M.S.SUBBULAKSHMI
(SEPT 16-1916 – DEC 11-2004)
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi started her career by singing in temples and later went on to become one of the best known artistes in the field of Carnatic music during her lifetime, enthralling audiences all around the globe.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Born as Kunjamma on September 16, 1916 in Madurai to a family of musicians namely Shanmukavadiver ammal(reputed veena player) and Subramaniya Iyer (stage performer),she was introduced to carnatic music at a very young age. Her grandmom Akkammal was also a renowned violinist. As a child, she happened to have had numerous conversations with famous musicians of the likes of Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Subbarama Bhagavathar. Such converstions further enhanced her fascination towards music.
EDUCATION
She began training under her watchful mother and then learnt some fine nuances of the art under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. She learnt and mastered Hindustani classical music under the famous vocalist Pandit Narayanarao Vyas. Her first recording was released when she was 10 years old.
STAGE PERFORMER
Her debut public performance took place at the eminent Rockfort temple , Trichy in 1927. Two years later, she performed at the prestigious Madras Music Academy. The critics and the audience was left awestruck by the performance of the 13 year old prodigy who sang bhajans with enormous grace and fluency. By the time she turned 17,she was a major attraction in all of her concerts and was an absolute treat to music loving ears.
A DATE WITH CINEMA
In 1936, she moved to Madras and forayed into the cinema industry. She starred in the commercially and critically acclaimed movie, Sevasadanam in 1938. She married T.Sadasivam , a senior executive of the tamil weekly ‘Anandha vikatan’ in 1940. She was nationally recognized for her wonderful performance in the movie “Meera” (in which she had sung too).That movie also marked the end of her film career and she wholly concentrated in music thereafter.
FAMOUS WORKS AND CONCERTS
Some of her imperishable works include
Venkateshwara Suprabhatam
Bhaja Govindam
Vishnu sahasranama
Kurai ondrum illai
Hanuman chalisa
Vaishnava jana to
Her perfect diction and flawless singing would mesmerise and bring tears to the eyes of anyone who listens to it. No wonder her elite list of fans included the greats like M.K.Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru , Sarojini Naidu, Lata Mangeshkar. Nehru claimed her to be the “Queen of Music”, while Ghulam Ali defined her the “Goddess of perfect note”.
In 1963, she was invited to sing in the esteemed Edinburgh international festival of music in Scotland. It was followed by consequent concerts in the global arena like Carnegie hall Newyork [on account of UN(United Nations) day in 1966] , Royal Albert hall London (1982) and Moscow (1987).
AWARDS
Smt.M.S.Subbulakshmi was a recipient of innumerable awards and honours.
She became the proud recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy award in 1956, Ramon Magsaysay award in 1974 and Sangeetha Kalasikhamani in 1975.
Sangeetha Kalanidhi considered the most prestigious in Carnatic music was bagged by her in 1968.
The Madhya Pradesh government honored her with the “Kalidas Samman” in 1988.
She bagged Indira Gandhi award in 1990 for her efforts in national integration.
She was the first musician to be honored with India’s highest civilian award “Bharat Ratna” in 1998.
She was honoured as a resident artist (asthana vidhwan) of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.
LEGACY
A commemorative stamp was issued by United Nations to mark her birth centenary. A type of Kancheepuram saree shade was named after her. A bronze statue of her was installed in 2005 by the chief minister of Andhrapradesh at
Tirupati.
She was truly a God sent messenger who pushed the boundaries of Carnatic music to a wider arena. She remains a cult figure and an inspiration for the younger generation who wish to master the craft. Let her soulful voice continue to live on and mesmerise forever!!
