Hi Guys,

I was reading about Bharat Ratna M.S.Subbulakshmi and stumbled upon a fact that she was born on Sep 16 1918. Being an ardent fan of MS Amma, I thought I should dedicate a post on her. I think a typical day in South India begins with her melodious voice in all households. She is the Asthana Gayaki (court-singer) of TTD. There is a certain devotion and serenity in her voice which calms the listener and makes them forget everything else.
She was honored with Padma Bhushan (1954), Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1956), Sangeetha Kalanidhi (1968), Ramon Magsaysay Award (1974), Padma Vibhushan (1975), Bharat Ratna (1998)(I have mentioned only the prominent ones ).Pandit Nehru addressed her as the Queen of Music. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan called her Suswaralakshmi. Lata Mangeshkar termed her as Tapaswini.
Indeed she was a Tapaswini .When one listens to her songs , you only think of the Deity. She donated all her award money and concert money to charity. Fame and Glory never really touched her. She was simple all her life. She was a humble and a great devotee of Kanchi Mahaswamigal and Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
She acted in a few movies like Sevasadanam, Savitri and Meera. During the shooting of Meera, she was supposed to sing a Bhajan and then faint after having the Darshan of the Lord. She was so much involved into the Bhajan that she really fainted. The Bhajan is Giridhara Gopala. One can listen to this melody at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3qD9EwvYEI

Who can forget her Jagadodharana. I think nobody can sing like that. One can listen to that at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qli9tU5MJa0&feature=PlayList&p=A2C0675FA20047A5&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=5

My personal favorite is Bhavayami Gopalabalam. One can listen to that at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxvd5DfpUt0

She herself looked like a goddess to me. I was so sad when I saw her without her trademark Kumkum after the death of her husband. She breathed her last on December 11, 2004. She will always live forever in the form of her melodious voice.

On a personal note I think she was a Karana Janmi (born for a purpose ).

Signing off for now,
Krishna.