Classical music in general and Carnatic music in particular, have only a niche following. This is true of most things classical—be it literature, poetry or music. Kalidasa or Keats would definitely appeal to a different kind of audience than say, Sidney Sheldon or Arthur Hailey. This is not to decry the latter but to emphasize the difference in the genre and style of writing and thereby, their followers. Anything classical necessarily presumes a higher level of sensitivity and finesse in understanding and aesthetics.
Indian classical music requires a very evolved sense of listening for one to appreciate it. Carnatic music is doubly rich in terms of melody and lyrics. The ideals expressed are deeply philosophical, religious and emotional. It requires rigorous training on the part of the artist to learn, practice and present this with its multifarious hues.
The melody and rhythm combine in a heady manner to transport you to the greatest heights imaginable. Many people are inhibited in their listening because they fear language as a barrier. But absolute music transcends all these barriers and can appeal to just about anyone with an open mind and an ear for music.
In this context, to make a mark worldwide as a classical singer is indeed a mammoth task.
We are talking about the phenomenon that is M.S.SUBBULAKSHMI.
MS – as she is popularly known—has ruled the musical world for over five decades, with her melody, talent and charm. She has captured the imagination of generations of music lovers. She has been a trailblazer. Undaunted by the male dominated music society of her times, she took the music world by storm and the rest is history.
Born on September 16, 1916 to Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Ammal and Subramania Iyer, MS showed promise of her talent from a very young age.
Her mother was already a well known musician. Her maternal grandmother Akkammal was a talented violinist. MS started training in vocal and veena playing. Endowed with a captivating, quicksilver laden voice, she could reproduce any nuance with amazing clarity. MS cut her first record for HMV at the age of 10! It was a 78 rpm record with ‘maragathavadivu’ on the top side and ‘oothikuzhiyile’ a snake charmer song on the other side.
Shanmukhavadivu Ammal realized her daughter’s exceptional talents and shifted to Chennai (then Madras) to launch MS on her own. MS started accompanying her mother in concerts from the age of 13. She gave her first performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy at the age of 17. The young and beautiful MS captured the hearts of the Chennaiites and soon had a major cult following. With a charming face framed with curly hair, she soon became a ‘star’.
MS starred in four movies, giving an added dimension to her personality.
‘Seva Sadan’—the movie was based on the story of a deserted wife.
‘Shakuntalai’ – she plays the tragic heroine of the same name. G.N. Balasubramaniam (GNB), another trailblazer of his times costarred with her as Dushyanta. It was a major success, with the music being truly sterling quality with MS and GNB as singers! At that point, there was no dichotomy between classical music and film music. The songs were all in classical ragas and rendered faithfully, as such. The on screen chemistry between the stars was amazing and left many a viewer star struck and dreamy eyed!
‘Savitri’—in this movie MS is Narada who commutes between Heaven and earth.
‘Meera’ – it was in this role that the masses totally identified with her. Her absolute devotion in her concerts, her stress on bhakti soaked compositions and her very presence on stage, made people think of her as a real life Meera. Later in life, MS did bring reality to this image with her rendition of bhajans, slokas and devotional hymns. Added to this is the truth that MS gave almost all her earnings from music to charitable causes.
Later, she acted in the hindi version of Meera and her songs captured the hearts of the entire nation.
MS Subbulakshmi’s marriage to T.Sadasivam in 1940, a veteran nationalist was a major turning point in her life. Sadasivam—whom she later thanked in her speech at the Music academy, when the title of Sangita Kalanidhi was conferred on her—was her “ friend, philosopher and guide”. The fact that MS belonged to the Devadasi clan did not deter this young idealist from marrying her and taking up a career as architect of MS’s musical journey. He gave up his job as the advertising manager of Ananda Vikatan, a leading tamil magazine. Later, with the earnings from ‘Savitri’, Sadasivam and R.Krishnamurthy started the magazine Kalki.
Rajaji was a friend of Sadasivam and through him, MS became known to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.
Sadasivam guided and moulded her music and concerts to perfection. MS’s concerts are always recalled by listeners as being thoroughly rehearsed and flawless—“like a white sheet—blemishless”. A perfectionist, MS always took great pains to ensure right pronunciation of the words, the accent and specific emphasis for proper understanding of the lyrics. Her voice has the unique appeal of being totally bhava laden—which entices the listeners and make them vibe with her on a very elevated plane. Her voice clings to the Sruti like a limpet. Even as a young girl, MS would put off the drone( tambura) sing for a few minutes and then get back the drone to see if she could maintain perfect pitch!
By the 1950s, MS was a household name and a rage. Aspiring vocalists would dress up like her, with her characteristic bindis and attempt to emulate her singing. A colour -MS ‘blue’ became famous in kanjeevaram silk sarees. She was the biggest crowd puller and the number of concerts she has sung for charitable causes is innumerable. Such causes were close to both husband and wife’s hearts.
They gave unflinchingly to charity. Later, under the influence of the Paramcharya of the Kanchi mutt, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, this attitude got enhanced and all the earnings from her concerts and even commercial recordings went towards notable causes.
Laurels and honours came looking for MS. She was among the earliest to receive the Padma Bhushan in 1954, before many other stalwarts. The Ramon Magsaysay Award (1974), the Padma Vibhushan(1975) the Bharat Ratna (2000) the highest national civilian honour, have been notable achievements in her lifetime. She had the honour of singing at the United Nations Day celebrations in October 1966. In 1968, she was the first woman to be honoured with the title of Sangita Kalanidhi by the Madras Music Academy. She was elected a fellow of the Sangeet Natak Academy in 1974.
MS has been awarded honorary Doctorates from the Rabindra Bharati University, Sri Venkateswara University and the Delhi University.
MS has popularized a number of songs, Suprabhatams and slokas. Her rendition of Annamacharya songs is evidence of her commitment to values and earnest efforts towards preserving our rich heritage for posterity. Her rendition of ‘Vaishnava Janato’
was a favourite of Bapuji. Jawaharlal Nehru was so taken up with her singing that he reportedly said, “Who am I, a mere Prime Minister before you, the queen of song?”
MS has always maintained a very low profile, content to let her husband do the talking for her. It has also been a life of sacrifice, where she brought up Sadasivam’s children as hers and did not have any of her own. She has ever come across as the committed mother and wife, happy and contented. She has seldom been the center of any controversy, noteworthy for someone of her eminence and stature.
She has carried her fame very naturally on her dignified shoulders. She has always stood as the epitome of charm and feminine grace, a smiling figure dressed traditionally in Kanjeevarams and diamond studs and nose rings that seem to shimmer more with her musical virtuosity.
It is inspiring to see the great heights that talent and determination can achieve. One can cherish one’s aims in life with dedication and single mindedness. To MS, music is life. Can such dedication fail to bring harmony in life?
There are many aspiring musicians to whom MS is a ‘manasika’ guru, a role model. Her humility in the midst of such enormous talent and recognition is to be emulated. At a time when the music field was dominated by male stalwarts, she came… she saw… and she conquered. The rest, as they say, is history.
