Gowri Ramnarayan brings ‘Hari Tum Haro’ to stage in tribute to MS Subbulakshmi

CHENNAI: Her voice rose like a tender glimmer of dawn, a sound woven with grace, clarity, and quiet radiance. Each note drifted through the air with the elegance of silk unfurling, carrying a purity that felt both intimate and celestial. Melodies bloomed gently under her touch, fragrant with devotion and glowing with emotion. MS Subbulakshmi didn’t merely sing; she transformed breath into beauty, and silence into sanctity.

Marking the death anniversary of MS Subbulakshmi, who was awarded the Sangita Kalanidhi, Gowri Ramnarayan is presenting Hari Tum Haro as part of Soulfest 2025. She is MS Subbulakshmi’s grandniece. Sharing the story behind Hari Tum Haro, the playwright and theatre director says, “MS Amma was known for her bhajans, and she also played Meerabai in the film Meera (1947). Mahatma Gandhi wanted the Carnatic vocalist to record his favourite Meera bhajan. That’s when they found R. Vaidyanathan, a now-forgotten composer, who tuned the music overnight at the All India Radio station to fulfil Gandhi’s wish.

Vaidyanathan remains an underrated composer who carried a unique mastery of Carnatic, Hindustani, and Western music. “Interestingly, he composed Hari Tum Haro using a piano. Look at it! A Carnatic note on a Western instrument,” adds a stunned Gowri Ramnarayan. The composer worked with some of the best writers in the country and also taught a few bhajans to MS Subbulakshmi. “That was a wonderful partnership. Vaidyanathan was a man of spiritual understanding and depth of devotion, while MS Amma devoted her life to music,” she says.

“For this performance, we will be featuring a few songs that MS Amma has not sung on stage before,” shares Gowri, who had the opportunity to closely observe MS Subbulakshmi’s effortlessly elegant musical knowledge in her childhood. Nisha Rajagopalan will be the vocalist, while Shreya Devnath is the violinist. Sujith Naik (flute) and Praveen Sparsh (mridangam) come together in this joyous offering in her memory.

Gowri lauds the MS Subbulakshmi Arangam for enhancing natural acoustics. “Natural sound is soothing not just to the ear but to the soul and mind. Our music is spiritual and meant to soothe the souls of the audience. This is a fitting tribute to MS Amma, who always believed in the natural voice,” she notes.

Presented by Soulfest 2025, Hari Tum Haro, designed, directed, and narrated by Gowri Ramnarayan, will take place on December 11 at the MS Subbulakshmi Arangam, Asian College of Journalism, Taramani, from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.