Mangalore artiste MS Subbalakshmi shuns naysayers, wins international acclaim

In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, Subbalakshmi said she was written off by family and friends when she as a child could not learn saxophone even after two months of training. Years down the line, the Mangalore-based artiste has performed in 4000 shows across 20 countries.

Mangalore: When Subbalakshmi failed to perform with a saxophone after learning the art from her teacher for two months in her childhood, the whole class laughed even as her family asked her to give up her passion. Defying all the odds and negative feedback, Subbalakshmi is an established saxophone artiste, who has performed in 4,000 shows across 20 countries.

Subbalakshmi who could not handle the saxophone in her childhood is now synonymous with the instrument so much so that she is also known as 'Saxophone Subbalakhsmi' today. Wearing a silk saree and a lot of jewelry and a beautiful nosepiece, MS Subbalakshmi starts with classical music on saxophone and goes on to hip hop, pop, and fusion.

She attained fame as 'Saxophone Subbalakshmi' and performed in thousands of concerts. In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, the artiste from Mangalore in Karnataka, Subbalakshmi recalled her journey, the discrimination a typical woman faces in the field, and her rise to the international level. “Some people feel like doing the impossible. I too feel the same.

When I joined saxophone training, I was only one girl among 16 boys. I was the first girl to learn saxophone from my teacher. When I could not learn the saxophone even after two months of training, friends and relatives said it was impossible for me. I firmly decided that day that I will do it and show it to the world,” Subbalakshmi recalled.

She believes that she was a born artist in a family with an art background. Her grandfather MR Rajappa was a Mysore court scholar while her father, Sainath, was a radio 'A' grade artist. Both are accomplished Mridangam players. Subbalakshmi said she started learning Carnatic music from her maternal grandparents at the age of five and tried singing and playing Mridangam too.

“I used to sing in concerts with my father. Dad used to play the Mridangam in Kadri Gopalanath's troupe of famous saxophone artists. I told my father that I too would learn when I saw Gopalanath making sounds on the saxophone. Dad said it was difficult for girls. After insisting, he agreed,” she said. “I was very thin then.

To hold and blow the saxophone requires energy. After a few years, I got hold of it. Later, elder sister Lavanya also learned it,” recalled Subbalakshmi. She said she and her sister used to perform at concerts in temples together. “Being girls, we used to get lesser opportunities. Sometimes I used to do it at my teacher's concerts.

After we got some recognition, I formed my team. Our concerts were held in temples,” she said. Subbalakshmi said she had to shoulder the responsibilities of the family after her father retired and her mother fell ill. “My earnings have become more of a necessity than a choice to take care of my family. To increase the number of concerts, I tried hard to find opportunities in hotels and corporate company festivals.

Initially, I was given only ten minutes to perform while the boys had an hour. As our income depended on it, so I did not afford to argue,” Subbalakshmi said. In the meantime, Subbalakshmi got married to Kiran Kumar and claimed that he was very supportive of her career. “When I was an IT employee, he used to give me shows in companies with his contacts.

He is now taking care of all the affairs. I perform concerts in corporate companies all over the country. Right now, I have enough concerts in hand for a year,” she said. She also claimed that she has already performed in 4000 shows in 20 countries. “I received praise from those who had at one point in time said it was impossible for me,” she said.

Subbalakshmi believes that commitment to art is important and vividly recalls one of her performances a day before her delivery. “When I got pregnant in 2009, the organizers asked me to return the advances because I couldn't perform. Even if I said I would do it, they wouldn't listen. But I stuck to my guns and performed.

I will never forget doing concerts a day before delivery, and ten days after delivery. It was difficult to carry an instrument weighing four kilos for hours at that time. But I don't like anybody to question my commitment,” she added.