What an intoxicating voice, responding readily, with incredible ease and grace, to the surging crescendo of ravishing, sophisticated music conjured up from a highly imaginative mind!
The ‘Flower-garden', which the name of the vocalist actually means, was a veritable garden of raga, tana, pallavi, kriti and swara and he was a master of concerts with few to challenge" [1] Musicians' remuneration at that time went up only because of Pushpavanam.
[3] Carnatic Music Association of North America's "Sangeetam", Volume 2000 has this to say: "Pushpavanam Iyer was a very famous vocalist who shot to prominence in the early decades of the century.
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer has gone on record to say "Pushpavanam began singing Hindustani songs at his concerts".
[5] Madurai Mani Iyer had this to say: "What helped me was, my paternal uncle Pushpavanam Iyer had been so famous that people who had listened to his music would readily agree to hold my concert if someone recommended my name" [6] When writing a tribute to T. R. Mahalingam (flautist) "It is the privilege and sagacity of a chosen few to conjure up grand classical visions of supreme sublimity presenting beauteous graces and portraying graceful beauty.
The 'flower-garden', which the name of the vocalist actually means, was a veritable garden of ragam, tanam, pallavi, kriti and swara and he was the master of concerts with few to challenge.
"[9] He died aged between 35 and 40, leaving a young widow, Sundarathammal and a daughter named Rajam Pushpavanam who became a singer with All India Radio.
On the controversy about Pushpavanam being linked with Shamugavadivu and having another daughter, M S Subbulakshmi, in the book "MS and Radha: a Saga of Steadfast Devotion", released in 2008, Gowri Ramnarayan, the author and Kalki Krishnamurthy's granddaughter, said Subbulakshmi never mentioned her father but that many assumed that it was the brilliant Madurai Pushpavanam Iyer.