Mamurai Shanmuka Vadivu Subbulakshmi was no ordinary person; she was a phenomenon of the 20th century. Her voice thrilled the greater of this globe, regardless of the language in which she sang. Her performance before the audience at the United Nations consisting of Africans, Americans, Arabs, Asians, Australians, Europeans and Latin Americans was so much appreciated that there was a standing ovation for ten minutes. There are very few capitals in the world where she had not rendered her delectable music during India festivals.Music is not merely entertainment. It has been from time immemorial the vehicle of Bhakti. Alwars and Nayanmars sang in praise of gods and imparted devotion to God among the people. Tyagaraja of Tamil Nadu, Narayan Bhattari of Kerala, Purandara Dasa of Karnataka, Thukaram of Maharastra, Meera of Rajasthan and Gujarat, Guru Nanak of Punjab, Tulsidas and Kabir of North India, Mahaprush Sankara Deva of Assam, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of Bengal and Orissa, Annamacharya of Andhra are but a few of the saints and sages who had kindled the soul of man to follow the Bhakti Marga. MS, when she acted the part of Meera in the film, transformed herself into the original Meera and reflected her Bhakti towards Lord Krishna. Many had noticed that when she sang devotional songs, her eyes were closed. Mentally she seemed to see those divine beings.MS was a great devotee of the Paramachariar of Kanchi and never failed to perform in his presence during the Siva Ratri celebrations every year and the Paramachariar would go into a trance as if assimilating the divine music.MS studied the meanings of songs in different languages and also the philosophy behind the bhajans so that her personality merged with the spirit of those pieces. Full credit should go to her husband, himself a connoisseur of music, for selecting appropriate pieces for each occasion.MS earned how much, she did not know. Most of it went to religious, social and charitable causes. In 1980, Indira Gandhi wanted to nominate MS to the Rajya Sabha. She was under the impression that MS would be floating in wealth. She was surprised to learn that all of it had been given away to charities. She asked me to sound MS on the suggestion. I consulted Sadasivam and MS. The model of modesty, MS declined, saying that she was not cut out for political work. Comment is needless.The voice which thrilled the world has been stilled by the inexorable law of life. But her legend will last as long as Mountains stand and Rivers flow in this universe.The writer is a former president of India
