The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : M.S. no stranger to Hyderabad

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 13, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

M.S. no stranger to Hyderabad

THE NEWS of M.S.Subbulakshmi's death has literally shaken the world of music, not because death has snatched her away from us, but because the likes of her can never be replaced. She remained an idol and also an ideal, especially for all Carnatic music lovers. She stood by the fundamental principle of Thyagaraja that music is the `vehicle to reach God.'

`Bhakti' is the essence of Carnatic music, which Subbulakshmi adhered to, especially during the latter years of her life. She used to allot more than half of her concert time to the rendition of bhajans in all languages. I covered for The Hindu almost all the concerts she gave in Hyderabad, especially for noted music sabhas - Kalasagaram and the South Indian Cultural Association (SICA). Her last concert in Hyderabad was in 1992 for Kalasagaram.

Firm commitment

That was the year Kalasagaram was celebrating its silver jubilee. She was not well and there was fear that she might skip the schedule.

This function was held at Harihara Kala Bhavan in Secunderabad. Along with her was the sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan. Generally, Subbulakshmi used to arrive on the programme day. But on that occasion she arrived one day in advance. Unfortunately, she fell sick and was put in a situation where she was unable to perform on stage.

But taking into consideration the significance of the function, Subbulakshmi not only took the stage but also sang for more than four hours, non-stop. That was the power of music. That was her zeal.

The function was also attended by former Chief Minister Vijayabhaskara Reddi. Subbulakshmi made an appearance in Hyderabad for the same organisation in the years 1971, 1977, 1981, 1987 and 1991. She also sang for SICA at Ravindra Bharathi.

Humble personality

For SICA, she appeared eight times including for their silver jubilee function in 1984. The former President, Shankar Dayal Sarma, who was the Governor of the State then, and his wife were present throughout the concert. Noted Hindustani vocalist Kishori Amonkar who figured in that festival was present at Subbulakshmi's concert sitting by the side of the Governor. On seeing her, Subbulakshmi stopped her concert midway the kriti, greeted her and told her that she had heard her mother's concert and liked it very much. After passing this compliment she continued with her concert.

By Gudipoodi Srihari

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