Award conferred on veteran singer

SPB praises violinist L. Vaidyanathan

Singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam was conferred the Lifetime Achievement award by Nandi Fine Arts and KAPRI, in association with the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan at an event titled ‘Violin maestro Kalaimamani L. Vaidyanathan – 75 – a celebration of his life and music’.

Addressing the audience, Mr. Balasubrahmanyam said that though he was not properly trained in Carnatic music, he had been singing for over 50 years and considered it to be a great blessing. “I am not a learned singer, but I learnt so much by travelling along with eminent people,” he said.

He said he had sung over 40,000 songs till date, but he was more concerned about the songs that pleased the audience than mere numbers.

The singer shared his memories of violin maestro L. Vaidyanathan and spoke in detail about his humility and spiritual inclination.

Earlier, speaking at the event, L. Ganesan, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, said: “In most countries, music is just a form of entertainment, but in India, it is closely entwined with devotion too.”

Singer Vani Jayaram, musician V. Rajkumar Bharathi and other eminent personalities took part in the event.