The timeless, priceless quality of M.S. Subbulakshmi’s music would always remain a glorious chapter in the history of Indian music. The singing legend lives on through her Suprabhatams and Vishna Sahasramam recital in an impeccable manner. Subbulakshmi is a name that is synonymous with the world of Carnatic music was a flawless singer, whose voice had a divine power. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour and also the Ramon Magsaysay award. She had the unique privilege of singing at the UN General Assembly, Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall, New York. M.S. Subbulakshmi had a long association with Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha in Sion East, Mumbai and gave several memorable performances worth remembering.
Here is a tribute from me to the legendary singer
There is only one musician in the horizon
Who is undoubtedly its tradition
She has a world renowned name,
Which is reflected in her fame,
She might look at ease and small,
But her singing makes her look ten feet tall.
When she is at the recital you forget the rest,
And you know she is undoubtedly the world’s best.
With all the trust that she can hatch,
She can score a purple patch
This woman is the World’s Eighth Wonder
And the auditoriums she brought thunder.
As she led from the front to music destiny
She will be remembered forever in history.
The woman leaves no doubt in my mind
She is absolutely one of a kind,
She can make the Hall fill and blur,
And her name I know, you know is
For Subbulakshmi music was a therapy of the soul. In music, she found strength, solace and stimulation. By giving her music everything she had, she received in return a blissfulness nothing else could give her. She passed away on 11th December 2004 at the age of 88, which was incidentally the birthday of her daughter Radha.
Nickhil Mani
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
