SOUL OF CARNATIC

M.S. SUBBULAKSHMI (1916—2004) The godmother of Carnatic music, she made her way into everyone’s hearts with her divine voice

She was the first singer to be a Bharat Ratna awardee, she was the first Magsaysay awardee, the first to perform at the United Nations, and she was also the first and probably the only one to give it all up. This was when she was at the peak of her career and if you had to book a concert with her, she would request a receipt of a cheque made in the name of any charitable trust as payment. Once at a dinner, she removed her diamond earrings and handed them to the organiser to start a fund for the needy. Her diamonds were for us, her fans, to enjoy their shimmer and beauty, but for her these were superficial adornments. One tends to talk only about her spirituality and magnanimity. Sometimes I wonder, is this taking away from her musicality? Her music was highly intellectual; there were creative bits with most difficult compositions. This can be attributed to the fact that her repertoire was really large.

I was fortunate enough to see her closely towards the end of her life. Yet, when it all comes to a close, when you have to bid farewell, one feels orphaned and like a rudderless boat. When I saw her last, she was dressed in maroon silk, covered in rose petals and looked as fragrant and fresh as ever. Even today when I sing, only my lips are moving. At the back of my mind, like a constant tape recorder, is MS Amma’s voice that I keep attempting to emulate. She is now so much in my being, that I wonder why I don’t miss her. It is probably because she is always residing within me.