[Watch] Bharat Ratna recipient MS Subbulakshmi’s great grandaughters sing Maithreem Bhajatha for PM

S Aishwarya and S Saundarya, the great grand daughter of Bharat Ratna MS Subbulakshmi sang the peace song Maithreem Bhajatha at PM's office. Rendered by the legendary singer in October 1966 at the United Nations, the song was composed in Sanskrit by Acharya Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of Kanchi. Earlier in the day, an exhibition, celebrating the legacy of carnatic music, was inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

It was a perfect setting for a cultural discourse and the dignitary who was witness to one of the legendary rendition of our time was the Prime Minister himself. S Aishwarya and S Saundarya, the great grand daughter of Bharat Ratna MS Subbulakshmi sang the peace song Maithreem Bhajatha at his office. Accompanying them were their parents V Shrinivasan and Geetha Shrinivasan who also met the PM. 

Rendered by the legendary singer in October 1966 at the United Nations, the song was composed in Sanskrit by Acharya Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of Kanchi. Said to be an anthem for universal friendship and world peace, this was a popular song of her time. The last line of the song “Srey o bhooyat sakala jananam”  encapsulates the essence of India. "Let grace and happiness abound for all mankind" is what it means, which is also what peace-loving Indians believe in. 

Earlier in the day, an exhibition, celebrating the legacy of carnatic music, was inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. He described the artist as the “unsurpassed phenomenon” in her field.

A two-week long exhibition ‘Kurai Ondrum Illai’, which borrows its name from one of her famous songs, will be held in Madurai in her honour. Naidu said, "She was an unsurpassed phenomenon in the Carnatic music field and perhaps will remain unsurpassed in this generation too. First prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru once told her that he was just an ordinary PM, but she was a ‘queen of music'."

He further said, "Even Gandhiji had requested her to do a rendition of ‘Hari Tuma Haro’ bhajan, which she did. It was recorded overnight and sent to Gandhiji on his birthday in 1947. It is our bounden duty to preserve our culture for the next generation, and the life and legacy of MS should inspire the youth to pursue greater heights.”