December Season 2003

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Here is an extract from the book...
Madras was an important cultural hub at the turn of the twentieth century. Shanmukhavadivu had influential friends like Veena Dhanammal who lived in Madras. Shanmukhavadivu took Subbulakshmi on a visit to the city and made her sing for Dhanammal who instantly showered praise on the talent of the young girl. A gramphone company invited Shanmukhavadivu to record an album. At the end of her recording session she boldly requested them to record her daughter too. The company officials were a bit taken aback by the rather unusual request to record an unknown child artiste. Yet, not wishing to disappoint Shanmukhavadivu, they agreed. In a high-pitched voice Subbulakshmi sang a Tamil devotional song 'Maragatha Vadivum Chen Kadir Velum' addressed to the deity Murugan.

The company officials were impressed by her abilities and even more impressed when the album sold well. One day Subbulakshmi would be the star artiste of HMV with the sales of her albums surpassing all others.

In quick succession, Subbulakshmi gave concerts on her own all over Tamil Nadu, in towns like Trichnopoly, Tanjore, Ramanathapuram and Chettinad - hometowns to rich patrons of music. She travelled sometimes by train, and sometimes even by bullock cart, with her mother escorting her to sing at weddings and temple festivals. Her recitals were very impressive and her reputation began to grow. The Gramphone Company of India invited her regularly to Madras to record 78 rpm albums which sold well. On the ‘plate' as it was then called, her name appeared thus: Kokila Gana M. S. Subbulakshmi. Her recording of Thyagaraja's song 'Evarimata' in the Raga Todi was such a hit that it had record sales and earned her the title Evarimata M. S. Subbulakshmi.

Some of the giants of the music world came forward to teach her songs. Amongst them were Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Mazhavarayanendal Subburama Bhagavatar.

It came as no surprise to anyone when a last minute cancellation by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar made the prestigious Music Academy of Madras invite her to perform in his stead on 1 January 1932. At the time she was only sixteen years old! She performed with aplomb, giving every aspect of the Carnatic music tradition its due importance. The connoisseurs approved as did the lay persons in the audience. She sang the full gamut of a concert repertoire, something that was seldom expected from a female vocalist. A charming young girl with the sweetest of voices had begun the year in an auspicious manner for the pundits of music. The teenaged Kunjamma could never imagine then that thirty-six years later, on 1 January 1969, the Music Academy would make her the first woman to be honoured with the title Sangita Kalanidhi. She had stormed the male bastion and would eventually conquer it.

The path to a successful career had been paved for the young Subbulakshmi. The most gratifying aspect for Subbulakshmi was that her seniors in the music world, mostly men held in awe and respect by their fans, accepted the newcomer, a girl of just sixteen, as one worthy of sharing the platform with them. Without reserve, giants in the field of music like T. N. Rajarathnam Pillai, the nadhaswaram wizard, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, the vocalist, and Mysore Chowdiah, the violinist spoke highly of her talent. Her tone of singing was deep for one so young, and the range of her voice, particularly in the upper octave, was amazing.

In those days, even the masses appreciated classical music. They sat up all night in pandals listening to the masters of those times. Thousands gathered to hear Subbulakshmi at a festival organized by Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, a stalwart amongst musicians of the day, on the bank of the River Kaveri in Kumbakonam, as part of the Mahamakam exhibition in 1933. The Mahamakam is the southern counterpart of the northern Kumbha Mela. Thrilled by her concert. Viswanatha Iyer, in a spontaneous gesture, presented her with the gold medal that the authorities had presented to him when he had sung there a few days earlier.

Subbulakshmi's music became a treasure trove of songs she learnt from great masters. At one point the amazing fact emerged that she had learnt from not less than eight vidwans who later received the Sangita Kalanidhi, the Nobel for Carnatic music, from the Music Academy.

At the height of her career, Subbulakshmi would remark: ‘I cannot say I have favourites, but if I don't sing the listeners' favourites, they would besiege me with requests, and I must please them'.