• 1 Songs

Sabu was born on January 25, 1965, in Vadakkan Paravur (referred to as Thekkan Paravur in the text), as the eldest of two children born to Velayudhan and Mani. Mini is his younger sister. He entered the field of art during his school years. He completed his schooling at Patel Memorial School, Vadakkan Paravur, and SNDP School, Udayamperoor. Recognizing his artistic talent, Viswambharan sir, a teacher at the nearby Ernakulam SRV Government School, took the initiative to enroll him in Kalabhavan. Encouraged also by his maternal uncle, N. N. Viswambharan, he joined Kalabhavan in 1975 to learn singing while studying in the sixth grade. Starting in 1986, he began singing in Kalabhavan’s musical concerts (ganamela), performing alongside Lekha R. Nair. That was a period when famous singers like Williams Thomas and Alappuzha Ramachandran used to sing. From 1986 onwards, mimicry parades also became a part of the musical shows. Actor Jayaram, Prasad, Rahman, Narayanan Kutty, and Sainudeen were members of this team. Subsequently, sponsored by Tanuf Cargo in Dubai, Kalabhavan’s ganamela-mimicry parade show toured extensively across the Gulf. Sabu and singer Alice were the only vocalists in the team led by Father Abel. They performed Hindi and Tamil songs themselves. When the tour became a massive hit, they visited the Gulf again the following year. Following these Gulf tours, Kalabhavan gained immense popularity in Kerala as well.