Betting : Neither a Crime nor a Sin : Review of song "Kana Kanum" by SPB

“A bet of 3 Rupees”

In my childhood, this was a usual dialogue in my friends circle. Actually the betting value is fixed as we knew the cost of a Ghee polished Roast+2 katori of Sambhar at the popular restaurant ‘Parthasaradhi’ of my temple city Thiruvanaikoval. Now, I can’t get even a single chaaya for that 3 rupees in Delhi, may be I will get a matti or half-a-piece of oil-bathed Bread pakora, Vying with our traditional Banana Bajji. Even for that half piece, I have to request a credit of 50 paise to the shop-owner lambuji. (‘Paachas, paachas paise choduke, abhi paachas rupya uudhar ho gaya’-lambuji) So, at that time we didn’t consider Betting as a gambling (neither a crime nor a sin), as it costs you only 3 rupees. But it’s not a matter of 3 rupees, the topic does matter always. We used to debate many things varies from childish (who will win if were a fight between Rajni and Brucelee) to prodigious (for cini songs which raga is the best Kalyani or Keeravani). For 3 rupees, we debated in all over matters, kamal, Amala, Rajeev Gandhi and even sometimes beetovan vs Raaja. To cut short, if you assure me, not disclosing to BCCI, I’ll reveal you that we, our friends are the unofficial pioneer of cricket match-fixing.


I can say you, betting is not a bed of roses, it’s a battle actually, it requires some luck and subterfuge acts. For me, luck is always an alien, why I’m saying like this is because, if I have luck then Sunny Gavaskar (Gabaskar, at that time) would not getting bowled by a mediocre English bowler named Defrities, and I would have taste the Parthasaradhi’s Ghee Roast. But I can proudly say, subterfuge is my cup of tea, hence I won many betting battles, because of my strength of stratagem. Here, what you need is to fix the solution, and do the bid, say for instance, based on now-a-days scenario, I will start a betting Sachin Vs Lara, who is the best batsman. But don’t think, our betting always ends with a win or loss, apart these two, there are some Fuzzy solutions too, and still some unanswered discussions, one such is “who is the apt singer for actor sivakumar? KJ Jesudas or SP Bala?”

Sivakumar is a talented artist, well utilized by the Director KB. May be sivakumar was eclipsed by some ‘James-Bond’ heroes, but I can say, he is very much versatile artist, and at that time people used to call him as “Sivaji of Poor director” what my generation did it for Mohan against kamal. To all of you aware, sivakumar is a wonderful modern artist, and his potent voice is the pick of all. People wont believe you, if you say Sivakumar is of 60 plus. In sivakumar’s film, SPB or KJJ used to lend their voices for him. If KJJ leads in the songs like “Nee Powrnami” and “kalaivaniye”, then SPB in “Kanne Unnai Thedugiren” and “Then Sindude Vaanam”. In those days, some of the SPB songs were given to KJJ, and vice versa, most of them were in Sivakumar’s films, as “Unnidam Mayangugiren” supposed to sing by SPB, and “Illansolai” supposed to KJJ. You can say, both the voices of SPB and KJJ are pertinent playback to actor sivakumar. I like all the songs sung by SPB for sivakumar, but the song “Kanakanum” from Agni Satchi directed by KB is my favorite of all. Take the prefix of Sivaji, and suffix of Kamal, the best actor of Tamizh film Industry is Sivakumar, I reckon.

SPB rendered many songs for Sivakumar and many styles like melody, jazz, tappankuutthu, voice change, semi classical, R-N-R and many to list. In an Interview (thanks to ambalam.com) Sivakumar’s son Surya, a 16-feet leaping kid told “I happened to see many singers in orchestra singing the song ‘vaa pon mayile’ song from Poondalir, but they cant able to produce the intensity of Balu uncle, who sang this song with great effort, actually its our family’s privilege that Balu uncle sang for my father and for me”. This is what SPB’s strength. SPB does always not singing for the actor sivakumar, but for Sivakumar’s character in that particular film. I was just two, when the movie ‘Roosapoo Ravikaikari’ was released, otherwise I will get a Ghee Roast by starting and winning a bet of “who sang the ‘maaman oru naal’ song?”

In 1982, SPB was in a peak (ippa mattum enna) and so much popular in north India also, because of the box office hit “Ek Dujee Ke liye”. SPB always gives an extra effort to KB’s songs, who will forget, “kadavul amaithu vaitha” and “Engaium Eppodum”. KB always prefers SPB and gives maximum of Songs to him, it continues till now, as KB gave two splendid songs to SPB in his new movie “Poi”. I always like SPB-KB compo, and if “Theerodum Annadha” Song from Noolveli is my bed time lullaby, then “Unnal Mudium Thambi’ is my career changed curve song. SPB never fails KB’s faith, hence gives extra effort to KB’s songs, and in Duet movie Inaugural function, KB interviewed to the media “Balu is my son”. This particular song “Kanakanum” from Agni satchi is an all-time hit, and no need to say the SPB’s performance in this. One can simply correlate actor sivakumar’s actions with SPB’s articulation. The whole song I like as said earlier, but especially SPB’s punch in the lines “Kumari Uruvam, Kuzhandai Ullam”, whenever I listen to this lines from SPB’s mouth(the honey pot) a youth in me, becomes kid to SPB and closes its eyes in the crooning cradle. To add the superlatives of this song, Vaali also helped. Don’t worry, if you not yet watch the movie ‘agni satchi’, just listens this song, its all enough. I don’t have that much of musical knowledge or privilege to praise the composer, but if one asks me who is the best at violin jazz, I will bed and bid his name.


Even these days, me and some of my friends use to play bedding (thanks to mobile technology), may be those unanswered debates of my childhood took new Visages and versions. Even last month, my friend, a big fan of KJ Jesudas rang me and started a bid, “Nee Powrnami’ sung by my KJJ for sivakumar Vs Kaananakanum Kangal sung by your SPB for sivakumar, my bid is on KJJ, can you go for SPB’s horse, Shall we bed??”

I replied him “In Nee Powrnami song, the highlights are KJJ’s potent pouring of alapana, his pronunciation of Nee Powrnami in the starting, and his voice culture”, by seeing my friend’s self-righteous smile, I continued, “In Kanakanum Kangal song one will feel the actor sivakumar’s voice and character”. My friend laughed, “Balu you got defeated, send me the betting rupees”. But I denied, tell me friend how come I? My friend is not at all ready to accept my statement, atleast can you friends?

Tell me friends, what is the success of singing and a singer?? Shall we bed??

I can see the Cost-board of Parathasaradhi hotel via my VRML Vision,

“A bet of 15 rupees“