Inside the school, her mother was playing the veena for about 50 to 100 people. She was playing outside, making mud-pies. Someone picked her up, dusted her hands and took her inside. Her mother asked her to sing a couple of songs. There were claps and smiles, but the girl just wanted to get back to the mud. This was 1926, and the girl was MS Subbulakshmi, affectionately called Kunjamma. She was 10 years old and this was her first stage concert.
Soon after, she made her first recording. She sang Carnatic music and her mother played the veena. From then on, till she passed away in 2004, MS- amma sang and recorded thousands of songs. Her strong, beautiful voice and melodious singing continue to bring happiness to millions across the world.
MS was born on September 16, 1916 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Her grandmother was a violinist, her mom played the veena. When musicians came to town to perform, they stayed in her house. Amazed by Kunjamma’s voice, they taught her songs. She took lessons from great singers and at the age of eight, she started singing when her mother performed. People loved to hear her sing. Her mom brought her to Madras (now Chennai) and she sang at the Indian Fine Arts society in 1933. She was a hit.
Heavenly voice
K. Subramanyam, an organiser at Mahakumbam cast her in his movie “Seva Sadanam” in 1938. MS became a popular singer-artiste. She acted in “Sakunthalai”, “Savitri” and “Meera” and the movies were super-hits. She became a top-ranked artist in Carnatic music. She gave many concerts, recorded all her songs. She married freedom fighter T. Sadasivam.
After her 1945 film “Meera”, she became a national figure. When its Hindi version was screened in Delhi, MS was introduced by poet Sarojini Naidu. Among the audience were Lord and Lady Mountbatten, Prime Minister Nehru and ministers. Mahatma Gandhi was fond of listening to her rendering of “Vaishnava Janato” while Nehru called her the queen of music. MS sang in many languages, recorded chants like “Vishnu-sahasranamam”.
MS was untouched by fame and fortune. She loved singing. For her, it was joy, it was prayer. She sang to raise money for many charities. She supported Tamil Isai Sangam when they wanted to make Tamil songs popular. In 1944, she gave concerts to help Kasturba Memorial Trust. MS took her music across the world — to Edinburgh Music Festival, to the UN, the US. She became Padma Vibhushan, the Bharat Ratna. A shade of blue is called MS-blue and a stamp has been issued in her honour. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award.
