Row over award to T M Krishna; Carnatic musicians pull out of Madras Academy event

CHENNAI: Several Carnatic musicans have pulled out of the Madras Music Academy’s annual December conference to protest the Sangita Kalanidhi award to classical vocalist T M Krishna, who they allege has “glorified Periyar” and vilified the Carnatic music community.

The artistes are miffed with the Chennai-based academy’s decision to bestow the honour, which is considered the Oscar equivalent in Carnatic music, on the 48-year-old vocalist.

Krishna will preside over the 98th annual conference and concerts of the Madras Music Academy later this year in December.

A special moment.@musicacademyma pic.twitter.com/UDrlJnSv8l

— T M Krishna (@tmkrishna) March 18, 2024

The sibling duo of Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan, otherwise known as the Trichur Brothers, said participating in the year-end festival conference hosted by the Academy will make them “outright hypocrites in our own eyes”.

They took to social media platform X to write, “Formal announcement that we are pulling out of the Annual Conference 2024 of The Music Academy , Madras, for obvious reasons. To participate in a conference presided by Mr TM Krishna would make us outright hypocrites in our own eyes. Sincerely, Trichur Brothers.”

Formal announcement that we are pulling out of the Annual Conference 2024 of The Music Academy , Madras, for obvious reasons.

To participate in a conference presided by Mr TM Krishna would make us outright hypocrites in our own eyes.

Sincerely,
Trichur Brothers

— Trichur Brothers (@TrichurBrothers) March 20, 2024

Yesterday, renowned Indian classical musicians Ranjani and Gayatri announcing the decision stated that their participation in this year’s conference under TM Krishna’s presidency would constitute a “moral violation.”

They accused Krishna of causing “immense damage” to the Carnatic music world by “wilfully and happily” stomping over the sentiments of the community and said he “insulted most respected icons like Tyagaraja and MS Subbulakshmi”.

Musician and composer Chitravina Ravikiran also expressed his discontent over the decision and mentioned, “RETURNING SANGITA KALANIDHI AWARD from ACADEMY: I’ve taken this step after careful consideration as principles much larger than all of us are at stake. However I’ll always remain deeply grateful to the org for its role in my career from childhood #musicacademy #award #Music”

RETURNING SANGITA KALANIDHI AWARD from ACADEMY: I’ve taken this step after careful consideration as principles much larger than all of us are at stake. However I’ll always remain deeply grateful to the org for its role in my career from childhood #musicacademy #award #Music pic.twitter.com/EfXVtkUTns

— Chitravina Ravikiran (@ravikiranmusic) March 21, 2024

Musician and composer Chitravina Ravikiran also expressed his discontent over the decision and mentioned, “RETURNING SANGITA KALANIDHI AWARD from ACADEMY: I’ve taken this step after careful consideration as principles much larger than all of us are at stake. However I’ll always remain deeply grateful to the org for its role in my career from childhood #musicacademy #award #Music”

Vedic Speaker and writer Dushyanth Sridhar said that he won’t be performing at the academy’s upcoming music festival in protest. He mentioned, “#Astikas – I have conveyed to the Madras Music Academy that I will not be performing on the 1st January 2025 (after the sadas). Below is a copy of the letter drafted to them.”

“I have no authority to question the selection of his name for the award. I am pained by many of his public statements on Dharma, Ayodhya, Sri Rama, and more,” he wrote. He also attached a copy of the letter he wrote to the President of the Music Academy outlining his ideological disagreements with Krishna as well as his reasons for declining to perform.

#Astikas – I have conveyed to the Madras Music Academy that I will not be performing on the 1st January 2025 (after the sadas). Below is a copy of the letter drafted to them. pic.twitter.com/MRx9b8Z6qR

— Dushyanth Sridhar (@dushyanthsridar) March 20, 2024

Historian Vikram Sampath supported the move by the renowned Carnatic musicians and vocalists like Vishakha Hari, Dushyanth Sridhar, Trichur Brothers among others.

He mentioned in his post, A big shoutout to the immense courage of conviction showed by artists like @ranjanigayatri @dushyanthsridar @TrichurBrothers Vishakha Hari & most of all @ravikiranmusic ‘s bold step of returning the Sangitha Kalanidhi award in the wake of @musicacademyma’s foolish, suicidal & self-serving move. A quiet revolution brews & hope other Carnatic musicians who revere the composers & our Gods join ranks to demonstrate how some things are simply non-negotiable!”

A big shoutout to the immense courage of conviction showed by artists like @ranjanigayatri @dushyanthsridar @TrichurBrothers Vishakha Hari & most of all @ravikiranmusic 's bold step of returning the Sangitha Kalanidhi award in the wake of @musicacademyma 's foolish, suicidal &…

— Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS (@vikramsampath) March 21, 2024

Musicians Ranjani and Gayatri have alleged that Krishna’s actions have “tried to spread a sense of shame in being a carnatic musician” and has been exhibited through his “consistent denigration of spirituality in music”. They also accused him of vilifying the Carnatic music fraternity that has collectively contributed millions of hours of artistry, hard work and literature.

“It’s dangerous to overlook Mr TM Krishna’s glorification of a figure like EVR who 1. Openly proposed a genocide of ‘brahmins’ 2. Repeatedly called/abused every woman of this community with vile profanity 3. Relentlessly worked to normalize filthy language in social discourse”, they posted on X.

“We believe in a value system that respects art and artists, vaggeyakaras, rasikas, institutions, our roots and culture. We will be in moral violation if we were to bury these values and join this year’s conference,” the musicians added

Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (EVR), also known as Periyar, is considered to be the ‘Father of the Dravidian movement’. He rebelled against Brahmin dominance and gender and caste inequality in Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, in a statement issued by N Murali, president of the Madras Music Academy said the distinguished recognition for Krishna is for “his powerful voice”, “adherence to tradition when it comes to the art”, “focusing on its exploratory as opposed to tightly defined structures” and for using music as “a tool for social reform”.

Krishna thanked the Music Academy and termed it “special” moment. He wrote in a social media post on X, “I am happy that The Music Academy, Madras is honouring me with the title Sangita Kalanidhi, for the year 2024. It is without doubt the highest honour for Karnatik musicians. At this moment I thank my family, my Guru-s and co-musicians for their selfless giving..”

Krishna has often spoken out against conventional ideas of caste and gender politics in the existing Carnatic music system and also been vocal about the non inclusiveness of the famed December music season in Chennai, also known as the Marghazi season. He had also started a music festival in the fishing village of Uroor-Olcott Kupppam.

An economics graduate, Krishna was a musical prodigy who started learning music from Bhagavathula Seetharama Sharma, followed by lessons from Carnatic vocalist Chingleput Ranganathan and Semmangudi Srinivas. Krishna is the grandnephew of former Indian finance minister T T Krishnamachari, who is among the founders of the Madras Music Academy.

According to a press release of the Music Academy, the Sangita Kalanidhi awardee will preside over the academic sessions of the 98th Annual Conference and Concerts of The Music Academy to be held between December 15, 2024 and January 1, 2025. (ANI)