Before leaving for any important concerts, she sought the blessings of Maha Periyava, Acharya Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati of Kanchipuram. She held her audience enthralled from thereon, taking it on an exquisite exploration of various songs in every South Indian language. She started with a Sanskrit’ Guru Vandana’ in praise of Dakshinamurthy (Lord Shiva as the supreme cosmic teacher). C V Narasimhan, the then Under-Secretary-General of U.N., introduced her to the audience as the ‘First Lady of Carnatic Music’. On the afternoon of October 23, 1966, the sight of the singer on the stage wearing one of her Kanchipuram silk saris was a proud moment for all Indians. Then she sang bhajans for Gandhi Jayanti celebrations at India House before leaving for New York. Subbulakshmi sang in Geneva, at the Redoute Villa in Bonn where Beethoven had once performed, and then in Paris at the Guimet Museum. Everywhere media competed to report her tour in detail. Her prestigious tour was welcomed with peerless enthusiasm. Vinayakaram (ghatam), and her daughters Radha Viswanathan (vocal) and Vijaya Rajendran (tampura) set out on the seven-week concert tour. and her husband, Kalki Sadasivam, accompanied by her talented team of accompanists, V.V. Secretary-General, U Thant, to perform at the General Assembly in New York on United Nations Day. The enthusiastic and laudatory reviews from the London press added to her mounting global reputation, followed by an invitation by the then U.N. Mesmerized by Subbulakshmi singing on All India Radio and at a live concert, Lord Harewood, the director of the famous Edinburgh Festival, requested her to perform at the Festival. MS Subbulakshmi had grown into an iconic Carnatic singer by the mid-1960s. General Assembly, which opened the global connoisseurs to the world of Carnatic music. On world music day, the best tribute to music is commemorating the historic performance of M.S. Her voice belonged to the entire nation, transcending geographical, linguistic and musical borders. Her most notable recitations include Hanuman Chalisa, Kurai Ondrum Illai (composed by freedom fighter C. Her voice was the essence of timeless classical recitals awakened devout Hindu households across the country with perfect renditions of Sanskrit hymns. She sang in Europe, North America and at the United Nations General Assembly. She is known for giving away the bulk of her prize money for social causes. M S was the first Asian musician to win the Ramon Magsaysay award for her philanthropy. She was the first musician to receive Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. Madurai Shanmukkavadivu Subbulakshmi, born in Madurai on September 16, 1916, into a community of devadasis, soon graced the face of Carnatic vocal music in the 20th century. When dawn breaks, various temples in south India play the rendition of Venkateswara Suprabhatam by M S Subbulakshmi, the Maestra of Carnatic music.