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Voice defying age

P. Suseela is still a favourite singer for many music lovers, writes M. BALAGANESSIN

PHOTO: R. ASHOK

MELLIFLUOUS Captivating audience.

Seconds after she concluded a performance that lasted over three hours in the city recently, she was mobbed by a group of awe-struck listeners. There was an aged woman, a medical practitioner and even a little girl. And all of them were eager to get a closer look at the legend.

Object of adoration

Her mellifluous voice has just transported them to a different world. No, this is not any young modern day singer, but the inimitable P. Suseela who was the object of all the adoration. There was ample evidence that the singer of yesteryears still held sway among the masses.

It was no surprise that all of them had only question uppermost in their mind: How does she retain her sweet voice despite the advancing age? What is the secret behind the magnetic resonance? To all these, she had only one simple answer: "It is God's gift to me. I owe it to God."

There was no straightjacket to her voice. She could sing for anybody, any heroine. Nevertheless, she has been careful in ascertaining the situation of a song and the story of the film so as to modulate her voice and match the overall mood. Her songs for even supporting artistes could become hits, only due to the correct pitch and modulation of her voice. In fact, it is too hard for her to tell the number of songs she had sung in the past several decades in all South Indian languages.

Suseela sensed the love showered on her by men and women of different walks of life in the city. When informed that her performance had quenched the thirst of many of the citizens for melodious songs, she was quite happy to note, "Yes, you are true." She started singing at the age of nine and made her debut in films at 16 in 1951. What is unique about her is the influence she has been wielding over listeners for generations together. This is because of her capability to be in consonance with changing tastes of different music directors, irrespective of the generation.

Bridging the gap

She has been a bridge between generations of music directors. Some of whom she has worked with include the late A. M. Raja, the late G. Ramanathan, K. V. Mahadevan, Viswanathan - Ramamoorthy and Ilayaraja. "I have even worked with Yuvan Shankar Raja, Ilayaraja's son," she adds with a sense of pride. She deftly brushes aside a question on what difference does she find among the music directors, though she has fond recollections of the late G. Ramanathan.

Which are the ones dear to her among her own hits?

She immediately selects a few songs that brought her national acclaim. `Naalai indha velai paarthu' from `Uyarntha Manidhan', for instance, which brought her National Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1969. The runaway hits in `Pudiya Paravai' such as `Unnai Onru Kaetpaen,' and `Partha Gnabagam Illaiyo' also count among her favourites. She has to her credit several awards - including the Tamil Nadu State award, the Andhra Pradesh State award, the Kerala State award, life-time achiever awards from a galaxy of `sabhas' and organisations. What is her future project? "I have been singing for years. For me, music is everything. My future project is music, music and nothing else," she replies.

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