Thousands of followers of famed singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam will be overjoyed on Tuesday when his son S.P.B. Charan, who is also an actor, producer, and musician, accepts the Padma Vibhushan, one of the country’s highest honours, on behalf of his late father at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

From the Chennai airport, Charan told IANS that this was a “surreal moment” for him as he was on his way to New Delhi to participate in the prestigious event on Tuesday.

“We are grateful to the government of India for having honoured dad with this award. This actually feels surreal. We expected this to happen when dad was around. It’s a moment of mixed emotion for us,” Charan said and pointed out that the last time they had gone to the Rashtrapati Bhavan was to collect the Padma Bhushan award.

Balasubrahmanyam, a six-time National Award winner who has sung over 40,000 songs, is a legend whose extraordinary achievements in the world of singing and music are unrivalled. His dulcet tones have won him millions of fans from all walks of life and across cultures, languages, and countries. Balasubrahmanyam, the genius that he was, received numerous prizes, including 25 Nandi Awards from the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam died on September 25, 2020, due to complications from the novel coronavirus.

Balasubrahmanyam was awarded the Padma Vibhushan (Posthumous) by the Indian government earlier this year.

SPB Charan, who is also a fantastic singer, claims that since his father’s death, there has been a surge in interest in him.

Because life must go on, the youthful producer and singer has taken over as presenter of ‘Padutha Theeyaga,’ an ETV singing reality show that was formerly hosted by the great SPB for 19 years.