She Sang for India
How M.S. Subbulakshmi Used Her Voice for Change
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A picture book biography about M.S. Subbulakshmi, a powerful Indian singer who advocated for justice and peace through song.
Before M.S. Subbulakshmi was a famous Carnatic singer and the first Indian woman to perform at the United Nations, she was a young girl with a prodigious voice.
But Subbulakshmi was not free to sing everywhere. In early 1900s India, girls were not allowed to perform for the public. So Subbulakshmi busted barriers to sing at small festivals. Eventually, she broke tradition to record her first album. She did not stop here. At Gandhi's request, Subbulakshmi sang for India’s freedom. Her fascinating odyssey stretched across borders, and soon she was no longer just a young prodigy. She was a woman who changed the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Framing the life of M.S. Subbulakshmi (1916–2004) as a triumph of artistic activism, Subramaniam's accessible, artful biography of the Indian Carnatic singer invites readers to find "your own power and voice." Despite early 20th-century prohibitions against female performers in India, Subbulakshmi begins pursuing a career in Carnatic music at a young age. Eventually pushing through extensive gender barriers, Subbulakshmi is viewed as an international icon when she joins her voice with Mahatma Gandhi's, singing for peace in the effort for India's independence. Text focuses Subbulakshmi's fight against colonialism and sexism; complementing the hopeful tone, Gupta illustrates with a warm palette, representing musical sounds with floral star shapes—a tie-in to the jasmine flowers the figure famously wore in her hair during performances. Back matter includes an author's note and timeline. Ages 4–8.
