Smt. M.S.Subbulakshmi

Smt.M.S.Subbulakshmi (b. 16-Sept-1916)

There isn't a music fan alive who hasn't heard of M.S.Subbulakshmi, or MS, as she is popularly known. She gave her first recital at the tender age of 10, when she was asked to sing at the wedding of a Saurashtra friend of the family in Madurai.

Her seeming effortlessness of her music is rooted in technical mastery, ceaseless practice, restraint and constant self apprisal. Though she is over 80, she can still hit the gandhara of the upper register and make you soar with her. Such fidelity to the pitch and resonance are the result of breath control, perfect diction and phenomenal concentration. No other artiste has been as successful in blending the intutive and the reflective elements of art.

MS is the first woman recipient of the 'Sangita Kalanidhi' title and the first one to popularise Carnatic music in North India and in the West at prestigious venues (Edinburgh Festival and the UN). Her admirers are from all walks of life - national and international leaders, fellow artistes and other celebrities. On one celebrated occasion, Mahatma Gandhi requested her to sing his favourite bhajan for him.

MS has won many awards and accolades. The latest in the long line is the Bharat Ratna, India's highest award to its citizen.