Subbulakshmi

It was her exquisitely flawless voice that carved M.S. Subbulakshmi out to be the greatest exponent of Carnatic music. And it was this almost ethereal, divine characteristic to her gift that earned her the first ever Bharat Ratna to have ever been inferred upon a musician. There was a transcendental element to her music that allowed it to cross—as it should—all barriers of race, religion and geography. This is why her fans were by no means only Indians but people from nations all over the world. Incidentally, Mahatma Gandhi was one of her biggest fans and was famous for having said that he'd 'rather hear her speak her songs, than someone else sing it!'

Everything from her devotion to her tone and pitch was nothing short of perfect making her voice inimitable and her should undying. When she passed away on December 11, 2004, India mourned her loss deeply but remained optimistic knowing that her rich legacy of music would never leave this soil.

-Picture courtesy The Hindu-