Birth Centenary of Dr M S Subbulakshmi Unc Set Hyderabad mint

‘Swara raga sudharasa yuta bhakti svargapavargamu ra…’ says Tyagaraja in his Sankarabharanam kriti. He says that bhakti in unison with the nectar of swara and raga bestows salvation. M.S. Subbulakshmi’s music was testimony to this blissful experience of bakthi and music. The joy of listening to M.S. was an experience in itself.

Subbulakshmi was born on 16 September 1916 in Madurai, Madras Presidency, India to veena player Shanmukavadivurammal and Subramania Iyer. She started her musical journey with classical music training under her mother Shanmukhavadivur, later trained in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and in Hindustani classical music under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas. Endowed with a superb voice she touched scores of hearts with her music and her presence. An invisible yet tangible streak of bhava and bhakti pervaded her renditions, with no compromise, either in content, intent, or flavour. Her art, characterised by dignity, purity and humility, transcended the barriers of caste, language, region, and religion. From Nehru to Mountbatten to Rajaji, she was feted by the political-cultural-social elite of India.

The world of Carnatic music has witnessed numerous doyens, but it was M.S.Subbulakshmi who brought universal acclaim to Carnatic music. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, she is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, and she was the First Indian who performed in United Nations General Assembly in 1966.”

1. Hers was an inspiring story of musical wisdom and motivating life lessons. The Government of India released the commemorative coin to mark the Birth centenary of Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi.