Carnatic Postage Stamp Series #18 – Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi – United Nations


M.S. Subbulakshmi

Number 18 in our lineup is the commemorative stamp for $1.20 of the inimitable M.S. Subbulakshmi, released by the United Nations on 2 October 2016. The stamp was released at a special ceremony at the UN headquarters to mark India’s ratification of the historic Paris climate deal. Readers will note that Smt. Subbulakshmi was also #12 in our lineup, for the postage stamp released by the Indian Department of Posts! You can read about that here.

The following is an excerpt from the bulletin issued by the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA):

M.S. Subbulakshmi – Birth Centenary and the Fiftieth Anniversary of Performance at the United Nations

M.S. Subbulakshmi is a legendary Indian musician and the
most celebrated singer from Carnatic music tradition. She
was the first musician ever to be awarded Bharat Ratna, India’s
highest civilian honour and also the first Indian musician to
receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often regarded as the
Asian Nobel Prize. Subbulakshmi was also the first Indian to
perform at the United Nations in 1966 on the occasion of UN
Day. The background photograph is from that performance.

UNPA will commemorate this special occasion with the issuance
of a special event sheet of ten $1.20 denominated stamps on
2 October 2016. It was designed by Michael Bialaszewski
(UNPA).

From Philatelic Bulletin No. 120 – https://unstamps.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/bulletin_120.pdf

The last stamp in our lineup is that of M.L. Vasanthakumari, one of the Female trinities of Carnatic Music. See you all next time, and stay safe and well!