Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Subbulakshmi (Kunjamma to her family) was born in Madurai, the then Madras Presidency, to veena player Shanmukavadivu Ammal and Subramania Iyer. Her grandmother Akkammal was a violinist.  

Her father, a lawyer by profession, was a music lover. Her mother, from the devadasi community, was a music exponent and a stage performer. Hence, Subbulakshmi grew up in an environment that encouraged musical learning.  She started learning Carnatic music at an early age but her first guru Madurai Srinivasa Iyengar died early. Nevertheless, she kept practising on her own, taking inspiration from her mother. She was later trained in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and thereafter in Hindustani music under Pandit Narayanrao Vyas. Her musical learnings were further improved by regular interactions with the legends of Carnatic music Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhagavathar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.

At the age of ten years, she recorded her first song, ‘Maragatha Vadivum’, with her mother Shanmugavadivu playing veena. The song was released by Twin recording company. In 1926, she made her stage debut, at Madurai Sethupati High School, where she sang a Marathi song ‘Anada Ja’. Subbulakshmi gave her first public performance, at the age of eleven, in the year 1927, in the 100 pillar hall inside the Rockfort Temple, Tiruchirappalli; with Mysore Chowdiah on the violin and Dakshinamurthy Pillai on the mridangam. This was organised by the Tiruchirappalli-based Indian National Congress leader F. G. Natesa Iyer.

Subbulakshmi gave her first performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy in 1929, when she was 13 years old . By the age of seventeen, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy.

Films

In 1936 Subbulakshmi moved to Madras (now Chennai). She made her film debut (much against the wishes of her mother) in Sevasadanam which was released on 2 May 1938. F.G. Natesa Iyer was the lead actor, opposite Subbulakshmi, in this film, directed by K. Subramanyam. The movie was critically acclaimed and also a commercial success. Sevasadanam is one of the early Tamil films to be made in a contemporary social setting and to advocate reformist social policies. The film is an adapted version of Premchand‘s novel Bazaar-e-Husn.

The film successfully broughtout the “sufferings of the girl” (acted by M.S. Subbulakshmi) and the “mental agony of the aged husband”(acted by F.G.Natesa Iyer). In her second movie ‘Sakuntalai’ (1940), she played the title role Shakuntala and the famous Carnatic singer G N Balasubramaniam played the role of King Dushyanth. Her third film ‘Savithiri’ (1941) saw her portraying the character of Saint Narada and she received accolades for her performance. 

Her title role of the Rajasthani saint-poetess Meera in the eponymous 1945 film gave her national recognition. The movie was directed by American filmmaker Ellis R. Dungan and it went on to become a huge success. The versatile singer Subbulakshmi sang all the famous Meera bhajans in her melodious voice and these bhajans became very popular at that time. In 1947, ‘Meera’ was remade in Hindi as ‘Meerabai’ with Subbulakshmi playing the lead role and was released on November 21, 1947.

The preview of the film was attended by eminent personalities, including the then prime minister, Mr. Nehru. Sarojini Naidu, spelling out a prologue of sorts to the film said: “You will be proud that India in this generation has produced so supreme an artiste.” This film established M S as an icon and gave her true national recognition. After the film Meera Subbulakshmi stopped acting in the films and totally concentrated on her music career.

Music career

Her first major accomplishment as an established singer was the album of Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam which she had recorded for the Gramphone Company of India in 1963.  She donated all her royalty earnings from this album to the Veda Patasala run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board.

In 1963, she was invited to Scotland to take part in the famous Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama. Her mesmerizing performance in the UK led to her next foreign tour as she was invited to perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York  ; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966. A day prior to this UN concert, it is believed, M.S. Subbulakshmi had lost her voice and could only regain it after offering her prayers to Maha Periyava, His Holiness the Paramacharya of Kanchi. On 23rd of October, 1966 this historical concert was attended by many eminent and scholarly personalities from all over the world. She was an ardent devotee of Kanchi Mahaswamigal and she rendered his composition “Maithreem Bhajatha” (O World! Cultivate peace) in her concert at the UN in 1966.

In 1969 she was accompanied by Indian Railways Advisor S.N. Venkata Rao to Rameswaram, where she sang several songs in front of each idol in the Ramanathaswamy Temple. The concerts at Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982; and Festival of India in Moscow in 1987 were significant landmarks in her career.

Subbulakshmi also travelled to places like Canada and the Far East as India’s cultural ambassador.

In the year 1936, she met Sadasivam, who helped her with stay at Chennai and helped her to get roles in films. They both got married four years later in 1940. Money received from her third film “Savithri” was used for launching Kalki, her husband Sadasivam’s nationalist Tamil weekly. Sadasivam was a well-known figure in the Madras Congress circle, and a protege of Rajaji. Sadasivam already had children from his first marriage. M.S treated his kids like her own and showered them with love and affection.

Some of her most famous works include ‘‘Bhajagovindam’ (composed by Adi Shankaracharya praising Lord Krishna), ‘Kurai OnrumIllai’ (composed by Rajagopalachari), ‘Vishnu Sahasranamam’, ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ (Prayers to Lord Hanuman), Meenakshi Pancharatnam, Venkateswara Suprabhatam (musical hymns to awaken Lord Balaji early in the morning) etc.

It was from Nehru that M.S. Subbulakshmi had received the best compliment of her life when the illustrious prime minister – after listening to her singing the famous bhajan “Vaishnav Janato Tene Kahiye” penned by the legendary fifteenth century Gujarati poet, Narsing Mehta – had said, “Who am I, a mere prime minister before you, the queen of music”.

While Lata Mangeshkar called Subbulakshmi Tapaswini (the Renunciate), noted Hindustani vocalist Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan termed her Suswaralakshmi (the goddess of the perfect note), and classical vocalist Kishori Amonkar praised Subbulakshmi as the ultimate eighth note or Aathuvaan Sur, which is above the seven notes basic to all music.

Her “Balaji Pancharatnamala” Album for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams became very popular and a household name. Noted Carnatic music Maestro Sri. Nedunuri Krishna Murthy had composed the keerthanas and music for this album.  The Annamacharya music album contains three LP records with rare Annamacharya keerhanas like Brahma kadigina paadamu, Naanaati bratuku naatakamu, Jo Achyutananda Jo jo Mukunda, Sri Mannarayana among others.

Some of the prominent awards received by Subbulakshmi include:

• Padma Bhushan in 1954
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1956
• Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968. Awarded by the Madras Music Academy, this award is considered to be the most prestigious in Carnatic music.
• Ramon Magsaysay award (often considered Asia’s Nobel Prize) in 1974. M.S became the first Indian to be honoured with this prestigious award.
• Padma Vibhushan in 1975
• Sangeetha Kalasikhamani in 1975 by The Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai
•  Kalidas Samman in 1988 by the government of Madhya Pradesh.
• Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990. Presented by the government of India, this award was given to her for her efforts in national integration.
• Bharat Ratna in 1998. M.S. Subbulakshmi became the first musician to be honoured with India’s highest civilian award.

She was honoured as Asthana Vidhwan of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has installed a bronze statue of M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Poornakumbham circle in the temple town in May, 2006. The Kancheepuram Saree shade known as MS Blue was named after her. A commemorative postage stamp on her was issued on 18-December-2005. In 2016 United Nations issued stamp to mark birth centenary of M.S. Subbulakshmi. She was awarded honorary degrees from several Universities. She donated many of the royalties on several best sold records to many charity organisations.

Subbulakshmi used to say “Students of music should devote their attention to the acquisition of purity in voice and strict adherence to sruti. To achieve this, it is essential that they should practise voice-culture assiduously.”

After her husband’s death in 1997, she stopped giving public performances. M.S. Subbulakshmi breathed her last on 11^th December, 2004 at her home in Kotturpuram, Chennai. Her voice was a combination of melody, devotion and divinity. She was always graceful with humility personified. She continues to live in the hearts of millions of music lovers through her renderings – Vishnu Sahasranamam, Venkateswara Suprabharam, Bhajagovindam, and many more Carnatic and devotional songs, that are played daily in the early mornings in many households in India.

–Dr. B.N.V. Parthasarathi