Page 11 - NIS English December1-15
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Personality
M S Subbulakshmi
NIGHTINGALE OF
CARNATIC MUSIC
Mahatma Gandhi, who was spellbound when
he listened to her rendition of 'Vaishnava
Jana To...', once said that M S Subbulakshmi
while singing comes closer to the God and
the same happens to those who listen to
her. She was called the ‘Nightingale of
India’ by Sarojini Naidu and ‘Tapaswini’ by
Lata Mangeshkar. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali
Khan described her as ‘Suswaralakshmi
Subbulakshmi’. The country is paying its
tributes to this accomplished singer on her
16th death anniversary on December 11... BORN: 16 September, 1916 DIED: 11 December, 2004
orn on September 16, 1916, Madurai voice, hard work, exacting discipline, character,
Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi was humility and willingness to learn from everyone,
Bknown to her family as Kunjamma. An made her a soloist at the age of 17.
epitome of grace, she remained an unsurpassed Not just a singer par excellence, she was also
phenomenon in Carnatic music for several a great actor who donned the roles of Meerabai
decades. Affectionately referred to as MS and Shakunthala on the silver screen. The first
Amma, she captivated hearts of billions, not only musician to be awarded Bharat Ratna in 1998,
in Tamil Nadu, but also in India and the entire the country’s highest civilian honour. She lent her
world. voice to various compositions. The Government
She delved deep into the soul of music and released a commemorative coin in the memory
brought forth treasures from there, not only to of Subbulakshmi on the occasion of her birth
pundits or the elite but also to the common man centenary.
of the country. Her many famous renditions of Music was surely her life but she contributed
bhajans include chanting of Bhaja Govindam, for the independence of the country along with
Vishnu Sahasranamam (1000 names of Lord her husband and a certain amount of her income
Vishnu), Hari Tuma Haro and the Venkateswara from music was donated to Kasturba Gandhi
Suprabhatam (musical hymns to awaken Lord Memorial Trust. She was also the first Indian
Balaji early in the morning). Kishori Amonkar musician to have performed at the United Nations
used to call her eighth note of the music. General Assembly and the first Indian musician
The singing genius gave her first solo to be conferred with the Ramon Magsaysay
performance at the age of 8 and her first album award for public service in 1974. Apart from the
was released at the age of 10. As a girl of 10, at UN, she performed at the Edinburg International
Centre of South Indian Culture, Madurai, she Festival and for Queen Elizabeth-II at the Royal
began accompanying her celebrated mother's Albert Hall, London. She mostly sang in Tamil,
singing and veena playing. An enchanting Telugu, Kannada and Meera Bhajans in Hindi.
New India Samachar 9
