We lost the most humble singer: S. Janaki on Srinivas

Veteran playback singer S. Janaki remembers P.B. Srinivas as a "humble singer" who always appreciated the work of his colleagues.

P.B. Srinivas, fondly known as PBS, passed away here Sunday following brief illness at his residence. He was 82.

"We have lost the most humble singer I have ever come across in my life. He was so humble that he spent most of his time appreciating the work of fellow singers. He would even take time to write poems praising their work," Janaki, who sang several chartbusters with him over the years, told IANS.

"He was known for his simplicity and very welcoming attitude. Even when he was at the pinnacle of his career, he never grew greedy of his position and always respected fellow artists," she added.

Janaki and PBS have crooned together memorable hits such as "Raja muddu Raja", "Thenangkeetru", "Indha Mandrathil" and "Podhigai Malai".

"My first song in Tamil 'Magadhal naattu Mary' was with PBSji. We sang so many duets together. I can't exactly remember how many songs, but most of them were quite popular," she said.

PBS started singing at the age of 22 and debuted with Hindi film "Mr. Sampath", in which he sang the duet "Aji hum Bharat ki naari" with Geetha Dutt.

In a career spanning over four decades, he approximately sang over 3000 songs across all southern languages and Hindi.

Some of his best numbers are from his collaboration with Tamil actor Gemini Ganeshan and then Kannada superstar Rajkumar.

His best hits include "Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham", "Mayakkama Kalakkama", "Poga Poga Theriyum", "Yaar Yaar Avar Yaaro" and "Neeli Kannula Needala Lona". He last sang for the Tamil film "Ayirathil Oruvan" in 2010.

The singer's body will be cremated Monday.