JOIN USA voice that lives on
The magic of M S Subbulakshmi or ‘MS amma’ as she was fondly called, is endless. The large number of people seen at the screening of the documentary – ‘Music of MS’ — at Purandara Bhavana, Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha on Independence Day was a proof of the timelessness of her voice.
Among the crowd were many senior citizens. Some had even brought their children and grandchildren. They were seen snapping their fingers and tapping their toes to the tunes of Subbulakshmi. The two-hour documentary put together by musician V Navaneeth Krishnan, took the audience on a journey through the images of M S Subbulakshmi. It featured rare pictures of hers and music clips from the personal archives of Radha Viswanathan, daughter and disciple of M S Subbulakshmi.
Radha had performed alongside Subbulakshmi and was present at the screening. Many people walked up to her to click pictures with her and parents brought their children to seek her blessings.
“Dancing and singing were an inseparable part of my life. As a dancer, it is important to practise all the time to perfect your steps,” Radha advised a young dancer who came to her.
The two-hour documentary showed some rare pictures of Subbulakshmi performing across the world. People, who watched the screening, said that it was like sitting through a concert. About the documentary, Radha’s son V Shrinivasan said that about 1,000 or more pictures were chosen for the occasion apart from videos.
“I think it’s hard work and commitment to the art that I saw in MS amma and my mother. They not only sang together on several stages but were immersed in popularising the art,” explained Shrinivasan.
V Navaneeth Krishnan, a Chennai-based musician who pieced together the
documentary, said that he started working on it in February. “I had to spend a lot of time to cull out the right kind of information. I had to edit rather thoughtfully. I virtually grew up on a diet of MS’ music and her music not only educated the young but also imparted good values,” he said.
There were a lot of young musicians who have been following Subbulakshmi and some of them had even uploaded her music on their phones.
Vyshak, a student of chartered accountancy and a trained classical dancer, said, “what struck me most about MS was her simplicity. Listening to her music is like going to a spa. It’s that rejuvenating. I relax listening to her music and it’s motivating too.”
Priyanka C Prakash, another young performer said, “To MS, the kriti was sacrosanct and I learnt that from her. I am a big fan of MS and have a huge collection of her music,” she said.