Celebrating the Centenary of a Legendary Musician

Smt.Sudha Raghunathan and musicians

By Mahadev Desai
Pics.by Ravi Penumarthy

The Hindu Temple of Atlanta auditorium was filled with music-lovers waiting for the event to start. What was the occasion that was attracting so many to the temple on a long labor day week-end? The Sankara Nethralaya Om Trust, a renowned non-profit eye institution and charitable organization from India, was hosting a three-day event to honor and celebrate the birth centenary of the legendary musician, Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi. The event is co-sponsored by the Carnatic Music Association of Georgia (CAMAGA).

Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi or M. S. as she is popularly known is the most prominent cultural ambassador of India, even today. Born on September 16, 1916 in the Southern city of Madurai, she was trained in both Carnatic vocal music and Veena. Starting her musical career at the young age of eleven, she rose to be the most well-known and accomplished Carnatic musician. She was admired for her mellifluous voice and for the bhava or piety that she always brought forth when singing. She believed that bhakthi or devotion is the sole purpose of music and that music should guide both the performer and the listener to rise towards the pure spirit that permeates the universe. Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi was revered not only for her musical talents but also for her personality- simplicity, modesty, and humility. As Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru aptly expressed to her, “You are the queen; I am just a minister.”

The awards, and recognition that Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi was bestowed during her life time is unparalleled even today. She was the first Indian musician to be invited to perform at the U. N. General Assembly. She had performed at prestigious venues like the Carnegie Hall, New York, Royal Albert Hall, London, and Festival of India, Moscow. She was the recipient of the Ramon Magasaysay award, considered the Asian Nobel Prize, Sangeetha Kalanidhi (the Treasure of the Arts) from the Music Academy, the Indira Gandhi award for National Integration, to name a few. For her noteworthy contribution to India through her music, the President of India bestowed her with the title Bharath Ratna (the Jewel of India), the highest Indian civilian recognition.

More than her music, Smt. M. S., was admired for her philanthropy and service to laudable causes. Over the years, she earned millions from her concerts and royalty; she donated most of the money to charitable causes - building hospitals and schools and helping the poor and the destitute. The royalties from her most popular recording, Sri Venkatesa Suprabhatham, is donated in its entirety to charity. It is fitting that SN OM Trust USA, the charitable organization, decided to hold a three-day event in honor of her birth centenary with fund-raising to support free eye-care and surgery in India for those who cannot afford.Through the “Sahasra Namam-Sahasra Nayanam” project,the organization’s aim was to raise funds to provide 1000 free cataract surgeries in honor of M.S.who gave the world the Vishnu Sahasra Nama in a musical form which is part of the worship in most South Indian temples and households.


The auditorium walls were beautifully decorated with artistic pictures and posters of M.S.Subbukashami by Smt. Jagatha Govind and her team. On the first day, September 3, the event began with a brief introduction by Dr. Seshu Sarma, the Vice-President of Sankara Nethralaya, U.S. Dr. Sarma shared with the audience the significant contribution Sankara Nethralaya makes through medical research and medical education. Most importantly, she talked about the Mobile Eye Surgical Units or MESUs which go to remote villages and provide free eye care,prescription glasses and cataract surgeries on site.

Dr. Seshu Sarma was followed by a welcome speech by Dr. Rao, the President of the Hindu Temple of Atlanta. The Chief Guest of the day, Mr. Srinivasan, Consul, Indian Consulate, Atlanta, then addressed the audience. Mr. Srinivasan spoke admiringly of Smt. M. S. and said how she made India and Indians proud by her music. The most touching speech of the afternoon, however, was the one given by eleven-year old, Raveena Allie, who was born with no eyes. When she was a baby, her poor parents gave her up for adoption and she moved to the U.S. with her adopted parents. While narrating her life, the young Raveena showed the audience, that if one is determined, nothing in life is insurmountable. She shared that she is an honor student in middle school with innumerable extra-curricular activities - that would make any parent proud. At the end of her speech, the audience gave her a standing ovation for her rousing message and her indomitable spirit.

The main event for the day was the Carnatic music concert by the renowned artist, Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Smt. Sudha Raghunathan. She was accompanied on the violin by Rajeev Mukundan and, on the Mridangam byThiruvarur Vaidyanathan, supported by Mr. Raman on the Morsing. Mrs. Sudha enthralled the audience by singing many of the songs Smt. M. S. had popularized. Although Mrs. Sudha sang for over three hours, the audience were not satisfied and they were requesting her for more with song requests. Kudos to Mrs. Sudha and her accompanists for the splendid musical performance.

After the concert concluded, Dr. Ram Sriram, President of CAMAGA, gave a brief review of the concert. Mrs. Anu Nathan, chair of the essay competition, then announced the winners of the essay competition that was held as part of the M. S. Subbalakshmi Centenary celebrations. Each essay highlighted the contributions of Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi. The participants were grouped into three categories: studying in Elementary School, Middle School or High School. Prizes were awarded within each category. The winners of the essay competition were:

Elementary
Middle School
High School
1st Place: Neel Krishnan
1st Place: Nikitha Sridhar
1st Place: Nitheyaa Shree
2nd Place: Anand Krishnan
2nd Place: Priyanka Yagneswaran
2nd Place: Shashank Ganesan
3rd Place: Maitri Sridhar
3rd Place: Shobana Santhanam
3rd Place: Shruthi Santhanam

 Smt.Sudha Raghunathan giving Award to Smt.Subhashini Krishnamurthy.

Dr. Sriram then announced that Sankar Nethralaya OM Trust would be honoring a musician from Atlanta with a Bharat Ratna M. S. Subbalakshmi award for years of contribution to Indian classical music. As the judge entrusted with the selection of the award recipient, Dr. Sriram shared with the audience the stringent criteria used to select the most accomplished musician from within the community. He then announced the recipient as: Smt. Subhashini Krishnamurthy – musician, composer, vocalist, teacher, and Veena player (an interview with Smt. Subhashini highlighting her accomplishment has been published in the September 2016 issue of Khabar Magazine). Mrs. Subhashini was presented with both a plaque and a blue silk saree, similar to the one that was popularized by Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi. The awards were given to the winners by Smt. Sudha Raghunathan who spoke admiringly of the winners and their accomplishments.

Smt.Sudha Raghunathan and Dr.Seshu Sarma presenting Awards to Essay-Winners.

The second day of the three-day event showcased Atlanta’s local talent. The performers were young children and young adults from the Atlanta area who have been trained under several teachers in Carnatic music in Atlanta. Each group of participants sang compositions made popular by Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi. It was inspiring to listen to children as young as 6 years old, performing with devotion and dedication.

The last and final day of the three-day event was highlighted by a one-hour video presentation of the life and accomplishments of Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi put together by the renowned dramatist and director, Sri Syam Yellamraju. The video presentation was followed by group singing of the compositions of the great composer, Sri Annamacharya, and popularized by Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi. The performers were local music teachers and musicians. It was a fitting tribute to the memory of Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi.

At the conclusion of the program,Dr.Sarma thanked her co-trustees of SN OM Trust,Moorthy Rekapalli and Bala Indurti and the President of CAMAGA,Dr.Ram Sriram and all the others who contributed to this 3 day event. She expressed her gratitude to all the donors who contributed to the Sahasra Nayanam project and the Chitoor Gift of Sight project,with a total donation of $110,000. She further expressed her sincere appreciation to journalist Sri Mahadev Desai for his excellent coverage of the three-day event and Mr. Ravi Penumarthy for taking superb pictures of the event.