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Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (Tamil: ம鏁ரர ச迍믁கவ羿வ 毁ꯍꯁல翍毁ம, Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi ? 16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004), also known as M.S., was a renowned Carnatic vocalist.

She was the first musician ever to be awarded the , 's highest civilian honour.[1] She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, often considered Asia's Nobel Prize,[2] in 1974 with the citation reading "Exacting purists acknowledge Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the leading exponent of classical and semi- classical songs in the Karnataka tradition of South India."[3][4] Contents

• 1 Biography o 1.1 Early years o 1.2 Move to Madras • 2 Musical style and performance o 2.1 Singing career o 2.2 Films • 3 Awards and honours • 4 References • 5 Further reading • 6 External links Biography

Early years

Subbulakshmi (Kunjamma to her family) was born in Madurai, Madras Presidency, India to player Shanmukavadiver Ammal and Subramania Iyer. Her grandmother Akkammal was a violinist.

She started learning at an early age and trained in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and subsequently in Hindustani music under Narayanrao Vyas.

Her mother, from the devadasi community, was a music exponent and a regular stage performer, and Subbulakshmi grew up in an environment very conducive to musical learning. Her musical interests were also shaped by regular interactions with Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhagavathar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.[5]

Subbulakshmi gave her first public performance, at the age of eleven, in the year 1927, in the 100 pillar hall inside the Rockfort Temple, Tiruchirappalli; with Mysore on the violin and Dakshinamurthy Pillai on the .[6] Move to Madras

In 1936 Subbulakshmi moved to Madras (now Chennai).[7] She also made her film debut in Sevasadan in 1938.[8] Musical style and performance

M.S. Subbulakshmi (left) with S. Varalakshmi in Sevasadhanam (1938)

Singing career

M.S. Subbulakshmi began her Carnatic classical music training under her mother Shanmugavadivu; and later in Hindustani classical training under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas. Subbulakshmi first recording was released when she was 10 years old.

Subbulakshmi gave her first performance at the prestigious in 1929,when she was 13 years old . The performance consisted of singing (Hindu hymns).[9] The academy was known for its discriminating selection process, and they broke tradition by inviting a young girl as a key performer. Her performance was described as spellbinding and earned her many admirers and the moniker of musical genius from critics. Soon after her debut performances, Subbulakshmi became one of the leading Carnatic vocalists.[7][10]

By the age of seventeen, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy.

She travelled to , New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India's cultural ambassador. Her concerts at

• Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama in 1963 • Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966 • , London in 1982 • Festival of India in Moscow in 1987

were significant landmarks in her career.[11] In 1969 she was accompanied by Indian Railways Advisor SN Venkata Rao to Rameshwaram, where she famously sang several songs in front of each idol in the Rameshwaram temple.

After the death of her husband Kalki Sadasivam in 1997, she stopped all her public performances.

Films

M.S. also acted in a few Tamil films in her youth. Her first movie Sevasadanam was released on 2 May 1938. F.G. Natesa Iyer was the lead actor, opposite Subbulakshmi, in this film, directed by K. Subramanyam. It was a critical and commercial success.[12] Ananda Vikatan favourably reviewed the film on 8 May 1938:

We should always expect somethings from Subramaniam's direction – for “ instance depiction of social ills.. If we have to say only two words about this talkie based on Premchand's story it is – Go see (it).[13] ”

Sevasadanam is one of the early Tamil films to be set in a contemporary social setting and to advocate reformist social policies. The film is an adapted version of Premchand's novel Bazaar-e-Husn. The veteran Marxist leader N. Sankaraiah, has described Sevasadanam as an "unusual film" for choosing the subject of marriages between young girls and old men (which had social sanction). According to him, the film successfully broughout the "sufferings of the girl" (acted by M.S.) and the "mental agony of the aged husband".(acted by F.G.Natesa Iyer).Tamil film critic and historian Aranthai Narayanan observes in his bookThamizh Cinemavin Kathai (The Story of ) that "Seva Sadhanam proved a turning point in the history of Tamil cinema. In the climax, the aged husband, now a totally changed man, was shown as casting aside with utter contempt his 'sacred thread', which symbolises his Brahmin superiority. It came as a stunning blow to the then Brahmin orthodoxy."[14]

MS Subbulakshmi also played the male role of Narada in "Savitri" (1941) to raise money for launching Kalki, her husband's nationalist Tamil weekly. Her title role of the Rajasthani saint-poetess Meera in the eponymous 1945 film gave her national prominence. This movie was re-made in in 1947.

Languag Co- Year Film Role Director Music Banner e Star F. G. K. Madras Sevasadana Papanasam 1938 Tamil Sumathi Natesa Subramanya United Artists m Sivan Iyer m Corporation 1941 Savithiri Tamil Saint Y. V. Y. V. Rao Thuraiyur Royal Talkie Narada Rao, Rajagopala Distributors Languag Co- Year Film Role Director Music Banner e Star Sarma & Shanta Kamaldas Apte Gupta Chittor S. V. Meeraba V. Ellis R. Chandraprabh 1945 Meera Tamil Venkatrama i Nagaia Dungan a Cinetone n h S. V. Meeraba Ellis R. Chandraprabh 1947 Meerabai Hindi Venkatrama i Dungan a Cinetone n Awards and honours

Pandit had this to say about M.S. Subbulakshmi- "Who am I, a mere Prime Minister before a Queen, a Queen of Music". While called her Tapaswini (the Renunciate), Ustad termed her Suswaralakshmi (the goddess of the perfect note), and labelled her the ultimate eighth note or Aathuvaan Sur, which is above the seven notes basic to all music. The great national leader and poet Sarojini Naidu called her "Nightingale of India". Her many famous renditions of bhajans include the chanting of Bhaja Govindam, Vishnu sahasranama (1000 names of Vishnu), Hari Tuma Haro and the Venkateswara Suprabhatam (musical hymns to awaken Lord Balaji early in the morning).

She was widely honoured, praised and awarded. Some of the more popular ones include[15]

• in 1954 • Akademi Award in 1956 • Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968 (literally, Treasure Chest of Music. She was the first woman recipient of the title) • Ramon Magsaysay award (often considered Asia's Nobel Prize) in 1974 • in 1975 • Sangeetha Kalasikhamani in 1975 by The Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai • in 1988 • Award for National Integration in 1990 • Bharat Ratna in 1998.

She was honoured as a resident artist [Asthana Vidhwan] of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.[16] Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has installed a bronze statue of M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Poornakumbham circle in the temple town. It was unveiled by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on 28 May 2006.[17] The Kancheepuram Saree shade known as MS Blue was named after her[18] by the well known Congress party member and philanthropist, Sri Muthu Chettiyar when they met at the residence of Sri R. Aiyadurai and Smt. Thangam Aiyadurai at Lady Desikachari Road, Madras, who were close friends of MS and Sadasivam.

A commemorative postage stamp on her was issued on 18-December-2005.[19]

She was bestowed with enormous prize moneys with these awards, most of which she donated to charity. She has given more than 200 charity concerts and raised well over Rs. 10,000,000. She was awarded honorary degrees from several Universities. She was an ardent devotee of Kanchi Mahaswamigal and she rendered his composition Maithreem Bhajatha (O World! Cultivate peace) in her concert at the UN in 1966. She made a 20- minute recording of Venkatesa Suprabhatam for HMV, the royalty from which goes to the Veda Patasala run by the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam.[20] She donated many of the royalties on several best sold records to many charity organisations. References

1. "M S Subbulakshmi: 'Nightingale' of Carnatic music". Rediff (India). 12 December 2004. 2. Clare Arthurs (25 July 2000). "Activists share 'Asian Nobel Prize'". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2008. 3. "Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation". Rmaf.org.ph. Retrieved 22 September 2013. 4. The Ramon Magsaysay awards, Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, 1982, p. 141 5. Srivastava, Gauri (2006). Women role models: some eminent women of contemporary India. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 55–57. ISBN 978-81- 8069-336-6. OCLC 74991412. 6. SRUTI magazine cover story on F.G.Natesa Iyer, page 25, issue number 330,March 2012 7. "M.S. subbulakshmi passes away, aged 88". . 12 December 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2009. 8. "M. S. Subbulakshmi (1916–2004)" (PDF). National Resource Center for Women, . Retrieved 19 October 2009. 9. "Popular Indian classical singer M.S. Subbulakshmi dead". Pakistan Times. 13 December 2004. Retrieved 16 October 2009. 10. Murthi, R. K. Encyclopedia of Bharat Ratnas. Pitambar Publishing. pp. 176–179. ISBN 978-81-209-1307-3. 11. K.S. Mahadevan. "M.S.SUBBULAKSHMI – A DIVINE MAESTRO". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved 6 January 2012. 12. "The stamp of honour". The Hindu. Hinduonnet.com. 10 July 2000. Retrieved 22 September 2013. 13. Arandhai Narayanan (2008). Arambakala Tamil Cinema (1931–41) (in Tamil). Chennai: Vijaya Publications. p. 26. 14. "Vishwanathan S. "A progressive film maker; Tribute to K.Subramanian, Volume 21 – Issue 14, Jul. 03 – 16, 2004 of Frontline magazine ,(brought out by Hindu publications), Chennai, Tamilnadu". Frontlineonnet.com. Retrieved 22 September 2013. 15. "MS Subbulakshmi's music is relevant even today". IBN Live (India). 16 September 2011. 16. "Humility personified". The Hindu (India). 17 December 2004. 17. "Statue of M.S. unveiled at Tirupati". The Hindu (Tirupati, India). 29 May 2006. 18. "The lure of the Kanchi silk". The Hindu (India). 5 November 2004. 19. "Stamps – 2005". Department of Posts, Indian government. Retrieved 2 August 2013. 20. "Pages ago – Singing for Bapu, Jawaharlal and Paramacharya". The Hindu (India). 22 December 2010. Further reading

• M.S. Subbulaksmi, the Voice Divine (79 pages) by V. Gangadhar. • MS – A Life in Music, T. J. S. George. 2004, HarperCollins. ISBN 978-81-7223- 527-7 • Gowri Ramnarayan (18–31 Dec 2004), "Cover Story: The M.S. phenomenon", Frontline 21 (26) • MS & Radha – Saga of Steadfast Devotion – by Gowri Ramnarayan – http://www.msstribute.org/

M.S Subbulakshmi M.S Subbulakshmi is a name that is synonymous with the world of Carnatic music. This flawless singer whose voice had a divine power is the first singer in India to be presented with the Bharat Ratna, the highest award given to any civilian. Born on 16th September, 1916 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, this singer had a family that had a musical background. Her full name was Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi and she was fondly known as M.S or M.S.S. Her mother tongue was . Read the life history of M S Subbalakshmi in this short biography.

M.S was introduced to Carnatic music at a very early age. She released her first album at the mere age of 10! She received training in classical carnatic music under the famous Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and then learnt Hindustani classical music under Pundit Narayan Rao Vyas. M.S gave her first public performance at Kumbakonam during Mahamaham festival. Then M.S went to the Madras Music Academy and gave a stunning performance at the age of 17. Apart from her mother tongue Kannada, M.S sang in Tamil, , Telugu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Gujarati, etc. M.S also did her stint as an actress and one of the most memorable films was Bhakta Meera (1945). The versatile singer sang all famous Meera bhajans in her melodious voice and these bhajans are enjoyed by people even today. Her other films include Sevasadanam, Savitri and Meera (Tamil). She attained much acclaim and success in films, but they did not appeal to her after some time. She quit films and continued to give public performances and concerts.

In the year 1936, she met Sadasivam who was a freedom fighter. They both got married after four years in 1940. Sadasivam already had children from his last marriage and did not have any further children with M.S. She treated his kids like they were her own and showered them with love and affection. She was affectionately called "Amu Paati" by the kids Radha, Viji and Thangam (Sadasivam's orphaned niece adopted by M.S).

M S Subbulakshmi has performed in London (Royal Albert Hall), New York (Carnegie Hall), Canada, Far East, Moscow, etc. These performances are regarded among her best performances. She was applauded by not just Indians, but foreigners as well. People who did not even understand the language she was singing in said that she is a divine manifestation. Her fan list included Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, among other elite people. Mahatma Gandhi commented that he would rather hear Subbulakshmi speak the songs rather than hear someone else sing it.

Some of her most famous works include Suprabhatam (Early Morning Hymns), Bhajagovindam (composed by Adi Shankaracharya praising Lord Krishna), Kurai Onrum Illai (composed by Rajagopalachari), Vishnu Sahasranamam (1000 names of Lord Vishnu), (Prayers to Lord Hanuman), etc. Any ardent fan of Carnatic classical music is sure to have all these and much more works of M.S Subbulakshmi. Another moving composition is the song Vaishnava Janato that can bring tears to anybody. The way she sang, her devotion, her tone, her pitch, her perfect pronunciation is inimitable and flawless. She has been a recipient of innumerable awards. This great soul passed away on 11th December 2004 in Chennai at the age of 88. The rich legacy of music that she gave us will live forever. MS Subbulakshmi Biography

Born: September 16, 1916 Died: December 11, 2004 Achievements: Famous for rendering devotional songs; called as Nightingale of India; recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Ramon Magsaysay Award, and Bharat Ratna

MS Subbulakshmi was a legendary Carnatic musician. She was popularly known as Nightingale of India. Her rendering of bhajans (devotional songs) was divine and used to enthrall and transfix listeners, and transport them into a different world

MS Subbulakshmi (Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi) was born as Kunjamma in the temple city of Madurai on September 16, 1916. She was born into a family of musicians. Her grandmother Akkammal played the violin and her mother was a veena artist.

MS Subbulakshmi started learning Carnatic music from a very early age. She made her debut as a singer at the age of eight and went on to perform in concerts, a domain traditionally reserved for males. She began her Carnatic classical music training under Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and then Hindustani classical training under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas.

By the age of 17, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy, the prestigious center for the study and promotion of Carnatic music. In 1940, she married T. Sadasivam, a freedom fighter, and a follower of Rajaji. He played a key role in advancing her career.

She also acted in a few Tamil films in her youth. Her first movie "Sevasadanam" was released in 1938. MS Subbulakshmi also played the male role of Narada in "Savitri" (1941) to raise money for launching Kalki, her husband's nationalist Tamil weekly. Her title role of the Rajasthani saint-poetess Meera in the eponymous film (1945) gave her national prominence. This movie was re-made in Hindi in 1947. The movie had M.S Subbulakshmi. sing the famous Meera bhajans, with Dilipkumar Roy as the music director. Those renditions by M.S. continue to haunt listeners to this day. Following the success of the film she quit films and turned wholly to concert music.

MS Subbulakshmi traveled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India's cultural ambassador. Her concerts at Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966; the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982; and at the Festival of India in Moscow in 1987 were significant landmarks in her career.

MS Subbulakshmi received many honours and awards. These include Padma Bhushan in 1954, Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968 (She was the first woman recipient of the title), Ramon Magsaysay award in 1974, the Padma Vibhushan in 1975, the Kalidasa Samman in 1988, the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990, and the Bharat Ratna in 1998. She was also honored as the court-singer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

After the death of her husband Sadasivam in 1997, MS Subbulakshmi stopped all her public performances. She had no children. MS Subbulakshmi died on December 11, 2004 after a brief illness. Musicians • Ustad • Ustad • • MS Subbulakshmi • Shankar • Shiv Kumar Sharma • • Ananda Shankar • AR Rahman • Beghum Akhtar • Pandit Debu Chaudhuri • Sri Lalgudi Jayarama Iyer • L. Subramaniam • Muthuswami Dikshitar • RD Burman • Swathi Thirunal • Miyan Tansen • Tyagaraja • • • • Indian Entrepreneurs • Painters • Musicians • NRI Entrepreneurs • Writers • Leaders • Scientists •