Echoes and memories of MS
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M.S.’s credentials are her beautiful voice, her interpretation, the intensity of her commitment, and the serenity of her bearing.
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Immortal: M.S. Subbulakshmi (left) and Veena E.Gayathri
When Veena Gayatri gave a recent recital in Chennai (organised by Hamsadhwani), she devoted it exclusively to the music of M.S.Subbulakshmi, featuring some songs from the legendary vocalist’s vast repertoire in Carnatic music, and also some of her famous songs from classic Tamil movies of the 1940s, particularly the devotional film, ‘Meera.’
It was not a concert in the conventional sense, but a collection of assorted songs which created a nostalgic atmosphere and a good opportunity for many elderly rasikas in the large audience to revive their fond memories of MS as a unique icon of devotional music in South India.
Like Lata Mangeshkar in Hindi film music and Begum Akhtar in the world of ghazals, MS reigned as the undisputed queen of Carnatic music for a very long time, leaving her brief cinematic career as an actor-singer far behind.
The following thoughts expressed by this critic in an overall assessment of her merits when she was at the zenith of her career as a Carnatic musician are worth recalling: “By a strange alchemy which defies description, a feminine artist who always offers her music with the utmost humility (and thereby moves her listeners to experience spiritual ecstasy) does emerge as a heroine in real life. And MS, who is one of the most unpretentious musicians of them all, is also the most popular and glamorous one...
“Her music is never allowed to deviate from its simple, pre-determined devotional course, but it never lacks the hallmark of excellence.
It has the unchanging appearance, and also the aesthetic and dynamic force, of a picturesque waterfall...”
Her credentials for distinction are her beautiful and universally admired voice, her faithful interpretation of the tradition, the intensity of her commitment, and the serenity of her bearing.” (The Hindu, New Delhi, 1988).
Graceful and sensitive
Unfortunately, there is no active singer today who can carry the torch of the graceful Carnatic vocal style of M.S.Subbulakshmi forward into the future, and her innumerable admirers have to be content with hearing only her recorded music.
So far as live programmes are concerned, therefore, authentic memories of her classical music concerts can be revived only by being echoed sensitively in instrumental recitals (unlike her few short film songs, which can stir nostalgic memories of MS even when rendered by other talented singers).
In this context, what better classical instrument can be found than the veena? And who can play the veena more gracefully and sensitively today than Gayatri?
The accomplished vainika seemed to approach her self-imposed task with great restraint and humility, and she rendered several familiar classical songs in the same serene spirit which was so characteristic of MS herself.
While MS had achieved great distinction as an eloquent Carnatic musician, what made her immensely popular all over India was her vibrant manner of singing sacred hymns in Hindi (especially Meera bhajans), which used to attract many Northerners to her concerts even if they were not normally interested in Carnatic music.
And significantly, a few lovely songs MS had rendered in her short-lived career as a beautiful heroine in some famous Tamil films had made a powerful and permanent impact on Southern music circles long before she attained her exalted status as the prima donna of Carnatic music. Their memorable quality owes much to the exquisite lyrics composed by the venerable classical musician Papanasam Sivan and the distinguished novelist and journalist Kalki.
Gayatri didn’t venture far into the area of Hindi bhajans, but revelled in rendering some of the melodious songs from the films Meera, Savitri and Shakunthala, all of which bore the distinct stamp of MS and brought many vivid memories of her movies to the predominantly Tamilian audience.
Of course, the musician’s ultimate accomplishment — which transcends all these three dimensions of her music — is her immaculate recorded recitation of sacred Sanskrit verses, especially Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam and Sri Venkatesa Suprabhatam.
And we often hear her own authentic voice, in perfect unison with her daughter Radha’s, reverberating inside many South Indian homes when we go for a long morning walk as the sun rises over the horizon.
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