Bharata Ratna M S. Subbulakshmi Passed Away

Sruti mourns the passing of the doyen of Carnatic Music, smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi. Born as Kunjamma in the temple city of Madurai on September 16, 1916, Subbulakshmi made her debut as a singer at the age of eight.

“Music is an ocean and I am a student. For a vocalist, voice practice is important. It has been my habit to learn the meaning of songs I have to sing and the correct pronunciation of each word…”, she once wrote in a magazine, when she was 73.

A Magsaysay award winner, MS donated her entire prize money to several welfare schemes. India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, was conferred on her in 1998. She is the only Carnatic musician to have received the award so far. She was 88 when she passed away last week.