“I love my mother. More than a singer, teacher, philanthropist, her persona as a mother is my favourite. She was always loving, kind in her words…” That is how Radha Vishwanathan, daughter of the legendary singer M.S. Subbulakshmi chooses to remember her mother.
As her mother’s anchor , Radha was by her mother’s side almost throughout her life - on and off stage- paying little attention to her own career as a singer to lend support to the icon. But there is not a hint of regret - only pride.
It is with the same pride and fondness that famed percussionist Dr. T.K. Murthy remembers M.S. The 90-year-old mridangam artist had accompanied the singer for 55 years on her concerts all across the world. And his memories of her also go beyond her ethereal music. “When Sadasivam aiyya (M.S. Subbulakshmi’s husband) handed over an envelope with my payment inside, he insisted that I count it. He did not care if there was more, but he wanted to make sure it wasn’t less than what they owed me. When I counted, I realised that they had paid me in excess. Quickly, he said henceforth my fee has been increased to match that excess. I was stunned. M.S. amma too agreed to her husband’s spontaneous decision. Such was the greatness of the couple.”
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The four-day centenary celebrations organised at Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha in Mumbai from September 13 to 16 was a commemoration of that greatness. Her genius and contribution to music were hailed, while her humility, generosity and ability to reach out to people across language and cultural barriers were recalled with awe.
It was at this event that both Radha and T.K. Murthy were awarded the Sri Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi Sangeetha Pracharya Special Award, along with centenarian Chemenchery Kunhiraman Nair, a renowned Kathakali exponent for their contribution to arts.
The celebrations included a vocal and dance tribute to a song that spoke of India’s stance in strife-ridden times and equally heralded the greatness of M.S. on an international stage. ‘Maithreen Bhajatha’, written by the Maha Periyava of Kanchi and set to tune by composer Vasant Desai (who framed the cheque given to him as payment) was performed by M.S. at the UN General Assembly on October 23, 1966, and received a standing ovation for the melodic message of peace.
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In fact, she received such a rousing applause on her entry to the stage that she later recalled as having wondered if the concert was over even before it had begun.
Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha is perhaps the first in the country to organise such celebrations for the doyenne’s 100th birth anniversary. And why would a sabha in Mumbai undertake the effort? It is not without its significance, says its president Dr. V. Shankar – ‘Maithreen Bhajatha’ was set to tune in erstwhile Bombay; M.S. met her husband Sadasivam while preparing to embark on a journey to the city for one of the many performances she has given in the city; her first fund-raising concert was performed in Mumbai to collect money for the construction of the SIES campus for which she contributed 90 per cent of the funds through three concerts; and her ‘debut’ performance was during one of her mother’s concerts in Madurai when the child, who was playing in the mud, was whisked away to the stage and asked to sing a song – and she sang a Marathi song.
The function, attended by the Governor and Chief Minister of Maharshtra and the Governor of Andhra Pradesh-Telangana over the period of four days, was not the only tribute planned by the Sabha but was a commencement of a year-long celebration commemorating the legend. It came to a close with the awarding of the Sri Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr. M. S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship in Music to 50 young and promising artists from all over the country.