“Dear Sri Prasad,the noble couple of our great music queen M.S.Subbulakshmi and Sadasivam are in a serious financial crisis and need some very urgent help.. Please plan something for them immediately to help them come out of this crisis at the earliest”..
Sometime in the beginning of 1979,PVRK Prasad,the Executive Officer Of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) received two such urgent telegram messages from His Holiness the Paramacharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati and from His Holiness Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba Of Puttaparthi.
Messages like that from holy giants can unnerve any mammoth personality and the poor PVRK Prasad was no exception..However,what shocked Prasad more at that moment was not the status of the senders but the content of their message.
“What happened to music queen M.S.Subbulakshmi and why did she land in such a situation that demanded the intervention of divine personalities..?? ”
Why Do The Divine Personalities Want PVRK Prasad To Help..??
The great music queen M.S.Subbulakshmi has millions of fans all over the world and they will not keep quite if they come to know their favorite singer is going through such an acute financial crisis..
However,the noble couple will never accept any unsolicited favor from anyone and it’s now for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) to plan something for her immediately and see that she’s adequately compensated for that…TTD has successfully done that earlier and something similar should be done now.. That’s also what the holy giants are expecting Prasad to do.
However again,it’s not as simple as it sounds and there’s no better person than PVRK Prasad to understand that..
But What Happened To M.S.Subbulakshmi And Sadasivam
PVRK Prasad conducted an immediate inquiry in Madras,where the noble couple lives,and found out that…
“M.S.Subbulakshmi and Sadasivam have sold off their Kalki estate in Madras and moved into a small rented house in Valluvar Kottam,a desolate place those days,in the suburbs of old Madras”..“Sadasivam was running a newspaper by name Kalki and that ran into huge losses forcing the noble couple to resort to such an extreme measure of selling off their huge asset to repay a large amount of loans”..
This unpleasant information really saddened P V R K Prasad,a great fan of M.S.Subbulakshmi..
Wiping off his tears,he stood right in front of the large portrait of Lord Sri Venkateswara in his office and made a very humble submission.”Swamy,singing your bhajans all over the world,this great lady served you with utmost devotion all through her life….Organizing everything for her on time,Sadasivam was always there with her at every point of her singing career..”
“She gave concerts all over the world and although she could have demanded any amount of money from the concert organizers,she was always happy with whatever was offered to her..She has donated most of her earnings,from those concerts,to charity and now at this stage of her life is this what you are offering her Swamy..??..Don’t you think this is unfair..??..”
“They are also couple of high self esteem and do not seek any favor from anyone not even from God..Then how do you expect them to lead a normal life hereafter..??..Am really feeling very sad for them now and don’t know what to do…Swamy Sri Venkateswara,it is for You now to guide me properly and help me in doing something for them in this hour of crisis..”
Without wasting any more time Prasad called for an emergency meeting of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board and sought measures from it’s experts to provide whatsoever relief possible to M.S. Subbulakshmi immediately.
But,almost all in one voice,all the members said “Sir,we are very sad to hear about the pathetic state of Smt.M.S.Subbulakshmi and Sri.Sadasivam..However sir,it is our duty to remind you that she is already the Asthana Vidwan of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam and is as such enjoying some honorarium and privileges from us..Although we are all eager to help her out in this hour of crisis,we are afraid sir, there’s nothing much we can do now.. TTD is answerable to the ministry of endowments and is not empowered to take any major decision on its own..”
A tricky situation for the government run body to offer some quick relief to a great personality called M.S.Subbulakshmi,who at that point of time,deserves a better and more appropriate attention..
But quite miraculously and almost immediately that appropriate
Attention Came From None Other Than The Holy Lord Sri Venkateswara Himself
And this incident is a standing testimony to His interference in the life of M.S Subbulakshmi..
On the same evening,a much disturbed PVRK Prasad went to offer his last prayers of the day to Lord Sri Venkateswara,the presiding deity of the holy Tirumala temple.
After offering his prayers,Prasad was slowly walking out of the main temple and exactly at that point of time a very small incident occurred there…Quite miraculously,this small incident later went on to herald a golden era in the history of Indian classical music.
But What Was The Incident And How Did It Occur
As he was walking out of the main temple,PVRK Prasad found a small group of poor singers sitting right in front of the main temple singing bhajans in praise of the holy Lord.
As though he was halted by an invisible hand,Prasad stood there for a few moments…He was spellbound by the amazing talent of those folk singers and more so by their rustic style of singing..
After a few more moments of silent listening,Prasad smiled and smiled with a great sense of relief and satisfaction.
Watching Prasad smile the holy Lord smiled and watching the holy Lord smile the whole of Tirumala smiled and watching the whole of Tirumala smile the five elements of Nature too smiled..
Later those historic smiles scripted an epoch making chapter in the history of Indian classical music that not only provided immense relief to music queen M.S Subbulakshmi but also launched her into immortality by earning her a well deserved highest civilian award of India,the “Bharat Ratna”.
The very next morning a much more relaxed PVRK Prasad left for Kanchi and met His Holiness the Paramacharya of Kanchi at His holy abode.
Crucial Meeting With His Holiness The Paramacharya Of Kanchi
After he was granted private audience by His Holiness the Paramacharya of Kanchi,PVRK Prasad explained Him in detail about his plan of action to offer assistance to music queen M.S. Subbulakshmi (M.S. Amma as she is fondly called by the people of Tamil Nadu,her home state)
After prostrating before the holy Paramacharya,Prasad said “Swamy,after receiving your telegram message about M.S.Amma I was very disturbed…I called for an emergency meeting of the TTD executive board and asked for suggestions but nothing concrete came out.. With a disturbed mind,the same evening I visited Lord Sri Venkateswara and sought His guidance and blessings in helping M.S.Amma immediately..As I was coming out of the holy sanctum sanctorum I saw a group of poor singers sitting right in front of the main temple,singing Annamacharya keerthanas in praise of the holy Lord…Not only was I spell bound by their devotional style of singing but was also immensely relieved from that extremely stress filled state I was thus far locked in..And it was exactly at that moment,a great idea to help M.S.Amma was born in my mind…It was then that I have decided to visit your Holiness and explain in detail about my plan of action”
As though He knows what Prasad was trying to convey,the holy Kanchi Paramacharya smiled and asked Prasad to continue..
Prasad continued “Centuries ago Saint Annamacharya wrote and composed a number of keerthanas (raaga based devotional songs specially composed for praising the divine qualities of Gods ) on Lord Venkateswara but only a few of them have seen the light of the day..However your Holiness,there are many more gems,from Annamacharya,still groping in darkness,that need to be brought out now and publicized further..Earlier TTD has done some work in this direction but there’s a lot more that still needs to be done now..”
The Master Plan And The Birth Of A Path Breaking Music Album
Prasad continued “According to my plan of action your Holiness,TTD will now identify a few unknown keerthanas of Annamacharya and I,on behalf of TTD board,shall personally visit M.S.Amma and request her to sing those keerthanas for TTD…So far in her career,M.S.Amma has recorded only Saint Thyagaraja’s keerthanas and has never attempted to sing Annamacharya keerthanas…That way,am sure,she will be impressed with my proposal and will agree to record those Annamacharya keerthanas for TTD…Later,TTD shall sell these records to millions of those devotees who visit the holy Tirumala every year..This will not only generate a lot of revenue for TTD but will also help M.S.Amma a great deal as she becomes legally eligible to enjoy the royalty generated from these sales..After that,I firmly believe,her family shall never have another such situation to look around for their survival..”
Pleased with what Prasad said,the ever smiling Kanchi Paramacharya stated.. “Prasad,God expresses Himself in many inexplicable forms and exposes His presence in many mysterious ways..May be the Lord Sri Venkateswara Himself appeared before you in the form of those poor singers you say you have seen in front of the temple..May be the group itself was an optical illusion created by Him..May be those singers are Gandharvas in human form and sang those Annamacharya keerthanas only for you to give you an idea about what needs to be done for M.S.Amma..May be you are the only one who has seen them or heard them singing…May be those singers have disappeared after you smiled and left the holy place..Who knows..??? ”
Unable to believe what the Paramacharya was trying to convey,a frozen PVRK Prasad remained speechless as His Holiness continued..
Does The Paramachaya Know About Prasad’s Thoughts And Actions..??
“Dear Prasad,everything in this world is part of Nature’s cosmic scheme and every worldly act,whether good or bad,has a divine purpose behind it..Do you think God will keep quite when someone who served Him for decades is suffering from pain..?? Since He cannot present Himself before her,He uses tools like you and me in getting His things done.. God knows His job pretty well Prasad so don’t be ignorant and blame Him for anything..”
Still unable to believe what he had just experienced,a visibly shaken PVRK Prasad prostrated himself again before the divine feet of His Holiness the Paramacharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, who is revered by many in the world as an “AVATAR” (reincarnation) of Lord Siva.
(In fact there are many miracles of his Holiness the Paramacharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham that deserve a separate write up)
Blessing PVRK Prasad,the smiling Paramacharya said “Your idea is brilliant Prasad…M.S.Subbulakshmi has millions of fans all over the world and they will come running to help her in this hour of crisis..However,M.S Subbulakshmi and Sadasivam are a very reserved couple with an unimaginable degree of high self esteem and honor..So far they lived life on their own terms and will never accept any unsolicited favor not even from God..So be careful..They should not think that you have gone there on a mission to offer financial assistance to them..And if they smell it they will reject your offer outright..This is a very sensitive matter Prasad and I know you can handle it carefully..Good luck”
Later things moved in quick succession and it didn’t take much time for PVRK Prasad to get the necessary approvals,for the proposed Annamacharya music album project,from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board.
Ramesan,the then chairman of the TTD board was very much pleased with his executive officer’s idea,as he felt it will not only empower the TTD Board to help a legendary divine singer like M.S.Subbulakshmi in time but will also provide a great deal of publicity to many hidden keerthanas of Saint Annamacharya…
One fine morning
Carrying a neatly packed portrait of Lord Sri Venkateswara,PVRK Prasad along with his chairman Ramesan and a couple of other TTD officials went to the small rented house of M.S.Subbulakshmi in Valluvar Kottam,Madras.
First,M.S.Subbulakshmi’s husband Sadasivam came out.
Ramesan handed over the portrait to him and Sadasivam very happily received it with a warm “thank you very much”.
Then PVRK Prasad explained Sadasivam in detail about the reason behind their visit to their house..
Prasad said “Maastaaru,you know pretty well that TTD does quite a lot of promotional activities to promote rich Indian culture and traditional values…Now we want to actively promote many Annamacharya keerthanas that are so far unknown to the world..Our plan is to bring out a five volume LP records (Long Play microgroove record used for recording sound in analog format for gramophone records in olden days) containing some rare Annamacharya keerthanas…Each volume may have up to ten keerthanas and all in all there may be about fifty keerthanas in the whole album..”
Initially Sadasivam felt very happy with the offer but rejected it outright when he came to know that the keerthanas are written in Telugu language.
He said “Our sincere thanks to TTD for coming up with this offer,however Mr.Prasad, you know pretty well that M.S likes to have command over the language she sings in…Though in Telugu,she has still recorded many Thyagaraja keerthanas earlier because she was practicing them since her childhood..To do the same now at this age will be very difficult for her since she never practiced Annamacharya keerthanas so far in her life..She needs at least one week time to practice one Telugu keerthana and you say there are about fifty keerthanas for which she may almost need an year…At this age of sixty three years it’s not fair to trouble her Mr.Prasad,so,it doesn’t work and TTD needs to excuse us for that..”
As the entire problem came back to square one,Prasad started feeling jittery and nervous…With all the helplessness in this world he gave a very blank look at Lord Sri Venkateswara in the portrait that’s there in front of him..
And it was exactly at that moment….
The Great Music Queen Walked In
Prasad and other TTD officials quickly got up in her honor and greeted her with folded hands…Requesting them to feel comfortable she then looked at the portrait of Lord Sri Venkateswara that was kept on a small table in front of her..
What happened later was a scene to be seen to be believed..
With an extremely unimaginable degree of devotion,the music queen immediately picked up the portrait with both her hands; closed her eyes for almost a minute; offered her prayers to her beloved Lord Sri Venkateswara in the portrait and later with tears running down her cheeks,gently placed her head at His holy feet saying in a low tone “Perumaal,ennai aasirvadhikka ithana dhooram neengale vandhuttela .. ??” (Tamil) (Oh my Lord Venkateswara did you come all the way to bless me)..
What a voice..?? What a devotion..?? And what a total surrender to her Lord Perumal..?? How did she get it and where did she get it from..?? But why is that hidden pain in the great singer’s voice..?? What happened..?? Is it due to the poor conditions the queen of music was forced to live in for some time..?? Hey Bhagwan,what a painful time for this great devotee..??..
PVRK Prasad who has grown up listening to M.S. Subbulakshmi’s devotional songs could not stand the pathetic scene of his favorite music queen,who in her times of glory walked many Red carpets around the world,now standing in front of him in a simple cotton saree..He was finding it extremely difficult to control his emotions but a tear drop still emerged at the right corner of his left eye,which he silently erased before someone else noticed it..
In the meantime Sadasivam gave a brief explanation to M.S.Subbulakshmi in Tamil about the Annamacharya music album proposal from TTD..
She immediately said”..It’s a God sent opprtunity for me and am ready to face any hardships to accomplish this task..I have got a chance to offer my services to Perumal and I will not let this opportunity go ..”..
With her firm statement M.S Subbulakshmi brought smiles on everyone’s face there..
After a lot of deliberations it was then decided not to burden the music queen with too much of practice and confine Annamachaya keerthanas only to the first three LP records and then fill the rest of the two records with great Sanskrit literary works of other divine personalities..
Thus according to their revised plan of action the Annamacharya music album shall contain three LP records with rare Annamacharya keerhanas like Brahma kadigina paadamu, Naanaati batuku naatakamu, Jo Acyutananda Jojo Mukunda, Sri Mannarayana and a few more gems.
The other two LP records shall contain Ganesha Pancharatnam, Madhurashtakam, Gita Govindam, Nama Ramayanam, Hanuman Chalisa, Lakshmi ashtotram, Sri Venkateswara Karavalamba Sthotram, Govindashtakam, Kanakadhara Sthavam, Durga Pancharatnam, Ranganadha Gadyam, Dwadasa Sthotram and Sivashtakam.
After all the discussions related to the music album were over,then came the most crucial phase of finalizing remuneration to the music queen which PVRK Prasad was feeling very nervous about.
Since that was the main motive behind their gathering there,Prasad mustered some courage to initiate the dialogue by saying “Amma,we are all very happy that you have agreed to take up this assignment..May your Perumal’s blessings be with your family forever..Now with your kind permission Ammaa,I would also like to discuss about the remuneration..”..
Prasad has not yet completed the sentence…
The music queen quickly interrupted him saying..”What remuneration..?? No remuneration ..It’s a service to Perumal and am honored to get this offer..Don’t bring money in between..I will not take a single rupee for this work..”
A fully sweat filled Prasad looked worriedly at every one of his colleagues.. They were all looking at him with a request to carry their burden too.
Prasad knows pretty well that ” these are the most crucial and sensitive moments the Paramacharya cautioned me about..”
Accomplishment Of The Task
Later,folding his hands and silently offering his prayers to Lord Sri Venkateswara, Prasad started saying in a very humble tone “Amma,I fully agree that you are offering your services to your Perumal and then who am I to come in between..??? Secondly Amma,I also have a very great respect for your feelings and for your devotion towards your Perumal.. However Amma,I have a very humble submission to make and I hope you appreciate and understand me for that..”
M.S.Subbulakshmi was listening to Prasad quietly..
Prasad continued..”Amma,TTD is not going to donate this album free of cost to every devotee visiting Tirupati..In fact TTD is planning to promote this album in a commercial way by selling it across all it’s counters in India and abroad..This will generate a lot of revenue for TTD and we are only requesting you to take a little amount of money from it as you are legally entitled to receive that..The holy body of TTD is not in a position to take the services of a great devotee like you free of cost and later be blamed for that..”
As everyone was listening to him,Prasad continued with folded hands..
“Amma,as the executive officer of TTD am also a humble servant of Lord Sri Venkateswara and I will always be answerable to Him for every work done in His organization..I also feel that this album is the design of your Perumal Himself and that is why we are all here today…Anyways Amma,am like your son and I said what I wanted to say..Please forgive me Ammaa,if you find anything wrong in what I have conveyed..I now leave the decision to you and your Perumal..”
The absolute honesty in Prasad’s emotion filled voice impressed everyone there including the noble couple of M.S.Subbulakshmi and Sadasivam.There was an echoing silence there for about a few minutes with blank faces staring at each other..
Finally the ice was broken as the music queen smiled and agreed with Prasad’s view point..
Prasad looked thankfully at the portrait of Lord Sri Venkateswara that is there in front of him..
After discussing a few more points,the historical meeting concluded on a positive note leaving every one there with utmost satisfaction..
Finally PVRK Prasad shot the million dollar question..
“What should be the title of this Annamacharya music album..??
Prompt came the reply from the music queen..
“Balaji Pancharatnamala”
EPILOGUE
Later HMV recording company entered into an agreement with TTD to market the proposed music album “Balaji Pancharatnamala” and agreed to bear with all it’s recording expenses…As part of their understanding TTD immediately deposited rupees four lakhs in the name of M.S.Subbulakshmi, two lakhs in the name of Sadasivam and one lakh in the name of their daughter Radha Viswanathan who will also be taking part in the music album project…This amount will be kept in a fixed deposit and the accrued monthly interest will be going to them as long as they so desire.
After successfully completing it’s recording in 1980,the devotional music album “Balaji Pancharatnamala” was simultaneously released all over India…
While the first LP was released by the then Honorable President of India Sri.Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy,the second was released by the then Prime Minister Smt.Indira Gandhi…
Rest of the three albums were released by the chief ministers and governors in their respective states…The fifth album was released by the Peetadhipathis of various holy Peethams spread all over India.
In the very first year of it’s release the “Balaji Pancharatnamala” album received tremendous response from music lovers all over the world,generating a record amount of revenue in sales,recovering the entire money invested on it within a short period of time.
This album also went on to break all the previous records in Indian music industry making M.S.Subbulakshmi a household name all over India..
In 1998 the government of India honored M.S.Subbulakshmi with the nation’s highest civilian award,the “Bharat Ratna” for revolutionizing devotional classical music in India and also for earning recognition to Indian classical music all over the world..Unfortunately Sadasivam was not there to witness this once in a life time event as he passed away just a year before that in 1997.
Most of the literary masterpieces by great sages would have remained unknown to the world if they were not given that magical touch by the mellifluous golden voice of music queen,M.S.Subbulakshmi.
Finally on 11th,December,2004,leaving behind a legacy of devotional classicism and leaving every music fan in an emotional sea of tears and melancholy,music queen M.S.Subbulakshmi left this human world and traveled to the holy abode of her beloved Lord Perumal and remained there,rested in peace,at His divine Lotus feet..
Conclusion
“Puttutayu nijamu,povutayu nijamu… Natta nadi mee pani natakamu..Yetta neduta galadi prapanchamu.. Katta kadapatidhi kaivalyamu.. Naanaati batuku naatakamu..Naatakamu..Naatakamu..” – Saint Annamacharya
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