Controversy erupts over TM Krishna's MS Subbulakshmi award nomination
JIMMY MOODLEY
The 2024 Chennai Margazhi (December) Music Festival, hosted by the Madras Music Academy, was the most publicised as it invoked controversy and a process of change. The followers, participants, fans, patrons, sponsors and all other stakeholders expressed their opinions, either for or against change, and evidently they are divided on new developments.
Carnatic music was known to be exclusive to a certain caste of people and only they were invited to perform at leading venues during the Chennai’s music season, including the Madras Music Academy.
This season (2024) was special and a turning point.
Controversy and division erupted when carnatic vocalist TM Krishna was nominated as the 2024 recipient for highest accolade in Carnatic music, the MS Subbulakshmi Sangitha Kalanidhi Award. Objections poured in from previous award recipients, participants and patrons of carnatic music.
V Srinivasan, the grandson of the late singer and recipient of the award in 1968, MS Subbulakshmi, took the matter to the Madras High Court restricting the conferring of the award to Krishna, citing that Krishna made scandalous remarks against his grandmother.
Srinivasan alleged that Krishna had said that Subbulakshmi “Brahmanised” herself to gain acceptance, fame, and reputation in the world of Carnatic music.
According to Krishna, had MS Subbulakshmi not embraced Brahmanism, she may have never become who she was, he had reportedly said.
Many other singers and participants objected to Krishna receiving this award with some artists removing their names from participation in the Madras Music Academy’s annual festival.
Carnatic singing sisters, Ranjeni and Gayatri, went so far as returning the awards they received from the academy. They accused TM Krishna of causing “immense damage to the Carnatic music world” and “wilfully and happily” stomping over the sentiments of the music community. They also alleged that Krishna had insulted the most respected icons like Swami Tyagaraja and Subbulakshmi.
Now let’s focus on the central character in this saga, Krishna.
Firstly, Krishna remarked that Subbulaksmi did not hail from a Brahmin caste, but married into it. He had asked: “If her voice came from a dark skinned, non-upper-caste lady, would all of us celebrate her like we do today?”
Krishna also said that some of Swami Thyagaraja's compositions have caste and gender discrimination, and placing him as a saint and semi-god was not right.
Krishna is a social activist and active against caste discrimination and caste favouritism in the Carnatic music system. He had boycotted the popular Chennai Music Season, usually held in December, for being non-inclusive and shunning non-Brahmin musicians and certain art forms. He even started his music festival in February 2016 called the Uroor-Olcott Kuppam Marghazi Vizha.
Through another festival, called Svanubhava, he wanted the audience to access art forms that mainstream Carnatic musicians did not recognise. He organised and performed classical concerts in rural villages, districts and towns to make it accessible to ordinary and mundane people and to also provide a platform for those who are capable of performing Carnatic music but have no opportunity.
He also wanted all art forms, like traditional, tribal and heritage dances and music to be recognised and not just Carnatic music. Krishna is a staunch follower of EV Ramaswamy ‘Periyar’, a popular anti-caste leader and a revolutionary social thinker, who led the Dravidian movement.
The Music Academy, on conferring the award, said that Krishna “used music as a tool for social reform” and that the recognition was for his “powerful voice”. He has written analytical books on music and contributed immensely to the Carnatic music world.
Krishna said his remarks were taken out of context and anyone who read his articles would know that he had the greatest admiration for Subbulakshmi and her music.
It is a good leap to extend Carnatic music to everyone and include all but the concern is will traditions, spirituality, standards and discipline still be maintained and will it still be based on dharmic and bhakti roots?
Chennaites will look at this matter differently but we South Africans know all too well about discrimination, favouritism, nepotism, privileged and the not privileged.
Jimmy Moodley is an author and researcher
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.