Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gets emotional:Tears well up while listening to M.S. Subbulakshmi’s songs on singer’s birth anniversary

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman became emotional at an event in Bengaluru on Tuesday, organised to mark the 110th birth anniversary of legendary singer M.S. Subbulakshmi. Tears welled up in her eyes as she listened to Subbulakshmi’s songs being performed at the event. Event held at Chowdiah Memorial Hall The event was organised at Bengaluru’s Chowdiah Memorial Hall, where Sitharaman attended as the chief guest. Subbulakshmi’s great-granddaughters, S. Aishwarya and S. Soundarya, also performed at the ceremony. Great-granddaughters continue her musical legacy Aishwarya and Soundarya have continued their great-grandmother’s musical tradition. At the event, they performed some of Subbulakshmi’s compositions. Music lovers gathered at the ceremony to remember the legendary singer and her contribution to Indian classical music. A biopic on Subbulakshmi’s life to release soon M.S. Subbulakshmi was born in Madurai on September 16, 1916. She was one of India’s most respected singers. In 1998, she was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award. A biopic based on Subbulakshmi’s life is set to release soon, with Rashmika Mandanna playing the legendary singer. The film was officially launched at The Music Academy in Chennai on September 16, marking what would have been Subbulakshmi’s 110th birth anniversary. Gautam Tinnanuri, who has previously directed films such as ‘Jersey’ and ‘Kingdom’, is helming the project. Before Rashmika, Sai Pallavi was reportedly considered for the role. Rashmika will portray a historical and cultural figure for the first time, whose identity is primarily associated with Karnataka classical music. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru Were Her Admirers M.S. Subbulakshmi was a legendary Carnatic singer whose renditions of Vishnu Sahasranamam, Bhaja Govindam and Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam have received millions of views on YouTube. She received major honours, including the Padma Shri and Bharat Ratna. Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru were among her admirers. At Gandhi’s request, she would sing “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” for him. The blue saris she often wore became associated with her and were known as MS Blue. How M.S. Subbulakshmi Became a Great Singer Born Kunjamma in Madurai on September 16, 1916, Subbulakshmi came from a musical family. Her mother, Shanmukavadir Ammal, was a veena player, while her father, Subramanian Iyer, was a singer. She made her first recording at the age of 10. She Started Performing at 13 She often sang bhajans alongside her mother during stage performances. In 1929, at just 13, she performed at the Madras Music Academy for the first time. An unexpected beginning In an interview with The Wire, Subbulakshmi recalled being taken from outside her house to her mother’s performance. She wiped the mud from her hands and sang a few songs on stage. The audience applauded, after which she began receiving more performance opportunities. T. Sadasivam Helped Her Gain Recognition In 1936, journalist T. Sadasivam wrote about her performance in Ananda Vikatan. The article brought larger crowds to her concerts. The two later met through work, fell in love and married against their families’ wishes. Sadasivam knew that Subbulakshmi’s talent was not meant to be confined to the stage. Through a recommendation to filmmaker K. Subrahmanyam, Sadasivam secured Subbulakshmi the lead role in the film Sevasadan. The 1938 film was a huge hit, and Subbulakshmi emerged as a major name in South India. To bring Subbulakshmi’s songs to the general public, her husband, Sadasivam, decided to produce films by investing his own money. At Subbulakshmi’s suggestion, Sadasivam made the first film on Mirabai, Meera (1945). Subbulakshmi was given the lead role of Mirabai in the film. To play Mirabai, Subbulakshmi herself stayed at all the places where Mirabai had spent time in devotion to Krishna. Filming began in 1944 at Newton Studios in Madras, after which the team selected Jaipur, Vrindavan, Chittor and Dwarka as locations. Impressed by the film’s concept, the Maharaja of Udaipur helped in every possible way, from allowing his palace to be used to make the film with elephants and horses. With the help of the Maharaja’s minister, they were provided with royal elephants and horses, as well as permission to shoot anywhere in the palace at any time. The palace’s royal dancers were also made available for the shoot. Many of the extras seen in the film were also members of the royal household. The 136-minute film featured 20 songs by Subbulakshmi The film Meera was released on Diwali, 3 November 1945. The 136-minute film had 20 songs, all sung by Subbulakshmi. The film was such a major hit at the box office that some scenes were reshot and it was released again in Hindi two years later, in 1947, under the title Meerabai. Mountbatten, Rajendra Prasad, Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru attended the premiere Mirabai was released on 21 November 1947, turning Subbulakshmi from a Tamil star into a national star. In the film, Sarojini Naidu introduced Subbulakshmi and called her the Nightingale of India. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the time also attended the film’s premiere. Other prominent national figures, including Lord Mountbatten, Rajendra Prasad, Vijayalakshmi Pandit and Indira Gandhi, were also present. After watching the film, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mountbatten became fans of Subbulakshmi. Meera Became a Musical Cult Classic The film Meera became a musical cult classic in Tamil cinema. Even today, it features on the list of India’s 100 greatest films. After the film’s success, Subbulakshmi received offers for several films, but she decided to end her association with cinema permanently. Jawaharlal Nehru Once Said, “I Am Only an Ordinary Prime Minister Before You” According to ThePrint, Subbulakshmi got the opportunity to sing before Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at a Karnataka festival held in Delhi in 1953. Impressed by her performance, Nehru praised her and said, “Your voice has the power to stir the strings of people’s hearts. What am I before you? Just an ordinary prime minister.” Gandhi Was Also a Fan and Would Request Her to Sing Mahatma Gandhi and Subbulakshmi became friends while working together during the freedom struggle. Gandhi admired her voice and would often ask her to sit in front of him and sing “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram”. On October 2, 1947, Gandhi organised a programme for Subbulakshmi in Delhi. He wanted to hear his bhajan “Hari Tum Haro” in her voice. However, as Subbulakshmi was unable to sing it properly, she suggested that another singer perform it. Her suggestion was rejected. She Recorded “Hari Tum Haro” for Gandhi For some reason, Subbulakshmi could not attend the programme. Wanting to apologise, she worked until midnight on October 1 to record “Hari Tum Haro”. She then sent the recording to Mahatma Gandhi on the morning flight. Did not sing the bhajan for several months after Gandhi’s assassination When Subbulakshmi heard the news of Gandhi’s assassination on 30 January 1948, she fainted. The shock was so great that she did not sing the bhajan “Hari Tum Haro” for several months.