Madurai: People living on west Hanumandarayar street in Madurai and passersby who never took a second look at this nondescript building stood outside it on Friday mesmerised by the music emanating from it.
A group of students and their teachers were paying tribute to the music legend M S.
Subbulakshmi
at her childhood home on the day of her centenary by rendering compositions made immortal by the mellifluous voice of their idol.
Principal of the Sri Sathguru Sangeetha Vidyalayam College of Music K N Renganatha Sharma led a group of his students to the house on Friday morning. A relative of M S Subbulakshmi, who now lives on the first floor, welcomed the group.
The students and their teacher entered the house with folded hands and garlanded a photograph of the singer that was placed on a table. Then they sat down and rendered compositions popularised by M S Subbulakshmi in her numerous concerts. Ten students, including
Siva Prakash
on the violin, Gokulnath on the mrudangam, treated the audience to a musical feast for half an hour. Arun Krishnan, Ganesh Raman, Anandraj, Soorajlal, Rashmi and Swathi said they considered it a lifetime opportunity to sit in this hallowed spot and sing. Among the compositions they sung was
Bharathiar
's 'Chinnam chiru kizhiye'. They ended the programme with one her MS' most famous songs 'Kurai ondrum illai maraimoorthi kanna.'
People gathered outside the house said they were indeed impressed by the performance. "It would be nice if something like this is organised regularly, for this place is otherwise very inconspicuous," said
R Subramaniam
, a government school teacher who was passing by. Shopkeepers also gathered to listen to the melodies sung in memory of the legend.
Secretary of the Sri Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam in Madurai L Rajaram said it was decided to celebrate this memorable event by having a music recital in the home where she was born, situated a short distance from the west tower of Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple. The only mark on the building associated with music is the model of a veena mounted on its outer wall. "It is said to have remained there right from the days of of M S Subbulakshmi's mother
Shanmugavadivu
, as she was a veena artist and people found it easy to identify her home.
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