A life of Shreyas
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On September 16, M. S. Subbulakshmi steps into her 89th year. SULOCHANA PATTABHIRAMAN joins millions of admirers who wish M.S. a happy birthday and pray for her good health.
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M. S. Subbulakshmi ... sublime and serene.
ON SEPTEMBER 16, 1916, a star was born in the temple town of Madurai, a star that enveloped the spectrum of Carnatic music with a dazzling incandescence, a star that touched the lives of so many, and one that brought joy, tranquillity, and an all pervading sense of well-being to all those who were privileged to experience the sublime, serene quality of its song.
A nightingale ordained by divine sanction to uplift the souls and spirit of mere mortals — who else but melody maker, supreme, Subbulakshmi. `Kokila Gana Isaivani,' `Sangita Kalanidhi' Subbulakshmi would step into the 89th year of her illustrious existence, a large segment of which she surrendered to music, totally governed by bhakti.
The quality of M.S.'s inestimable musical expression reminds one of Congreve's words that music has the power to soothe the savage beast, soften rocks and bend a knotted tree. Time and again, the life, achievements and other details of the singer have been well documented and spoken of in innumerable fora, almost reaching a point of saturation. Yet, the compelling, spontaneous urge to express one's gratitude and affection to wish a doyenne, unmatched and unrivalled, all the very best, is too strong to set aside.
Andal, the only woman poet to be ranked among the Azhwars, wove superb hymnal garlands defining with marked emphasis her love and faith in her 30 Thiruppavai songs and the Nachiyar Tirumozhi. Meerabai, revered as a saint, gave vent to her devotion and love to that eternal charmer, Lord Krishna, through her mellifluous bhajans. If M.S. has become synonymous with the names of Andal and Meera, why not — she thoroughly deserves such praise for the simple reason that her music flows freely and gracefully from a deep reservoir of bhakti.
The very core of classical Carnatic music is devotion, and without contradiction is the easiest path to lead a life of "Sreyas," without becoming servile to material and terrestrial needs. M.S. has indeed led a life of Sreyas, a life of exemplary discipline. Her motto was to earn, only to give. She is a true bhakta in every sense of the term purely because her music has the aristocracy of devotional and spiritual excellence.
She enjoys a state of fulfilment that very few do. The archetypal Indian woman, she is an exceptional paradigm of musical sensitivity, and with her dulcet voice and nectarine songs, she has hardly ever failed to create an atmosphere of serenity and divinity. To speak of M.S. and her art is like holding a candle to the sun, yet however feeble the effort maybe, that it has to be done on an occasion like an 89th birthday, has enough justification.
The entire fraternity of Indian music, connoisseurs, the learned and the lay, rasikas, the Press and the critics rise to a man to wish `Bharat Ratna' M.S. Subbulakshmi "Many healthy happy peaceful returns of the day".
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