As soon as Srinivas started singing Kishore Kumar-RD Burman’s evergreen song ‘Musafir Hoon Yaaron…’. Introduction (1972), there was an atmosphere of joy among the people gathered at Sri Moolam Club in Thiruvananthapuram. Srinivas was there not as one of the lead playback singers but as a member of the Bluebirds, one of the oldest orchestras in Thiruvananthapuram. Around them, more than a dozen orchestra members stood or sat cherishing their reunion after nearly four decades.

The occasion was the wedding of the daughter of orchestra guitarist R Sudeep Kumar. “Sudeep insisted that we all should attend, so I came especially for the ceremony. This union is long overdue,” says Srinivas. After the wedding, the orchestra played classic film songs and ghazals, much to the delight of the crowd, many of whom had heard them live.

What makes the Bluebirds stand out is that many of its members made their mark in the entertainment industry. Notable personalities among them are filmmaker TK Rajeev Kumar and singers G Venugopal, G Sriram and B Arundhati. “KS Chitra’s elder sister KS Beena has been our lead singer. Chitra, who was a young girl at that time, also performed on a few occasions,” says Rajiv Kumar, percussionist of the orchestra.

Then there were guest artistes including Sushila Devi, Mohan Sithara and Murali Sithara, recalls C Gopalakrishnan, who played harmonium and keyboard.

The Bluebirds originated from the Kerala University Youth Festival. “You could say it was born from the hangover of the Youth Festival!” Rajeev says no while Shriram agrees. All the members attended Model Boys High School and Government Arts College around the same time, where they did Pre-Degree (now renamed Plus Two). The Bluebirds were formed during 1978–79. Although some members moved to different colleges, especially University College, or changed courses, the group remained intact.

“It was Rajeev’s idea to form an orchestra because we had both singers and instrumentalists among us,” says renowned photographer Balan Madhavan, who sometimes played percussion. Rajiv explains, “It just happened. What made us different was that we were a group of youth festival winners in different disciplines. The orchestra was started suddenly for entertainment, but over time it became sophisticated. I got this idea because of the singers we had like Srinivas, Venu [G Venugopal]Balagopalan Thampi, Sriram, Beena and Arundhati. “It looked like they would go on to make a name for themselves, and some of them eventually did.”

Around the same time, Rajiv formed a pioneering mimicry troupe Super Mimics with Sriram, Gopalakrishnan and Balan of the Bluebirds as well as GR Nandakumar, now an experienced dubbing artiste. “We used to book Bluebirds and Super Mimics shows together,” says Balan.

The Bluebirds will perform at college union inaugurations, temple festivals and public events in and around Thiruvananthapuram. “But we never performed for a living. “We enjoyed performing and being together,” says Sriram, adding that he often sings “comedy” songs.

Srinivas calls this group a group of mad youth. “We didn’t know what we were doing with our lives. We all had dreams, that’s all. But The Bluebirds was probably the most important thing that happened in my life,” he says.

However, his fan following was huge. He remembers how Balagopalan Thampi had drawn huge crowds. “He was our Yesudas [KJ Yesudas]Especially in his all-white outfit and beard,” says Balan. When the group came together again at Sri Moolam Club, he once again became the star as he enthralled the gathering with P Jayachandran’s song ‘Onnini Sruthi Thazathi’. “Mizhiyoram and Oru Mukham were the audience’s favorites at that time. And Srinivas was our Kishore Kumar,” says Balagopalan.

Some members of the Bluebirds Orchestra Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Rajeev recalls that there was strong opposition from Venugopal and Srinivas’s families when he became a part of the orchestra. “In their eyes, they were neglecting their studies at the expense of music,” he says.

The presence of Bina and Arundhati, former students of Government College for Women, made this meeting even more special. “I was not in touch with most of them. “The wedding revived the relationship and it was good to meet them all again,” says Arundhati. Other members present at the gathering were Ravikumar, Joy Sebastian, Dilip Kumar, Ajith Kumar and Jadadeven Namboothiri.

The Bluebirds Orchestra was active only until 1984–85, after which it became inactive as the members became busy with their careers and personal lives. “The orchestra was active for barely four or five years. But this was something special. Hopefully, we can all meet again,” Venugopal concluded.