She Sang for India : How M.S. Subbulakshmi Used Her Voice for Change

A picture book biography about a powerful Indian female singer who advocated for justice, feminism, 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 1930s India, girls were not allowed to perform for the public. So Subbulaskhmi fought to sing at small festivals. Eventually, she broke tradition to record her first album. At Gandhi's request, Subbulakshmi sang for the nation during the partition of India and Pakistan. Her fame stretched across borders, and soon she was no longer just a young prodigy. She was a woman who changed the world.

In this timely historical picture book biography, debut author Suma Subramaniam and illustrator Shreya Gupta illuminate a legendary singer's indomitable spirit and revolutionary voice.

Suma Subramaniam is an Indian American author and volunteer for We Need Diverse Books. She is the contributing author of The Hero Next Door (Penguin Random House, July 2019). She Sang for India is her nonfiction picture book debut.

Shreya Gupta is an illustrator and book designer. She is originally from India, but her passion for illustration brought her to the United States, where she pursued an MFA in illustration as visual essay from the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been featured as a header on Google, in The New York Times travel section, and in Asia Society. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York