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Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (popularly known as M.S. or M.S.S.) (born September 16, 1916) is a renowned carnatic vocalist. She was born to a musical family, in the temple town of Madurai, situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. MS started learning carnatic music from a very early age and cut her first disc at the age of 10. She then began her Carnatic classical music training under Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and then Hindustani classical training under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas.

At 17, the child prodigy made her debut at the Madras Music Academy . Since then, she has performed countless musical forms in different languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Sanskrit and Kannada.

M.S. had a brief stint in movies too. Her most memorable role was Bhaktha MeeraMeera ( 1498 1547) was a Rajput princess who lived in a north Indian state called Rajasthan. She was a devout follower of Lord Krishna. Although she married a Rajput prince, she always believed that she was the property of Krishna. She gradually renounced in Meera(1945). The movie had M.S. sing the famous Meera bhajansMeera ( 1498 1547) was a Rajput princess who lived in a north Indian state called Rajasthan. She was a devout follower of Lord Krishna. Although she married a Rajput prince, she always believed that she was the property of Krishna. She gradually renounced. Those renditions by M.S. continue to haunt listeners to this day.

M.S. met Sadhashivam, a freedom fighter, and a faithful follower of RajajiRajaji Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (December 1878 December 25, 1972), known as or Rajaji or C. was an Indian lawyer, writer, statesman and a Hindu spiritualist. He was the second Governor-General of independent India. Later he became the Chief Minister o, in 1936Events January-February January 15 The first building to be completely covered in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio, for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. January 20 Death of George V of the United Kingdom. His son Edward VIII succeedes him as King of th and in 1940, the two decided to marry. Their post marital life (which spanned over 50 years) had been extremely fruitful to both of them.

M.S. traveled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India's cultural ambassador. Her concerts at Carnegie HallCarnegie Hall is a concert venue in Manhattan, New York City. It is one of the most significant venues for classical as well as popular music in the US, known not just for its beauty and history but also for its fine acoustics. Form Carnegie Hall is actua, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966Events January January 1 In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bedel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. January 2 Strike of public transportation workers in New York City ends January 13 January 3 First Acid Test at the Fil; the Royal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences is an arts venue dedicated to Queen Victoria's husband and consort, Prince Albert. It is situated in South Kensington in central London within the area also known as Albertopolis. It forms the practical part of a, London in 1982; and at the Festival of India in Moscow in 1987 are unforgettable landmarks in her career.

M.S. renders the human art of singing with a spiritual quality and divine grace that enthralls and transfixes listeners, and transports them into a different world, as though cast under a spell. As a first- time foreign listener put it, "M.S. does not sing. She makes divinity manifest."

In the late 1950s, as she sang at the Ramakrishna Ashram in Delhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, was among the audience. At the end of the recital he was so moved that he bowed, and said, "What am I, a mere prime minister before a queen of music."

While Lata Mangeshkar called her "Tapaswini", or the Renunciate, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan termed her "Swaralakshmi," or the goddess of musical notes, and Kishori Amonkar labeled her the ultimate eighth note or "Aathuvaan Sur," which is above the seven notes basic to all music. One of her most famous renditions of bhajans is the chanting of Vishnu sahasranama.

The awards and honors bestowed upon her are innumerable. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan(1954), and she was the first woman recipient of the Sangeetha Kalanidhi (Treasure Chest of Music) title, (1968). Then came the coveted Ramon Magsaysay award, in 1974, the Padma Vibhushan, in 1975, the Kalidasa Samman in 1988, the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990, and last, but certainly the most presitigious of national awards in India, the Bharat Ratna in 1998.

With the death of her husband Sadhasivam in 1997, she stopped all her public performances.

See also: Carnatic music