Dharitri Ganguly
MS Subbulakshmi, the Nightingale of Carnatic Music, gave her first public performance, singing bhajans, in 1929 when she was just 13 at the esteemed Madras Music Academy. The academy was known for its discriminating selection process, but broke its tradition by inviting a young girl as an important performer.
MS had also acted in a few Tamil films. Her first movie Sevasadanam was released in 1938. To raise money to launch Kalki, her husband's nationalist Tamil weekly, MS Subbulakshmi essayed the male role of Narada in Savitri (1941).
The popular Kancheepuram Saree shade, MS Blue, was named after her by Sri Muthu Chettiyar, the Congress party member and philanthropist, whom she met at the residence of R Aiyadurai and Thangam Aiyadurai at Lady Desikachari Road, Madras.
After the demise of her husband Kalki Sadasivam in 1997, Subbulakshmi stopped all her public performances.
On December 18, 2005, a commemorative postage stamp on her was issued, a year and a week later after she passed away.