The Google doodle today honors M.S.Subbulakshmi
(1916~2004) on her 97th birthday. I don’t understand the nuances of
music (the ragas, the construct, the delivery style and such) like most others
do, but I love music and do know to appreciate when soul goes into producing
great performances. And I believe MS’ soul was always on a song. For when she
sang, she became the music. There was no more MS. Just the music flowed and
swept away all those who listened to her.
 |
| M S Subbulakshmi: Humility Personified |
As a young boy who took public transport to school, I
have waited several mornings outside MS’ home (where the bus stop was located)
on Village Road, in Chennai. I remember having seen her on a few occasions, stepping
out into the courtyard to water the tulasi
plant. I only knew of her then as a great musician that the world adored. It
was when she was decorated with the Bharat
Ratna (India’s highest civilian honor) that I saw the exceptional human
being and the embodiment of simplicity and humility in MS. For all the
adulation, praise, rewards and recognition that came her way, she remained
unaffected. All she knew was that her soul sang. And she let it sing whenever
it felt like it. My impression of this side of MS was validated when, soon
after her passing away in December 2004, The
Hindu ran a series of tributes. Among them was one by M.Krishnaswami,
Chairman of the Sri Thyagaraja Trust. He recalled an incident when the Tirumala-Tirupati
Devasthanams (TTD) had invited MS to perform to commemorate the then Prime
Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s visit to the famous shrine. The morning after
her magnificent concert, TTD’s senior officials called on MS and requested her
to accept the title of the TTD’s Asthana
Vidwan (Court Singer) – a honor no one had ever been offered till that date. She was the
first to be offered it. Krishnaswami, who was present at that meeting, reported
that MS graciously declined to accept the honor. She told the TTD delegation that
it would be improper on her part to accept this title when so many senior
musicians, all of them stalwarts, had not been honoured with it. She named Ariyakkudi
Ramanuja Iyengar, Musiri Subramania Iyer and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, in particular
and said she revered these gentlemen and would not be able to accept an honor
ahead of them. The TTD Team was touched by her thoughtfulness and decided to
honor these senior artistes as well along with MS. That anecdote has left a
deep impact on me and has, I believe, contributed to my evolution.
All of us crave for recognition. This craving comes from the
feeling that we have created or achieved something and, therefore, we need to
be celebrated for it. Nothing wrong with this thinking. Except that it will
also be pertinent to remember that our lives happens through us – and not
necessarily because of us. Whatever we create is an expression of what we are
endowed with. We don’t make the music we render. It merely flows through us. We
are but instruments. The stage is “given” to us. The music – the reference here
is to any chosen vocation or craft that we pursue and is not limited to music –
is “given” to us. We are mere delivery agents. Just as a courier delivery
person cannot take credit or responsibility for the quality of communication,
she or he is delivering, we too can’t. As long as we understand this truth and remain
anchored with it, we will always be grounded – we too then will be unaffected
by praise (or criticism) when it comes our way. When we discover how to be
untouched by success (or failure), we would have found inner peace and bliss!
Here’s MS’ rendition of Hari Tum Haro…have a great week
ahead!
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