Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004), Also known as M.S., she was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, Asia’s highest civilian award, in 1974.
Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi was the leading exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the Karnataka tradition of South India.
Subbulakshmi first recording was released when she was 10 years old. She gave her first public performance during the Mahamaham festival at Kumbakonam at the age of sixteen.
She traveled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India’s cultural ambassador. Her concerts at Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966; the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982; and at the Festival of India in Moscow in 1987 were significant landmarks in her career.
M.S. also acted in a few Tamil films in her youth. Her first movie “Sevasadanam” was released in 1938.
She has been labeled as “Queen of Music” by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, “Tapaswini” by Lata Mangeskar, ” Suswaralakshmi” by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, “Aathuvaan Sur” by Kishori Amonkar, and “Nightingale of India” by Sarojini Naidu.
Her many famous renditions of bhajans include the chanting of Bhaja Govindam, Vishnu sahasranama (1000 names of Vishnu), Hari Tuma Haro and the Venkateswara Suprabhatam (musical hymns to awaken Lord Balaji early in the morning).
Some of the more popular awards include Padma Bhushan in 1954, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1956, Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968, Ramon Magsaysay award in 1974, the Padma Vibhushan in 1975, the Kalidas Samman in 1988, the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990, and the Bharat Ratna in 1998.
She was awarded honorary degree degrees from several Universities.