Abheri(Kannada: ಅಭೇರಿ) is a raga (musical scale) in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). It is a Janya raga (derived scale), whose Melakarta raga (parent, also known as janaka) is Kharaharapriya, 22nd in the 72 Melakarta raga system.

Bhimplasi (or Bheemplas) of Hindustani music sounds pretty close to Abheri.^[1][2]

Structure and Lakshana[link]

Ascending scale with Shadjam at C

Descending scale with Shadjam at C

Abheri is an Audava-Sampoorna raga.Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

• ārohaṇa : S G2 M1 P N2 S
• avarohaṇa : S N2 D2 P M1 G2 R2 S

(Chathusruthi Rishabham, Sadharana Gandharam, Suddha Madhyamam, Chathusruthi Dhaivatham, Kaisiki Nishadham)

In addition to these swaras, there are gamakas which also form part of Abheri, like any other raga in Carnatic music.

The ascending scale is same as that of Udayaravichandrika raga (also known as Shuddha Dhanyasi), while the descending scale is that of Kharaharapriya raga.

There are some differing views on swaras in the scale of Abheri. It is considered a Bhashanga raga (scale has an anya swara, that is, a note which is not in the parent melakarta raga, in this case Kharaharapriya raga), with introduction of Suddha Dhiavatham (D1) in some phrases of the raga.^[1] A different view is that this raga is a janya of Natabhairavi (which has D1, suddha dhaivatham, in place of D2), with D2 being the anya swara (external note).^[2]

This raga is closer to Bhagyasree as for Bhagyasree Gandharam is sung softly. Thus a subtle difference of Gandhara makes a listener to feel this raga as Bhagyasree.

Popular compositions[link]

A very popular composition in Abheri raga is Nagumomu Ganaleni, a kriti by Thyagaraja, one of the three eminent composers in Carnatic music. Another well known composition is Bhajare Re Manasa, a kriti written by Mysore Vasudevachar. Muthuswami Dikshitar has composed Veenabheri in this raga.

There are many thukadas (or short songs, that are sung towards end of a Carnatic concert) composed in this raga. This raga has been extensively used in movie songs/ movie music. The most popular movie song in this raga is Aakaasa veedhilo from the old Telugu classic movie Malliswari sung by Ghantasala and Bhanumati.

Popular Classical Albums on this Raagam[link]

An excellent rendition of this Raaga can be found in one of L. Shankar Albums Raga Aberi. He received a Grammy Nomination for this composition.

Songs by maestro Ilaiyaraaja on this raga[link]

Chinnanjiru Vayathil – Meendum Kokila (Uses Ni3); En Paatu En Paatu – Poomani; Ennai Thottu Alli Konda – Unna Ninaichen Paatu Padichen; Guruvaayoorappa – Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal; Kaalidasan Kannadasan – Soorakottai Singakkutti; Kaiyetha – Vinodhayathra (Malayalam); Kuyile Kavikuyile – Kavikuyil; Megam Karukkudhu – Anandha Ragam; Muthamizhae Muthamizhae – Raman Abdulla; Padhmanabha – Manjeera Dhwani (Thillana) (Malayalam); Poongaaviyam Pesum Oviyam – Karpoora Mullai; Poonguyil Rendum Onnoda Onna – Veetula Visheshanga; Poove Poochoodava – Poove Poochoodava; Sindhu Nadhi Karai Oram – Nalladhoru Kudumbam; Un Manasula Paatu Thaan – Paandi Naatu Thangam; Varna Vrindaavanum – Kaliyoonjal (Malayalam); Velli Kolusu Mani – Pongi Varum Kaaveri;

Songs by A R Rahman on this Raaga[link]

Kannodu Kaanbadellam - Jeans (Uses N3 in few places)

Songs by Harris Jayaraj[link]

Unakkul Naane - Pachaikili Muthucharam

Related rāgams[link]

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

Abheri's notes when shifted using Graha bhedam, yields 3 other janya rāgams, namely, Mohanakalyani, Kedaragaula and Arabhi (if we consider the Kharaharapriya based scale). Graha bhedam is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the Shadjam to the next note in the rāgam. In case of Janya ragams, only notes that occur in both ascending and descending scale are taken for this change. For further details and an illustration of Graha bhedam refer Graha bhedam on Sankarabharanam.

References[link]

Nithyasree Mahadevan
Background information
Born	(1973-08-25) August 25, 1973 (age 38)
Origin	Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu, India
Genres	Carnatic music - Indian Classical Music and Playback singing
Occupations	Singer
Years active	1987 - Present
Labels	HMV, EMI, RPG, AVM Audio, Inreco, Vani, Amutham Inc., Charsur Digital Workshop, Carnatica, Rajalakshmi Audio etc.

Nithyasree Mahadevan, (born August 25, 1973) also previously referred to as S. Nithyashri, is an eminent Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in many Indian languages. Nithyashree has performed in all major sabhas in India and has presented her concerts in many destinations around the world. She has received multiple awards and honours, and has released more than 100 commercial albums.

Early life[link]

Nithyasree was born to Lalitha Sivakumar and I. Sivakumar. Her paternal grandmother, D. K. Pattammal, ^[1] and her granduncle, D. K. Jayaraman, ^[2] were prominent Carnatic vocalists who were established disciples of Ambi Dikshithar, Papanasam Sivan, Muthiah Bhagavathar, and others. Her maternal grandfather was the mridangam maestro, Palghat Mani Iyer.

Her mother, Lalitha Sivakumar, was her first guru (teacher).^[2] Like her mother, Nithyashree was also the disciple of D. K. Pattammal, and would accompany her in concert. Nithyashree's father, an accomplished mridangist and disciple of Palghat Mani Iyer, would constantly show his support and accompany Nithyashree when she performed.^[3]

Music career[link]

Touring[link]

Nithyashree has performed in all major sabhas all over India and has presented her concerts in the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, Singapore, Malaysia and various other destinations throughout the world.^[3]

Titles and Awards[link]

Nithyashree's maiden performance was titled 'best concert of the series'. She is an A.I.R. Prize Winner (1990) and has been an 'A' grade artist. She has been awarded the "Yuva Kala Bharathi" title by Bharath Kalachar in 1994, "Innisai Maamani" by Tamil Nadu Welfare Association, "Kalaimamani" by Hamsadhwani in 2000,^[4] "Isai Paeroli" by Kartik Fine Arts in 2001,^[5] and various other prestigious awards such as ", "Padma Sadhana" (2004), and "Naada Kovida" (2006).^[6][7] She has received "Best Concert Award" from The Music Academy during the music festivals a couple of times and has also performed for the "Sangeeth Natak Academy" twice in their International Music Festivals in Bombay and Hyderabad. She has also received the "Best Promising Artiste" from "Mohanam" Music Club, and made a thematic album of compositions popularising the raga Mohanam. She was awarded a doctorate degree from Sathyabama university of Jeppiar in Chennai in late 2007.

Performances[link]

Nithyashree's first Carnatic performance was for the Youth Association For Classical Music on 10 August 1987. The concert lasted 1 hour, and was scheduled between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. Prominent Carnatic musicians that were present at the concert, included D. K. Pattammal, D. K. Jayaraman, Vijay Siva, R. K. Sriramkumar, as well as the chief guest at that concert, K. V. Narayanaswamy.^[8]

She has given numerous concerts consisting of only patriotic songs to commemorate the 50th year of Indian Independence, a few with D. K. Pattammal before her grandmother stopped performing in public.

D. K. Jayaraman and D. K. Pattammal were known for singing and popularising the compositions of Papanasam Sivan, having learnt them directly from the composer himself. Nithyashree has continued this tradition. She has also given a lecture demonstration in Coimbatore for Manoranjitham on "Papanasam Sivan - A Legend", and made two special thematic albums that solely contained his compositions.

Like D. K. Pattammal, Nithyashree has also popularised compositions of Gopalakrishna Bharathi. She presented a paper on the Life and Contribution of Gopalakrishna Bharathi for the Music Department of PSG College, Coimbatore. Her two thematic albums that solely consisted of his compositions have been very popular, both online and offline.

Nithyashree's commanding, high-pitched voice is well suited to various genres of music including Carnatic music, devotional music, as well as patriotic and popular songs.

Playback singing[link]

Nithyashree's introduction to Tamil playback singing came when A.R. Rahman called her to Panchathan Recording Inn, in Chennai, for a voice test sometime in the 1990s. The output from her visit was used for the song "Kannodu Kanbadellam" in the movie Jeans starring Aishwarya Rai and Prashanth. This became particularly popular which resulted in many songs in the same combination like "Minsara Kanna" from Padayappa, "Sowkiyama Kannae" from Sangamam, and "Manmatha Maasam" from Parthale Paravasam.^[9]

Some of her other songs include "Kumbakonam Sandhayile" from New, "Oru Nadhi Oru Pournami" from Samurai, "Kana Kaangiren" from Ananda Thandavam as well as "Thaai Thindra Mannae" from the film Aayirathil Oruvan.^[9]

She also successfully branched out to Telugu and Kannada playback singing, with songs such as "Ra Ra..." from Apthamitra.

Personal life[link]

Nithyashree and her husband, Mahadevan, have two daughters, Tanujasree and Tejasree.^[10]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Musical Nirvana biography

This article may contain wording that merely promotes the subject without imparting verifiable information. Please remove or replace such wording, unless you can cite independent sources that support the characterization. (October 2009)

T. M. Krishna
Background information
Also known as	TMK
Born	(1976-01-22) January 22, 1976 (age 36) Chennai, India
Genres	Indian classical music
Occupations	Carnatic Vocalist
Years active	1988–present
Website	http://www.tmkrishna.com

T.M. Krishna (Thodur Madabusi Krishna, born 1976) is a Carnatic music vocalist. Hailing from a family of music connoisseurs, he was exposed to the south Indian classical music at an early age. His first concert was at the Spirit of Youth series organized by the Music Academy, Chennai (India). Since then, he has travelled widely in India and abroad and won applause from his listeners. He has received numerous awards and titles from many leading organizations, notable amongst which are the Young Achievers Award by India Today and the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar Award by the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi. He has released many music albums from leading audio companies like Magna sound, HMV, Inreco, Amudham (USA) and Charsur.

T.M. Krishna was born in Chennai on January 22, 1976. His father was a businessman in the automobile industry and his mother has been running a music school, Kalapeetam, in Chennai.

Krishna's mother used to learn from his guru (teacher) B. Seetharama Sharma when he was four years old. Sharma noticed Krishna's interest in music, and started teaching him at the age of six.

His schooling in KFI, an institution managed by the J. Krishnamurthy trust, influenced his perceptions and outlook towards life, something which the musician has himself revealed numerous times. He went on to receive his B.A. degree in economics from Vivekananda College, Madras. He married Sangeetha Sivakumar, a Carnatic musician herself, on November 7, 1997, and has two daughters, Arya and Anantha. Together, they live in Mylapore, one of the hubs of Carnatic music in Madras.

Early life[link]

Krishna's mother was a carnatic music graduate and his father T.M.Rangachari was a great lover of carnatic classical music, while his grandparents too had immense interest in it.^[1] His grand uncle T.T. Krishnamachari (former Indian finance minister and renowned industrialist) was one of the founders of the Madras Music Academy.^[2]

After tutelage under B. Seetharama Sharma, Krishna underwent special Ragam Thanam Pallavi grooming under Chengalpet Ranganathan. He also received advanced training from the late Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer for more than seven years.

Music career[link]

Krishna assisted his guru Sri Seetharama Sharma in many of his composing projects, including musical operas like The Ramayana (presented in The Reunion Islands in 1993), orchestra presentations and choir presentations. Krishna also toured Singapore in 2001 to compose and conduct the orchestra of the Singapore Fine Arts Society supported by a grant from the National Arts Council of Singapore.

Krishna is known for his resonant voice and strict adherence to classicism. He is widely considered to be the most prominent young male carnatic vocalist with a great depth in knowledge ^[3][4] His concerts are usually marked by an electrifying performance and a deeply moved audience^[5]

Krishna has featured in the Carnatic Concert Movie, Margazhi Raagam along with Bombay Jayashri in 2008

Other activities[link]

He has given numerous lecture demonstrations on various facets of Carnatic music and its history at important institutions. He is presently working on audio archiving the Sangeetha Sampradaya Pradarshini, a musical treatise of very great importance and significance in relation to the compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar.

In 1998, Krishna, along with musicians Vijay Siva and Dr Sunder, authored the first ever Carnatic music appreciation album titled "Learning to Appreciate Carnatic Music". In 2001, along with musician Bombay Jayashree and Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Krishna authored a book on Prof Sambamoorthy, an Indian musicologist of international repute, to commemorate his birth centenary.

In 2007, he co-authored and published a book with Bombay Jayashri titled "Voices Within", the first coffee-table book of its kind, on the legends of Carnatic music. Krishna contributes articles to various publications and websites regarding art, culture, and socio-political issues as well as to his own website.

Krishna is a co-founder of Jnanarnava Trust, an organisation devoted to the research, documentation and archival of the ancient traditions in Carnatic music. (www.jnanarnava.org). He initiated Kalachara Marumalarchi, an organization dedicated to the revival of cultural activities in the interior towns and villages of Tamil Nadu, India and to rejuvenate the function of the temples as cultural hubs. He is also the cofounder of Sumanasa Foundation, an organization to promote Carnatic music and musicians in and around rural areas by sponsoring upcoming musicians.

References[link]

• Iyengar,B.R.C., "Dulcet Tones", Kalasagaram, 2004
• Kumar, S. Vinaya, "Seasoned Musician", The Hindu
• Nisshanka, "TM Krishna: Bravado and Loudness", Chennai Online
• Matrka Website
• Jnanarnava Website
• Other news reviews and articles

Mysore Vasudevachar (May 28, 1865 - May 17, 1961) was a renowned musician and composer of Carnatic music compositions who belonged to the direct line of Thyagaraja's disciples.

Tyagaraja --> Manambuchavadi Venkatasubba Iyer --> Patnam Subramania Iyer --> Mysore Vasudevacharya

Life & Career[link]

Vasudevachar was born in an orthodox Madhva Brahmin family in Mysore and started learning music from Veena Padmanabhiah, the chief musician of the Mysore court. He also mastered Sanskrit and allied fields such as Kavya, Vyakarana, Nataka, Alankaram, Tarka, Itihasa, Purana having studied at the Maharaja Sanskrit college in Mysore while learning music privately. He then went on to learn from the famous composer-musician Patnam Subramania Iyer supported by the Maharaja's generous stipend and imbibed the music of not only his Guru but also other great maestros of the Thanjavur-Cauvery delta. Vasudevachar eventually became the chief court musician(Asthana Vidwan) at the Mysore court. He was known for his madhyama-kala tanam singing which he learnt from his Guru. Patnam Subramania Iyer often requested his sishya "Vasu" to help him with the sahitya(lyric) aspects of his compositions. This aspect of his training undoubtedly helped Vasudevachar as a composer.

Vasudevachar's compositions (numbering over 200) were mostly in Telugu and Sanskrit. Some of his most popular kritis include Brochevarevarura in Khamas raga, Devadideva in Sunadavinodini, Mamavatu Sri Saraswati in Hindolam, Bhajare Re Manasa in Abheri and Ra Ra Rajeevalochana Rama in Mohanam. He published a large number of his compositions in the book Vasudeva Kirtana Manjari. His compositions in Telugu have such sweetness and lilt, and beautifully blend with the tune of the raga as do the Sanskrit compositions, which are mellifluous. His songs reflect his mastery of Sanskrit and show his erudition and scholarship in Sanskrit literature. He considered his insight into Telugu as a gift from Thyagaraja (Thyagaraja's bhiksha). Unlike the Dasa kuta songs, his compositions don't have any Dvaita undertones but many have the words "Paramapurusha Vasudeva" or "Vasudeva" which means the supreme Vasudeva/Lord Vishnu which incidentally is also his mudra or signature. True to his Vaishnava heritage and the Thyagaraja shishya parampara to which he belonged, most of his compositions are in praise of Lord Rama. In addition to Kritis and Keertanas, he also composed Varnams, Thillanas, Javalis and slokas. His admiration for the trinity of Carnatic music specially Thyagaraja resulted in Srimadadi Thyagaraja Guruvaram in Kalyani, Shri Ramachandra (a ragamalika) and two other ragamalikas in praise of Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Sastri. Vasudevachar's compositions are thus like sugar candy which gives one instant pleasure and yet lingers on in the mind and heart long after.

He is also credited with two writings in Kannada, one of them an autobiography called Nenapugalu (memories) and Na Kanda Kalavidaru (the musicians I have met) in which he wrote the biographies of many well known musicians.

Mysore Vasudevachar also taught in Rukmini Devi's Kalakshetra, (founded in 1936). He was already quite old by then, but thanks to Rukmini Devi he agreed to shift to Kalakshetra. He became the chief musician in Kalakshetra and helped in setting the Ramayana to music. He died in the year 1961 at the ripe old age of 96. He lived a simple and austere life devoted to the study of Sanskrit and music.

S. Rajaram, his grandson worked at Kalakshetra eventually taking charge of the institution at Rukmini Devi's request. Vasudevachar had composed the music for only the first four kandas and it was left to Rajaram to finish the work. An accomplished musician and Sanskrit scholar, he was amongst the few musicians, the sole repository of Vasudevachar's compositions. He died on June 2, 2009.

S. Krishnamoorthy, his other grandson worked at All India Radio(A.I.R) and has translated his grandfather's memoirs into English. He's also published a memoir of his own.

Compositions[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Pranesh, Meera Rajaram (2003), Musical Composers during Wodeyar Dynasty (1638-1947 A.D.), Vee Emm Publications, Bangalore
• Musical Nirvana biography
• [1] Interview with S. Rajaram.
• [2] A profile of this maestro.
• [3] S. Rajaram

See also[link]

• List of Carnatic composers

M.S.Subbulakshmi
An EMI record of Subbulakshmi
Background information
Born	(1916-09-16)September 16, 1916 Madurai, Madras Presidency, India
Origin	India
Died	December 11, 2004(2004-12-11) (aged 88) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Genres	Indian classical music
Occupations	Classical Vocalist
Years active	1930–2004
Labels	HMV

Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (Tamil: மதுரை சண்முகவடிவு சுப்புலட்சுமி, Madhurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi ^? 16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004), also known as M.S., was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor.^[1] She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, Asia's highest civilian award, in 1974 with the citation reading "Exacting purists acknowledge Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the leading exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the Karnataka tradition of South India."^[2][3]

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Subbulakshmi (Kunjamma to her family) was born in Madurai, Madras Presidency, India to veena player Shanmukavadiver Ammal and Subramania Iyer. Her grandmother Akkammal was a violinist.

She started learning Carnatic music at an early age and trained in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and subsequently in Hindustani music under Pandit Narayanrao Vyas. She also learned Sanskrit and Telugu under Dr. Nedunuri Krishnamurthy.

Her mother, from the devadasi community, was a music exponent and a regular stage performer, and Subbulakshmi grew up in an environment very conducive to musical learning. Her musical interests were also shaped by regular interactions with Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhavathar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.^[4] Subbulakshmi gave her first public performance in 1929 when she was 13 years old at the prestigious Madras Music Academy. The performance consisted of singing bhajans (Hindu hymns).^[5] The academy was known for its discriminating selection process, and they broke tradition by inviting a young girl as a key performer. Her performance was described as spellbinding and earned her many admirers and the moniker of musical genius from critics. Soon after her debut performance Subbulakshmi became one the leading Carnatic vocalists.^[6][7]

Move to Madras[link]

In 1936 Subbulakshmi moved to Madras (now Chennai).^[7] She also made her film debut in Sevasadan in 1938,.^[8]

Musical style and performance[link]

M.S. Subbulakshmi (left) with S. Varalakshmi in Sevasadhanam (1938)

Singing career[link]

M.S. Subbulakshmi began her Carnatic classical music training under her mother Shanmugavadivu; and later in Hindustani classical training under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas. Subbulakshmi first recording was released when she was 10 years old. She gave her first public performance, at the age of eleven, in the 100 pillar hall inside the Rockfort Temple, Tiruchirappalli; with Mysore Chowdiah on the violin and Dakshinamurthy Pillai on the mriganga. ^[9] By the age of 17, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy, a prestigious centre for the study and promotion of Carnatic music. Performance in Carnatic music concerts, was until then, a domain, traditionally reserved for men. She performed a vast variety of devotional musical forms in different languages including Tamil, Kannada, Sanskrit, Panjabi, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi.

When the governor of Madras wanted the famous spiritual leader, Mata Sri Anandamayi Ma, to reside in his residence, Anandamayi Ma replied, "I will stay in the house of Subbulakshmi. She is Meera to me." Within two days, Sadasivam had special quarters built in their garden for Mata to give darshan and arranged for a new well to be dug nearby for fresh drinking water. Every evening thousands of people gathered there.

She traveled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India's cultural ambassador. Her concerts at

• Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama in 1963
• Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966
• Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982
• Festival of India in Moscow in 1987

were significant landmarks in her career.^[10] In 1969 she was accompanied by Indian Railways Advisor SN Venkata Rao to Rameshwaram, where she famously sang several songs in front of each idol in the Rameshwaram temple.

After the death of her husband Kalki Sadasivam in 1997, she stopped all her public performances.

Films[link]

M.S. also acted in a few Tamil films in her youth. Her first movie Sevasadanam was released in 1938. MS Subbulakshmi also played the male role of Narada in "Savitri" (1941) to raise money for launching Kalki, her husband's nationalist Tamil weekly. Her title role of the Rajasthani saint-poetess Meera in the eponymous 1945 film gave her national prominence. This movie was re-made in Hindi in 1947. The movie had M.S Subbulakshmi. sing the famous Meera bhajans, with Dilipkumar Roy as the music director. Later, she quit films and turned wholly to concert music.

Awards and honours[link]

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had this to say about M.S. Subbulakshmi- "Who am I, a mere Prime Minister before a Queen, a Queen of Music". While Lata Mangeshkar called her Tapaswini (the Renunciate), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan termed her Suswaralakshmi (the goddess of the perfect note), and Kishori Amonkar labeled her the ultimate eighth note or Aathuvaan Sur, which is above the seven notes basic to all music. The great national leader and poet Sarojini Naidu called her "Nightingale of India". 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).

She was widely honored, praised and awarded. Some of the more popular ones include^[11]

• Padma Bhushan in 1954
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1956
• Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968 (literally, Treasure Chest of Music. She was the first woman recipient of the title)
• Ramon Magsaysay award (often considered Asia's Nobel Prize) in 1974
• Padma Vibhushan in 1975
• Kalidas Samman in 1988
• Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990
• Bharat Ratna in 1998.

She was honored as the court-singer[Asthana Vidhwan] of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.^[12] Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has installed a bronze statue of M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Poornakumbham circle in the temple town. It was unveiled by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on 28 May 2006.^[13]

The famous Kancheepuram Saree shade known as MS Blue was named after her^[14] by the well known Congress party member and philanthropist, Sri Muthu Chettiyar when they met at the residence of Sri R. Aiyadurai and Smt. Thangam Aiyadurai at Lady Desikachari Road, Madras, who were close friends of MS and Sadasivam.

She was bestowed with enormous prize moneys with these awards, she donated most of them to charity. She has given more than 200 charity concerts and raised well over Rs. 10,000,000. She was awarded honorary degree degrees from several Universities.

She was an ardent devotee of Kanchi Mahaswamigal and she rendered his composition Maithreem Bhajatha (O World! Cultivate peace) in her concert at the UN in 1966. Venkatesa Suprabhatam in Gramaphone record of HMV, the royalty from which goes to the Veda Patasala run by the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam.^[15] She donated many of the royalties on several best sold records to many charity organizations.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• M.S. Subbulaksmi, the Voice Divine (79 pages) by V. Gangadhar.
• MS - A Life in Music, T. J. S. George. 2004, HarperCollins. ISBN 978-81-7223-527-7
• Gowri Ramnarayan (Dec. 18–31, 2004), "Cover Story: The M.S. phenomenon", Frontline 21 (26), http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2126/stories/20041231006400900.htm 
• MS & Radha - Saga of Steadfast Devotion - by Gowri Ramnarayan - http://www.msstribute.org/

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: M. S. Subbulakshmi

• "Artists: M.S.Subbulakshmi, Nat Geo Music". National Geographic Society. http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/ms_subbulakshmi. 
• Biography at the official site of Ramon Magsaysay award
• M.S. Subbulakshmi at the Internet Movie Database
• Photo of MS, Sadhasivam and Ellis R. Dungan
• M.S. Subbulakshmi: Portraits of a diva - The Hindu

See also[link]

Indian classical music portal

v t e Bharat Ratna laureates Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1954) C. Rajagopalachari (1954) C. V. Raman (1954) Bhagwan Das (1955) Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya (1955) Jawaharlal Nehru (1955) Govind Ballabh Pant (1957) Dhondo Keshav Karve (1958) Bidhan Chandra Roy (1961) Purushottam Das Tandon (1961) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1962) Dr. Zakir Hussain (1963) Pandurang Vaman Kane (1963) Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966) Indira Gandhi (1971) V. V. Giri (1975) K. Kamaraj (1976) Mother Teresa (1980) Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1983) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) M. G. Ramachandran (1988) B. R. Ambedkar (1990) Nelson Mandela (1990) Rajiv Gandhi (1991) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1991) Morarji Desai (1991) Abul Kalam Azad (1992) J. R. D. Tata (1992) Satyajit Ray (1992) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1997) Gulzarilal Nanda (1997) Aruna Asaf Ali (1997) M. S. Subbulakshmi (1998) Chidambaram Subramaniam (1998) Jayaprakash Narayan (1998) Ravi Shankar (1999) Amartya Sen (1999) Gopinath Bordoloi (1999) Lata Mangeshkar (2001) Bismillah Khan (2001) Bhimsen Joshi (2008)