Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi was perhaps the most charismatic and popular Carnatic musician we have known. She has captured the popular imagination like no other and was the face of classical music for both the masses and critics for over 6 decades. Dr. M.S. Subbalakshmi was one of the most popular as well as most admired vocalists in the field of Carnatic music. She was the first musician to receive the Bharat Ratna and also the first woman recipient of the title `Sangeetha Kalanidhi` (1968).
M.S. Subbalakshmi was born in the temple town of Madurai on September 16th, 1916, to noted veena player mother Shanmukhavadivu and father; a music lover was lawyer by profession. Her Grandmother Akkammal was a violinist. Since she
was born into a musical family, Subbulakshmi developed an interest in music from a very tender age only. At the young age she was called Kunchamma. Her mother used to play and rehearse constantly and Kunchamma used to listen and hum ragas along with the Veena and the Nadaswaram recitals frequently heard from the temple. M S Subbulakshmi married Sadasivam, a freedom fighter, in the year 1940. He was well known figure in the Madras Congress circle, at Thiruneermalai. They had met four years earlier and he became instrumental in the continued success of her already flourishing career with his wide connections in the journalistic and political world. The couple did not have their own children. However, Subbulakshmi gave all her motherly love to Sadasivam`s children from his previous marriage. Sadasivam, her husband and inspiration died in 1997. And after his death, M S Subbulakshmi stopped giving public performances.
The great singer suffered serious illness in the last days of her life. She was experiencing major complications connected with pneumonia and cardiac abnormalities and passed away on 11th December 2004. She passed away at the age of 88 leaving behind her large repertoire of classical, bhajan and film recordings.
Her first Guru was Madurai Srinivasa Iyengar but her lessons could not last long as her guru passed away soon after she finished her foundations. But she kept practicing on her own for long hours and having a musician mother helped a lot. She did her formal schooling only till class 5th and music became the world for her. Her dedication and hours of continuous practice, made her to become perfect in the pitch whether high or low with a fantastic range of voice. As a child, when she practiced she would stop playing the tambura in between to check whether she is maintaining the pitch with and without it. Little Kunchamma accompanied her mother in local concerts and later gave solo performances. She also learned Hindustani music from Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas for a short while. In the 1930`s she learned `khayals` and `thumris` from Dwijenderlal Roy in Calcutta and later from Siddheshwari Devi of Benares and bhajans and Rabindra Sangeet from Dilipkumar Roy, she incorporates bhajans in almost all her concerts.
She was the wonder child of Madurai at one time. Her first recording was at the age of ten. She has recorded a couple of songs `Marakat vadivu` and `Oothukuzhiyinile` in an impossibly high pitch for HMV in Madras. In 1934, in her debut at the Madras Music Academy she was noticed and applauded by top rank musicians like Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Tiger Varadachariar, Karaikudi Sambavisa Iyer and the likes. Subbulakshmi made her debut at the Madras Music Academy when she was only seventeen years old. Then onwards started her journey as one of the most successful singers of the country. She performed in numerous languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Sanskrit and Kannada. M S Subbalakshmi also entered the field of acting and performed in a number of movies. People still remember her for the role of Bhakta Meera in the movie `Meera`. However, after the movie, Subbulakshmi quit acting and concentrated fully on concert music.
She has by now given concerts all over the world like the ones at Edinburgh festival and at the United Nations General assembly, Carnegie Hall as the inaugural concert at the festival of India in London in 1982 and `Festival of India` in Moscow (1987). Subbulakshmi became India`s cultural ambassador and traveled to places like London, New York, Canada, the Far East, etc.
Her divine voice has earned acclaim from big and famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru, Maharana of Udaipur etc as well as top rank musicians both in the Carnatic and Hindustani sphere in the country. Subbalakshmi has been the recipient of the highest awards and honors the nation could bestow upon an artist. She has been the recipient of significant international recognition too. She has earned doctorates from famed universities. In 1998, she was the first musician to receive the highest civilian award `Bharat Ratna` from the President of India. Padma Bhushan (1954), Padma Vibhushan (1975), Ramon Magsaysay award (1974), kalidasa Samman Award (1988), Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration (1990) are some of the major awards she has received. She has also been honored as the court-singer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
Dr. M.S. Subbalakshmi has got every award a musician in India can get ... from "Isai Vani" in 1940 to Bharath Rathna in 1998.The world of fame and adoration of thousands of fans, has left Subbalakhsmi untouched. She remains the simple, neat, devout, down to earth person she always was and having a genuine interest in others.
