BHARAT RATNA DR MS SUBBULAKSHMI
(16 Sep 1916 - 11 Dec 2004)
MS born in Madurai to an Iyer father
Mother grandmother veena violin player.
From young age MS exposed to Carnatic music
At age four she started singing in public.
At age eleven she gave her first public concert at Rockfort Trichy
Mysore Chowdaiah accompanied her on violin that day.
MS learnt Carnatic and Hindustani music under stalwarts
She developed expertise in singing in all languages.
Madras Music Academy went out of the way
Invited MS aged thirteen to sing bhajans anyway.
She was admired by enthusiasts many
She was declared a singing prodigy.
She moved to Madras for more opportunities
She also acted in a few tamil movies.
She performed in London Edinburgh New York Moscow Canada
Also at the UN General Assembly on UN day.
She formed a trinity with MLV and DK Pattammal
She was considered a musical genius real.
HMV recorded Venkatesha Suprabatham Annamacharya kritis
Also songs of Tyagaraja Purandara and others.
She recorded for HMV several other hymns
Most popular are Bhaja Govindam Vishnu Sahasranamam.
She was a regular invitee to Madras Music Academy concerts
And Bengaluru Sree Rama Seva Mandali programs.
She donated to Tirupati temple all due royalties
And lived simple life only on interests from deposits.
Nehru called her Queen of music
Sarojini Naidu called her Nightingale
Lata Mangeshkar called her Tapaswini
Ustad called her Suswaralakshmi
Kishori Amonkar called her Aatwa Sur.
She was given Padma awards
Sangeet Natak Academy Award
Raman Magsaysay Award
Several other accolades
And finally Bharat Ratna too.
After her husband's death, she stopped giving performances
She died at Chennai of old age complications at eighty eigh
t years.
(This is a tribute in her hundred tenth year)