M. S. Subbulakshmi (1916-2004), who was popularly known as MS, was
one of India’s greatest classical musicians. Born into a humble
devadasi home, her talent and dedication to her art made her one of
India’s most critically acclaimed classical singers. She was the first
Indian musician to receive the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest
civilian honour, in addition to numerous other awards. Jawaharlal Nehru
called her ‘a Queen of Music’ and Sarojini Naidu dubbed her ‘The
Nightingale of India’. Her fellow musicians were no less generous in
their praise. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan said she was Suswaralakshmi
(the Goddess of the Perfect Note) while Kishori Amonkar said she was
Aathuvansur or music’s ‘Eighth Note’ (there are only seven notes that
are basic to all musical forms). MS’s genius had principally to do with
her exquisite voice, her extraordinary range and her unequalled command
of all the material she worked with, whether it was Carnatic music,
Hindustani music or devotional music such as bhajans. In this, the
definitive biography of the musician (previously published as MS: A Life
in Music), award-winning biographer T. J. S. George traces her journey
from her beginnings as a singer in Madurai, through her breakthrough
performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy in 1932, to her
carving out a place for herself as a cultural icon. Besides exploring
MS’s genius, the author describes the musical and social milieu that she
was part of and the various barriers she was instrumental in breaking
in the course of her journey to superstardom. He covers her stint as an
actress and looks at how her career was helped by various mentors and
sponsors, including C. Rajagopalachari, India’s last governor general.
He pays particular attention to the role of her husband, T. Sadavisam,
in the creation and burnishing of MS’s reputation. He examines the
various controversies that surrounded her origins and also underlines
her essential humility and generosity. Told with a music connoisseur’s
passion and understanding, M. S. Subbulakshmi: the Definitive Biography
is an enthralling portrait of a musical legend.
