50 young musicians bag M.S. Subbulakshmi fellowships

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presented music fellowships to 50 young and promising Carnatic and Hindustani music performers to mark the end of a four-day festival as part of the birth centenary celebrations of the late legend M.S. Subbulakshmi.

The 'Sri Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship' carries an annual grant of Rs.100,000 per person for three years, after which a new lot of young musicians - both vocal and instrumental - would be selected.

Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis said Subbulakshmi was "the pristine soul of classical music and had gathered all possible honours of the nation, but remained the perfect image of chaste simplicity and simple grandeur".

"Indian music - despite its very early beginnings - is today witnessing innovation without destruction of its purity... The electronic era had brought new dimensions to music concerts," he said.

"Instruments have a major role in the delivery of music. Every system should evolve with time and should be current and relevant to the stakeholders at that time," Fadnavis urged.

He said the vast universe of music should reinvent itself availing of the opportunities of the day, which would guarantee its continuity.

"While the Indian music system has survived several millennia, there is no underscoring the importance of making it contemporary to suit the needs of time," Fadnavis added.

On the occasion, he honoured violinist R.K. Shriramkumar and Mrudangist K.V. Prasad who had played for the late singer in various concerts.

Incidentally, Shanmukhananda is the only institution in the country to which M.S. Subbulakshmi singer had lent her name to be used for the cause of Music, the Shanmukhananda Sabha president V. Shankar said.

Earlier, the chief minister went around a photo exhibition of Subbulakshmi at the venue where the Shanmukhananda Sabha has created a gallery and installed a 5.6 feet tall statue of the singer.