M. S. Subbulakshmi: The Definitive Biography

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.