M.S.Subbulakshmi became immortal.
December 14, 04 by Bharani
Yesterday, the great south Indian carnatic artist M.S. Subbulakshmi died peacefully in her sleep in a hosptial in chennai. Her achievements are amazing. She is even conferred with Bharat Ratna.
Profile in brief
“Born in Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu state on September-16, 1916, Subbulakshmi learned classical music from her mother and gave her first public performance reciting “bhajans” or Hindu hymns at the age of 13.
One of her biggest hits was the “Venkateswara Suprabhatam” and she had willed the proceeds from its sales to the local Tirupati Balaji temple.
She was credited with being able to reach out to millions of fans and others across the country, uninitiated into the complexities of classical south Indian Carnatic music with her melodious renditions.
After a brief foray into Tamil films, she returned to Carnatic music and collected many awards including India’s highest civilian honour the Bharat Ratna (the Jewel of India) and the Ramon Magsaysay award.
She was also credited with taking Carnatic music to the West at the Edinburgh Festival (1963) and at the United Nations (1966), besides winning standing ovations at concerts in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Tokyo.
Her last public performance was during a millennium music festival organised by the Madras Music Academy on New Year’s eve in 2000.”
I hear Vishnu Sahasranamam, Bhaja Govindam & Venkatesa Suprabhatam frequently. As long as hear them, she will be alive in my heart…A great loss for Indian music field.
