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art of m s subbulakshmi

Of Gifted Voice: The Life and Art of M.S. Subbulakshmi by Keshav Desiraju

sagiri.dixit@harpercollins.co.in | 7 January 2021

About the Book

M.S. SUBBULAKSHMI’S life was one of extraordinary achievement. Although she was portrayed in many ways – as a musician who sought and achieved an all-India appeal; a philanthropist and supporter of noble causes; an icon of style; a woman of piety and devotion; and a friend and associate of the good and the great – she was first and foremost a classical vocalist of the highest rank, of unmatched gifts, who lives on in the musical history of India.

Of Gifted Voice looks at her life and times, and the great musical tradition she belonged to and to which she brought so much, against the larger backdrop of developments in the world of Carnatic music. It describes how music came to be performed in concerts; the impact the gramophone, the radio and the talkie had on music; the decline of the traditional performing families; and the appearance of women on public platforms. The book also delves into Subbulakshmi’s brush with films as well as her concert style and that of her celebrated contemporaries.

Though her story has often been told, we know little of the woman behind the image and the musician behind the public persona. Of Gifted Voice attempts, with warmth and keen-eyed perception, to understand the music, the history, the artiste and her incomparable presence.


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“It has been a joy to write about this most remarkable of Indians” Keshav Desiraju

A book that takes us into the heart and mind of an icon, one who has moved millions over decades, is always a pleasure. Of Gifted Voice is a meticulously done labour of love, one that will be a highlight of the year’s biographies.”- Krishan Chopra, Publisher

***

About the Author:

KESHAV DESIRAJU was educated at the universities of Bombay, Cambridge and Harvard and worked in the civil service. He is a co-editor, with Samiran Nundy and Sanjay Nagral, of Healers or Predators? Healthcare Corruption in India, Oxford University Press, 2018. He lives in Chennai and is thinking about upgrading his Telugu before writing about Tyagaraja.

Praise for the book

‘Keshav Desiraju’s magnificent biography of M.S. Subbulakshmi reveals to us the musician beyond the performer, the person beneath the phenomenon. Based on many years of primary research, it pays equal attention to the life and to the music, while richly illuminating the wider social and cultural history of the time. This is a superb book, which in its subtlety, sensitivity and depth, is entirely worthy of its remarkable subject.’– Ramachandra Guha, biographer and historian 

‘To even think of peeking into the shadows and tragedies lurking behind the extraordinary life, personality and music of an artiste as celebrated and revered as M.S. Subbulakshmi would take immense courage. To be able to do so with an analytical vigour and candour that neither attempts to sensationalize nor be overcritical is the almost impossible task that the author has achieved.’ Shubha Mudgal, musician 

‘Of Gifted Voice is about the genius, beauty and tragedy of M.S. Subbulakshmi’s life, but, above all, it is about music. It is an account so rich, knowledgeable, accessible and engrossing that it made no difference that I knew nothing about Carnatic music when I started reading the book. After finishing it, I wanted to listen to every piece it describes.’–Anuradha Roy, novelist 

‘A most engaging book focusing on M.S. Subbulakshmi’s greatest gift to the world: her luminous, classical music. We have front row seats with Keshav Desiraju in MS’s concerts through the decades; through his meticulous research, we get to know the texture of the programmes, the songs and the order in which she sang them in the different venues, and get to know the musicians who accompanied her. Beyond the well-known persona of M.S. Subbulakshmi is the consummate musician, and Keshav Desiraju’s book introduces us to this artiste.–Vasudha Narayanan, distinguished professor, Department of Religion, University of Florida

‘Keshav Desiraju sensitively stitches together a scholarly narrative of an artiste the world reveres as he locates the life of MS in a world culturally rich yet socially complex, bringing the reader closer to understanding how women performers have navigated through considered identities, nationalism, modernity and reform. This book is a remarkable sadhana that will inspire artistes and richly inform the reader of this gifted voice and her mysterious world.’ Vidya Shah, musician

‘In Of Gifted Voice, Keshav Desiraju has produced the definitive M.S. Subbulakshmi biography – a wise, elegant and fascinating book that considers her life, her music and her stature in equal measure. It is difficult to imagine anyone better placed to chronicle MS’s life than Keshav, who has followed and studied her music for decades, and who is able to write about her with both passion and balance. This is an indispensable book for any aficionado of classical music.’
– Samanth Subramanian, journalist and biographer

About HarperCollins Publishers India

HarperCollins Publishers India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers. HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Litrature Live Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Prabha Khaitan Woman’s Voice Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and the Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins India has been awarded the Publisher of the Year Award three times: at Publishing Next in 2015, and at Tata Literature Live! in 2016 and 2018.

HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Egmont, Oneworld, Harvard University Press, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet.


Of Gifted Voice by Keshav Desiraju
Non-fiction | Rs 699 | Paperback |  520 pages


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Top 1 Comments

Randy | 17.05.2022

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