Potpourri of tidbits about Tamil cinema - P. B. Srinivas

“My moustache won me enemies ….!”

Everyone would love him as much as they love his voice. He is so simple a person that anybody can meet him anytime. He always preferred the drive-in Woodlands restaurant for meeting people. He had a special spot there where he used to meet his fans. Now that the place has been taken back by the Tamil Nadu government’s agriculture department, he is meeting people at New Woodlands hotel at Mylapore. He has been allocated a separate place at the Krishna Cottage there. Who is the man so interesting and so people-friendly? It is the noted playback singer of yesteryears P. B. Srinivas.

Srinivas was born to Paneendraswamy – Seshagiriyamma on 22-9-1930. He has one younger brother and two younger sisters. His wife is Mallika. He has got four sons by names – Paneendar, Vijayaraghavan, Nandakishore and Rajagopal. He has a daughter too, Sangeetha. His grandchildren are all very attached to him, making him remain enthusiastic and encouraged. I know this wonderful person Srinivas for more than fifteen years. I had interviewed him on many occasions for different magazines and foreign television channels. People would approach me to get his consent for inviting him for functions. I would contact him through phone or in person. He would note down the date in his diary and would make all happy by his breezy presence at the function. He would write a poem about the person whom he admires, laminate it and give it to the concerned person as his gift.

He has sung songs in sixteen languages. Out of these, he knows to write, read and speak ten languages. He has written innumerable poems in different languages. He would always carry notes, papers, files and poems with him. But he would never allow anyone to touch them.

Excerpts from my interaction with P. B. Srinivas:

Q: Please tell us about your experiences of entering the music field …

A: My mother was a very good singer. She would discuss about the various ‘ragas’ even when she was just six years old. Being her son, I also understood all the ‘ragas’ at a tender age itself. I could repeat a song if I listened to it just once. When I completed my B. Com. I decided to try my luck in cinema as an actor and singer. My father didn’t approve of my plan and took me to an astrologer. The astrologer studied my horoscope and told us that according to my horoscope I had no connection with cinema and that there was no clue in my horoscope for the same. I became wild and challenged that I would belie his words. Eventually my father agreed to take me to Chennai.