Legendary carnatic vocalist M. S. Subbulakshmi  honoured at the United Nations on India’s 70th Independence Day by a performance by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman .UN also releasing Postal Stamp of MS Subbulakshmi to mark her 100th Birth Anniversary
About MS :-
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi born on 16 September 1916 also known as S., was a Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.
- She is the first Indian musician to receive theRamon Magsaysay award, often considered Asia’s Nobel Prize, 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 carnatic tradition of South India.
- 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.
- Subbulakshmi gave her first performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academyin 1929, when she was 13 years old . The performance consisted of singing bhajans. 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 monikerof musical genius from critics. Soon after her debut performances, Subbulakshmi became one of the leading Carnatic vocalists.
- By the age of seventeen, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy.
She travelled 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 Assemblyon UN day in 1966
- Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982
- Festival of India in Moscow in 1987Â were significant landmarks in her career.
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.
UN – MS :-
The United Nations Postal Administration will issue a stamp to mark the birth centenary of Indian music legend M S Subbulakshmi on the occasion of India’s 70th Independence Day.
- United Nations, the intergovernmental organization plans to honor legendary Carnatic vocalist MS Subbulaksmi by issuing a stamp to mark her hundredth birth anniversary, which falls on September 16, 2016.
- India’s independence day will be commemorated at the world body’s headquarters this year as Versatile composer A.R Rahman, who is going to become the second Indian artiste after MS Subbulaksmi to perform at the iconic UN hall will execute a concert on the Independence Day at the headquarters of the UN in New York. He will perform in the presence of the respected UN members and other notable dignitaries.
- This year also marks the 50th anniversary of her performance at the UN and the photo exhibition will depict various facets and moments of Ms Subbulakshmi’s life and times providing a rare insight to the music legend’s achievements.
- It is noted that Subbulakshmi, hailed by Jawaharlal Nehru as ‘The Queen of Music’, was the first Indian to perform here when she was invited by then Secretary General U Thant to give the UN Day concert on October 23, 1966.
About UN :
- HQ – New york, US
- Establishment – 1945
