President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam pays his last respects to M.S. Subbulakshmi at her home in Chennai. The President, a follower of Carnatic music and a fan of MS, also penned a Tamil poem in tribute during his flight to the city on Sunday. (AFP)

Chennai, Dec. 12: A large black and white portrait of M.S. Subbulakshmi rendering a kirtan, captioned a Chant for World Peace, watched over the mourners as they trooped around her body in the front portico of her modest house at Kotturpuram here.

The fragrance from the incense sticks wafted over her serene face, smeared with sacred ash and framed by her glistening white hair, and a little lamp behind her fluttered in the crisp air.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam stood transfixed for a few minutes before the freeze box in which the body of the Carnatic music exponent was kept for public homage. He could barely hide his tears.

?MS was born to music, she lived as music and finally merged with the god of music,? the President said in Tamil after laying a wreath this evening.

?One great thing MS (as Subbulakshmi was popularly known) did for this country is to give us this rich music to make us into good human beings,? Kalam added after spending nearly 20 minutes with the late singer?s relatives. He was accompanied by governor S.S. Barnala.

From early this morning after MS? body was brought home from St Isabel Hospital around 1.45 am, musicians, artistes, dancers, politicians and hundreds of her fans ? some from abroad ? started trooping in.

Many of them were in tears as the Maruti Omni, with MS? body draped in a reddish brown shawl ? blessed by the late Kanchi seer Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati ? started moving around 4.30 pm on the way to the Besant Nagar crematorium.

At 5.40 pm, MS? mortal remains were cremated with full state honours. V. Murali, a close relative, performed the last rites and lit the funeral pyre. MS died yesterday on the birth anniversary of the nationalist poet, Subrahmanya Bharathi.

?The musical rain that soothed this earth has stopped. She was a song in the wind. Even if the wind stops, the song will continue to ring,? said DMK chief M. Karunanidhi. He paid homage along with his wife Dayalu Ammal and son M.K. Stalin.

Earlier in the day, a wreath was placed on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who expressed ?his deep-felt condolences?.

Chief minister Jayalalithaa came in the afternoon and, after paying a floral tribute, took hold of MS? stepdaughter Radha Vishwanathan?s hands and said: ?An era has ended. Another MS is not going to be born.?

Renowned classical vocalist M. Balamuralikrishna said: ?Wherever is good music, there MS lives.?

Singer K.J. Yesudas said he had learnt ?diction and melody? the most from this ?divine person?.

State CPI leader A.M. Gopu made no bones of the fact that he hummed MS? bhajans from her popular film Meera when he was in the Tiruchi prison in the early 1950s.