M. S. Subbulakshmi (1916-2004); who was popularly known as MS; was one of Indiarsquo;s greatest classical musicians. Born into a humble devadasi home; her talent and dedication to her art made her one of Indiarsquo;s most critically acclaimed classical singers. She was the first Indian musician to receive the Bharat Ratna; the countryrsquo;s highest civilian honour; in addition to numerous other awards. Jawaharlal Nehru called her lsquo;a Queen of Musicrsquo; and Sarojini Naidu dubbed her lsquo;the Nightingale of Indiarsquo;. Her fellow musicians were no less generous in their praise. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan said she was Suswaralakshmi (the Goddess of the Perfect Note) while Kishori Amonkar said she was Aathuvansur or musicrsquo;s lsquo;Eighth Notersquo; (there are only seven notes that are basic to all musical forms). MSrsquo;s genius had principally to do with her exquisite voice; her extraordinary range and her unequalled command of all the material she worked with; whether it was Carnatic music; Hindustani music or devotional music such as bhajans.In this; the definitive biography of the musician (previously published as MS: A Life in Music); award-winning biographer T. J. S. George traces her journey from her beginnings as a singer in Madurai; through her breakthrough performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy in 1932; to her carving out a place for herself as a cultural icon. Besides exploring MSrsquo;s genius; the author describes the musical and social milieu that she was part of; and the various barriers she was instrumental in breaking in the course of her journey to superstardom. He covers her stint as an actress and looks at how her career was helped by various mentors and sponsors; including C. Rajagopalachari; Indiarsquo;s last governor general. He pays particular attention to the role of her husband; T. Sadavisam; in the creation and burnishing of MSrsquo;s reputation. He examines the various controversies that surrounded her origins; and also underlines her essential humility and generosity. Told with a music connoisseurrsquo;s passion and understanding; M. S. Subbulakshmi: The Definitive Biography is an enthralling portrait of a musical legend.
#3711441 in eBooks 2015-05-12 2016-09-16File Name: B01LVW32W6
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. a bit too BlobbyBy WumpshireA clear art style. that is readable but the story falls flat. The print quality is a bit cheap too. I suppose thats the idea. a punk rock aesthetic. no real direction and a bit predictable. Its like an obscure 7 inch record you listen to twice. After finishing I thought I probably wont buy Blobby Boys 2. but will certainly hold onto for some color and ink inspiration. Worth the $8 though. and I can see the artist teaming up with a writer to make something more trashy. or go the other way and give it more depth. I give it two bags of popcorn and only 1 soft drink2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Not worth even $5By scott harrisThe art style is cool and thats about it. Theres no plot and not in a fun way. Its just pure laziness on the authors plot. Forgettable characters and ambiguous. gratuitous use of nondescript imaginary drugs to appeal to the VICE crowd. Do yourself a favor and buy Simon Hanselmanns Megahex instead.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy Krista GarnerIt was pretty fine.
