odds, and achieve my goal,” an emotional Mathimaran, who is settled in Malaysia, said.

“And now, when I am finding it difficult to overcome his loss, it is his songs and his voice that have come to my rescue. I want to sing my favourite songs on SPB and record it as a tribute to the man whose voice inspired and made me what I am today,” the 48-year-old said.

About the “unforgettable meeting” with SPB in 2019, Mathimaran said he had no idea that the singer would meet him personally and even sing for him when organisers of a concert, Raaghav Productions, asked him to come to a hotel.

“They asked me to talk about my love for the legend and I began speaking in the hope that at least the video message will reach him. I started singing Chinna pura ondru and suddenly I heard someone singing so close to me. And that moment, I had butterflies in my stomach. The voice that calmed me for years was singing for me and me alone,” Mathimaran said.

“I did not know I was going to meet SPB Sir. The organisers wanted to give me a surprise and what stood out during the meeting is the legend’s humility. He sang Anjali anjali pushpanjali and asked me to sing along with him. He hugged me and wished me well. Not just his songs, SPB had the warmth in him that drew people instantly to him,” he added.

After losing vision in both eyes, Mathimaran moved to Malaysia and was associated with the Malaysian Association for Blind (MAB) till 2002 and graduated in law. Despite odds, the Sri Lankan Tamil pursued his dream and is now teaching contract law at a private institute in Malaysia, even as he is mulling to do farming back home.