P. B. Sreenivas

Biography:

Prathivadhi Bhayankara Sreenivas, widely known as P. B. S., was born on September 22, 1928, in Kakinada, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India. He belonged to a Telugu-speaking Vaishnava Brahmin family with a civil servant father, Prathivadhi Bhayankara Phanindraswamy, and a musically inclined mother, Seshagiriamma.

Despite his father’s wish for him to become a government officer, Sreenivas pursued his passion for music. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree and later passed the Hindi Visharad from the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha.

Sreenivas’s musical journey began at the age of 12 when his uncle, Kidambi Krishnaswamy, a drama artist and singer, provided him with an opportunity to sing in a drama. His introduction to the professional music scene occurred at Gemini Studios in Madras, where he impressed S. S. Vasan, the studio owner, with his rendition of the song “Huye Hum Jinke Liye Barbad” from the movie Deedar (1951).

Throughout his career, P. B. S. garnered several awards, including the Kannada Rajyotsava Prashasti, the Tamil Kalaimamani Award, and the Madhavapeddi Satyam Award by the Andhra Siva Foundation.

In honor of his contributions to music and cinema, the Sri Kala Sudha Telugu Association of Chennai instituted the P. B. Sreenivas Mahapurush Award for veteran singers. A biography titled “Madhurya Saarvabhowma Dr. P. B. Srinivas-Naadayogiya Sunaadayaana” was released on May 7, 2013.

P. B. Sreenivas, a versatile artist who excelled as a playback singer, composer, harmonium player, lyricist, littérateur, and poet, passed away on April 14, 2013. His legacy lives on through his timeless melodies in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Bollywood, and he continues to be remembered as a stalwart in the Indian music industry.