Eminent Carnatic musician and playback singer Nithyasree Mahadevan turned nostalgic and emotional as she recalled the appreciation she received from legendary MS Subbulakshmi, the exponent of Carnatic music, for her rendering ‘Giridhara Gopala,’ MS’ famous number in ‘Meera,’ a historic film.
Nithyashree was in her early 20s when she visited MS’ house during the Navarathri festival and she won the appreciation of the legendary singer after she sang the famous number in Meera, starring MS, she said, recalling the precious moments here on Saturday.
In her address after releasing ‘MS Pillai Thamizh,’ a book on the childhood of MS authored by Valli Muthiah, a poetess and philanthropist from Kottaiyur, at a function organised by Kamban Kazhagam here on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of MS. “I still cherish those moments and consider the appreciation of MS Amma as the greatest honour in my singing career,” she said turning emotional.
Though she received kudos from her grandmother DK Pattammal, a prominent Carnatic musician, and grandfather Palghat Mani Iyer, an eminent Mridangam player, she valued the appreciation of MS, the most, she said. She could also never forget a valuable tip MS gave to protect her vocal cord, she said adding she never used to drink hot water or hot beverage while singing in sabhas and katcheris. But MS advised her to take hot water, saying she could prevent strain to the vocal cord by taking hot water or hot beverage in between rendering songs and this could be more useful to budding vocal artistes, she said.
Nithyasree also pleasantly surprised the elite gathering when she began her address, singing the prayer song from ‘MS Pillai Thamizh’ book with her own composition. The audience burst into cheers when she obliged and rendered ‘Giridhara Gopala.’ The Kamban Kazhagam brought out the ‘MS Pillai Thamizh’ (songs describing the 10 stages of childhood of MS) as a tribute to the legendary singer, Pala Palaniappan, secretary of Kamban Kazhagam, said. He said MS began her career by singing the Pillai Tamizh songs on Tiruchendur Murugan, he said. The songs were later released in a LP record, he recalled. Bharathi Babu, joint secretary of Pudukottai Kamban Kazhagam, received the first copy of the book. Prof. Vijaya Sundari of Urumu Dhanalakshmi College, Tiruchi, who presided over the function, recalled MS rendering ‘Maithrim Bhajathe,’ a song penned by Kanchi Paramacharya Chandrasekarendra Saraswati in the UN Assembly in 1966 for world peace.
