Living in the times of MS
This is the 100th year or Centenary year of legendary classical singer, MS Subbulakshmi. Mumbai’s Shanmukhananda Hall had a grand celebration of this life for one whole week, with the hall decorated and lit up, members being treated to food and a volley of some of the best in Carnatic music performing. For most Tamilians, not a single day begins with MS’s Vishnu Sahasranamam or other devotional songs reverberating through the entire house. Her voice and rendition is considered to be pious, almost like performing a Pooja when she sings a bhajan or shloka.
Her radiance and look of divinity conveyed showed what her soul really looked like. She seemed to be an embodiment of everything that she sang. She won the Padma Bhushan title at as young an age as 38 years – this is pretty young especially in the field of music. And of course she is the recipient of the Bharat Ratna too!
Although Subbulakshmi’s list of fans include many eminent personalities from all over the world,the most prominent among them,however,was Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru,the first and the most distinguished prime minister of India. It was from him that she received the best compliment of her life when Panditji,after listening to her singing the famous bhajan “Vaishnav Janato Tene Kahiye” penned by the legendary fifteenth century Gujarati poet Narsing Mehta,said “Who am I,a mere prime minister before you,the queen of music..”.
She was honoured as a resident artist [Asthana Vidhwan] of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). The Kancheepuram Saree shade known as MS Blue was named after her. A commemorative postage stamp on her was issued on 18-December-2005.
Despite all these honours and accolades she remained a truly humble human being, living in a rented house till her last days. Most of the prize moneys she donated to charity. She has given more than 200 charity concerts and raised well over Rs. 10,000,000. She made a 20-minute recording of Venkatesa Suprabhatam for HMV, the royalty from which goes to the Veda Patasala run by the TTD.
Truly, MS is once in a lifetime and we are fortunate to have lived during her times.