“Without him, I have no reason to sing,” said M.S. Subbulakshmi to her secretary Atmanathan, on her decision to not perform after the passing of her husband T. Sadasivam. This is an excerpt from the book — Sivam Subham – The Biography…of a Couple — (published by Current Books)by Malayalam poet and lyricist B.K. Harinarayanan. Apart from tracing the legendary musician’s artistic journey, the book named after the couple’s home at Kotturpuram in Chennai, also delves into their personal life.
The author first heard Subbulakshmi’s voice as a school boy during his vacations at Vadanamkurrissy in Palakkad district. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep the night before I had to return home. But at the break of dawn, I would hear her ‘Venkatesa Suprabhatam’ being played at the nearby Thrithamthoni temple. Although I used to be sad about my holidays coming to an end, in the later years her voice would fill me with devotion and energy,” recalls Harinarayanan, who was exposed to Carnatic music at a young age.
B.K. Harinarayanan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
In 2018, he travelled to Chennai to attend Margazhi Season concerts. “I attended many concerts with Jayaram Ramachandran, son of Carnatic musician Pala C.K. Ramachandran. One day, when Jayaram showed me an illustrated storybook for children on M.S., I realised the impact she had on listeners across age groups. Jayaram had met her several times, because his father and M.S. learnt under the same guru — Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.”
So, it was Jayaram who took Harinarayanan to M.S.’s house, where they met Atmanathan, the couple’s secretary for 50 years. He shared several interesting anecdotes about M.S. and Sadasivam. Harinarayanan also met others who knew the couple well. Among them was S. Vijayaraghavan, lawyer and student of flautist N. Ramani.
“Those conversations helped me understand them better, particularly how Sadasivam managed M.S.’s career and their unique bond,” says Harinarayanan.
Harinarayanan started working on the book in 2019. “It would not have been possible to put it together without the help of P.K. Rajesh Kumar, Vijesh Thottingal, Jishnu A. Unni, B.K. Parameswaran and V.J. Jebison. Much of the work happened during the lockdown,” says Harinarayanan, who has dedicated the book to Vijesh, who passed away a few months ago.
Sivam Subham, the new biography
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“I had written the book in Malayalam and it was translated to English by my brother Parameswaran. Because I wanted the family members of the couple to also read the book.”
“While Atmanathan was the one who furnished most details, I also got help and guidance from the couple’s grandson — V. Shrinivasan. He came to Thrissur and stayed for four days to read the manuscript before it went into print. He was happy with the book,” says Harinarayanan. S. Saundarya and S. Aishwarya, Shrinivasan’s daughters and musicians, performed at the launch of the book at Guruvayur last month on the occasion of the singer’s 109th birth anniversary.
M.S. Subbulakshmi and T. Sadasivam at their wedding
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Writing the book has been an overwhelming experience, he adds. “I became so involved that I would often travel back to that period in my dreams. It has not been easy for me. And this will perhaps be the first and last biography that I write.”
Harinarayanan points out that he is happy to have included a lot of information, which readers may not find important. “For example, details about Parvati, Sadasivam’s first wife, and death of M.S.’s brother, Shaktivel. It was news to me that after Parvati’s demise, Sadasivam handed over her jewellery to M.S. and she always wore those at her concerts.”
M.S. Subbulakshmi with Sadasivam and director Ellis R Dungan on the sets of the movie, Meera
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives
The book has 38 chapters, meticulously covering the singer’s journey as the daughter of Shanmukhavadivu, a musician from the Devadasi community — her first concert at the age of 10, how she met Sadasivam, her foray into films and their simple marriage in the presence of a handful of people with a total expense of ₹150, given by their friend Kasturi Srinivasan, the then Chief Editor of The Hindu. The couple’s involvement in the growth of Kalki, the magazine co-founded by Sadasivam has also been widely covered.
Harinarayanan has also touched upon several poignant episodes from the couple’s life. Like how the 24-year-old Subbulakshmi decided to raise her husband’s daughters as her own and the last moments before Sadasivam passed away (1977) , as recounted by Atmanathan and Shrinivasan. In Atmanathan’s words, ‘During those last moments, Amma continued to hold mama’s hands.”
It was Sadasivam’s dream that M.S. should win the Bharat Ratna. But he was not alive to see her becoming the first musician to receive the honour. A few years after his death, M.S. started losing her memory. Harinarayanan writes, “Miraculously, music alone stayed with her…’
Published – October 15, 2025 02:58 pm IST
