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A photo of M. S. Subbulakshmi by Saregama Carnatic –

Top 10 Facts about Madurai Subbulakshmi

Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi was born on 16 September 1916 and died on 11 December 2004. She was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.

She was the First Indian who performed in United Nations General Assembly in 1966. Her grandmother Akkammal was a violinist. In the article are the top ten facts about Madurai Subbulakshmi.

1. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society.

The prize was established in April 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund based in New York City with the concurrence of the Philippine government. It is often called the “Nobel Peace Prize of Asia”.

She received the Ramon Magsaysay award in 1974 with the citation reading “Exacting purists acknowledge Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the leading exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the Carnatic tradition of South India”.

2. She started learning Carnatic music at an early age

A photo of M. S. Subbulakshmi by Saregama Carnatic –

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka.

It is one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu Texts and traditions, particularly the Samaveda. M. S. Subbulakshmi started learning Carnatic music at an early age and trained in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and subsequently in Hindustani music under Pandit Narayanrao Vyas.

3. Her mother was a music exponent and a regular stage performer

Her mother came from the devadasi community. She was a music exponent and a regular stage performer, and Subbulakshmi grew up in an environment very conducive to musical learning.

M. S. Subbulakshmi’s musical interests were also shaped by regular interactions with Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhagavathar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.

4. She started her public performance at age 11

A photo of M. S. Subbulakshmi by Chandraprabha Cinetone –

Subbulakshmi gave her first public performance, at the age of eleven, in the year 1927. The performance was held in the 100-pillar hall inside the Rockfort Temple, Tiruchirappalli.

Mysore Chowdiah was on the violin and Dakshinamurthy Pillai on the mridangam. This was organised by the Tiruchirappalli-based Indian National Congress leader F. G. Natesa Iyer.

5. Subbulakshmi gave her first performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy in 1929

Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians.

At age 13, Subbulakshmi performed at the Academy. The performance consisted of singing bhajans (Hindu hymns). The academy was known for its discriminating selection process, and it broke tradition by inviting a young girl as a key performer.

Her performance was described as spellbinding and earned her many admirers and the moniker of musical genius from critics. Soon after her debut performances, Subbulakshmi became one of the leading Carnatic vocalists.

6. She started performing outside the world after leaving Madras Music Academy

photo of M. S. Subbalakshmi by an Unknown author –

She travelled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India’s cultural ambassador.

Her concerts at the Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama in 1963; Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966; Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982; and Festival of India in Moscow in 1987 were significant landmarks in her career.

7. M.S. Subbulakshmi also acted in a few Tamil films in her youth

Her first movie, Sevasadanam, was released on 2 May 1938. F.G. Natesa Iyer was the lead actor, opposite Subbulakshmi, in this film, directed by K. Subramanyam. It was a critical and commercial success.

8. She was honoured as a resident artist Asthana Vidhwan of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams

A photo of M. S. Subbulakshmi by Eelakesari –

Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has installed a bronze statue of M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Poornakumbham circle in the temple town. It was unveiled by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on 28 May 2006.

9. A commemorative postage stamp on her was issued in 2005

On 18 December 2005, the United Nations decided to issue a stamp to mark the birth centenary of M.S. Subbulakshmi, She was bestowed with enormous prize money with these awards, most of which she donated to charity. She has given more than 200 charity concerts and raised well over Rs. 10,000,000.

10. She stopped public concerts after the death of her husband

A photo of Kalki Sadasivam by Frank Bond –

Thiagaraja Sadasivam better known as Kalki Sadasivam was an Indian freedom fighter, singer, journalist and film producer who was one of the founders, along with Kalki Krishnamurthy of the Tamil magazine Kalki.

After Sadasivam died in 1997, at the age of 95, M. S. Subbulakshmi stopped all her public performances. Her last performance was in 1997 before she retired from public concerts. M. S. Subbulakshmi died on 11 December 2004, at her home in Kotturpuram, Chennai.