Bichu Thirumala’s evocative lyrics always struck a chord with listeners
The Hindu
The late lyricist was one of the most prolific and versatile wordsmith in Malayalam music, writing film songs, devotionals and theatre songs
Bichu Thirumala (B Sivasankaran Nair) never wanted to be a lyricist. His heart was in writing stories, acting and directing plays. The graduate in Economics found a good job but the pull of theatre and everything associated with it was too strong to resist. He moved to Chennai, then called Madras.
When I met Bichu for the first time, he was undergoing rejuvenation therapy at an Ayurveda hospital in Kochi after he had survived a near-fatal fall from the terrace. The details of that lengthy conversation about his career are recorded but the lasting impression is of the man — unpretentious and accessible, so much like his songs.
When Bichu wrote a few lines in rhyme and meter as a gift to his sister (singer P Susheela Devi) on her wedding, he “never thought this would turn into my vocation,” Bichu said with a smile. But then life comes up with such strange things, Bichu added. “It is like riding a huge wave that takes one to great heights and brings you down. You just have to go with the wave. All you need to do was to be prepared for this swing,” Bichu added.
The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the State government to file its statement of objections on an application filed by Bangalore Turf Club Ltd. (BTC), challenging the June 6 orders passed by the government in rejecting the BTC’s applications seeking permission to conduct on-course horse races and betting during the June-August season.