M. S.! Whom do you think I am thus referring to? No, not Dhoni. To begin with, I would have to write MSD. Sure I admire him, yet not enough to write a blog on him. Anyways, I do not understand cricket that much either.
Let me provide yet another clue. At Bangalore, there was a three days long seminar. A friend, whom I had helped in small little ways, had generously invited me to stay at her place. Her husband was that typical South Indian serious Law professor types. During the post dinner chat, I mentioned my admiration of M.S., and, you bet, was the man changed!
With the enthusiasm of a kid showing his best collection of butterflies, he revealed to me his infinite treasure trouve of his stock-n-pile of M.S. wonders . And, sure, she does deserve such adulation. Why, I AM myself one of her biggest fans.
Yes, I am referring to THE M.S. Subbalakshmi. What a gorgeous voice! If Lata's is gold, silver and platinum together, M. S' has the brilliance of a koh-i-noor! And, yet that sheen is NOT metallic. It has the soft lilt of a brook in the misty morning.
Hers is the perfect singing, utmost sincere, minutest detail attended to. Do not you believe me? Okay, listen to her bhajans from the film "Meera". As for her 'Venkatesh Suprabhatham', i can listen to it in a loop for hundreds of hours. It can make the worst atheist a firm believer.
I like her for yet another reason. She modelled herself as the perfect spouse of Sadashivam. Feminists have argued a lot regarding this issue. I do think that she was an ideal wife, but it was not a blind adulation. Actually, given her background, it must have been an absolutely tough battle for her to adjust to the conservative Tambram culture, to learn Sanskrit, though her perfect pronunciation would never make you believe so.
I do think that theirs was a perfect partnership, and in her own genuine way, she was utmost true to it. Of course, I never met her. She belonged to a totally different generation. She would be much older than my mother. In a way, it is unfair even to pass any unjust judgement in any negative way as the very contexts were different then.
Yes, I do admire her both as an artist and as a human being. That typical Tambram ensemble, suited to the 'kutcheri', and yet she had the sweet grace of a lovely warm person. She looked the devotion she sang!
All this pageant full of true admiration is up for your perusal because I watched Vidya Balan enacting her as a tribute. I have always admired Vidya Balan for her acting prowess. Well, this tribute to M.S. now elevates her to the rank of my favourite most actresses across the whole world. Thank You for bringing one of my idols alive!
Pratima@ Great singing is not merely mathematical arrangement of shruti's. Nor is it just technical, intellectual. Like any other genuine art, it is from the heart, from the soul, from the very core of one's be(com)ing.
Quote of the day: "Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music, " asserts George Eliot, one of my topmost favourite authors.
Word of the day: mellifluous. Mellifluous is the sound/a voice that is soft and musical to hear, like M.S'
P.S.: I used to play M.S' "Venkatesh Suprabhatam" for Aai during her last stay in the Mangeshkar Hospital. The morning listen used to bring a gentle smile on her medicine-weary face.
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