FRAMINGHAM, MA–On Saturday, Nov. 15, the music fraternity of the Greater Boston area will get together to celebrate the music of Bharataratna M.S Subbulakshmi. A fundraiser concert for Ekal Vidyalaya, “Remembering M.S. Subbulakshmi” will feature the best of her Carnatic music and multi-lingual crossovers.
One of the highlights of the event will be Subbulakshmi songs sung in over 10 Indian languages by Carnatic vocalist Deepti Navaratna and others. Shri Pravin Sitaram on the mridangam and Smt. Vidya Raman on the violin will join Navaratna in this tribute. The event will be held from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday at Joseph P Keefe Technical High School located at 750 Winter Street in Framingham, MA.
On this occasion, INDIA New England News interviewed Navaratna via email. Here are the excerpts:
INDIA New England News: How did you get interested in M.S Subbulakshmi songs?
Deepti Navratna: Like most other Carnatic female vocalists, I have idolized M.S. Subbulakshmi from a very young age. She is more than an icon for several people in South India, their days begin with Venkateshwara Suprabhatam and end with Hanuman Chalisa! Thanks to an uncle, I had the good fortune of listening to her vintage long-play gramophone records as a child. As my journey with Carnatic music progressed, I would inevitably reach out to a recording of hers while learning raagas and compositions. She continues to be a great role model in my musical journey.
INE: When was the first time you heard her singing and how did it impact you?
DN: I heard M.S Subbulakshmi sing in Bangalore, while I was a student. I remember being mesmerized by the sheer rapture of her voice and the complete surrender to bhakti when she sang. Her music sparkled with bhava and expressivity, a quality that I have tried to emulate in my journey. In a way, I learnt from her that when you surrender to Bhakti, when you give your all to your art, the world surrenders to you.
INE: What was her appeal? Why people in both North and South India were fascinated by her?
DN: I think M.S. Subbulakshmi is still one of most heard singers in India, because she made virtuoso music sound beautiful. Her open and honest musical spirit showed in her singing, there were no veils musically. M.S.S has recorded a staggering amount of songs including many North Indian languages — she has worked with composers of the North like Dilip Kumar Roy. As an actress, her tryst with cinema with her musicals — •Meera’ catapulted her to fame across India as well.
INE: What are your three most favorites songs of M.S Subbulakshmi?
DN: My favorite M.S.S songs are: 1-Marachiti O Ma Ramana in Lathantapriya; 2- Bhavayami Gopalabalam in Yamuna Kalyani; and 3-Hanuman Chalisa.
INE: What is M.S Subbulakshmi •s legacy?
DN: M.S. Subbulakshmi’s legacy is too large for an admirer like me to describe in a few lines. To me, her life is very instructional. She was someone who managed to be so grounded in her Carnatic identity, yet she was not limited by it. Most people think of inter-cultural immersion as an identity-losing process. She is someone who managed to put Carnatic music on the world map without losing her roots. This is most inspiring to me and I wish to continue her legacy by taking Carnatic music to diverse audiences across the world.