TM Krishna interview: It would have been wrong of me not to accept the Sangita Kalanidhi award

“I sang on this very stage 36 years ago, and with these very musicians.” With that Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna began his Christmas morning concert at The Music Academy in Chennai.

But what was significant about the occasion was not just that it was the venue where he made his debut as a 12-year-old prodigy with violinist RK Shriramkumar and mridangist K Arun Prakash. It also marked the closure of another loop.

A decade ago, Krishna had declared his disenchantment with the Carnatic music establishment and the winter margazhi season run by its famed sabhas, of which the Academy is arguably the most prestigious. He accused it of being elitist, casteist, sexist, manipulative and vulnerable to money power. He, in turn, was accused of turning against the very system that nurtured him.

Over the last few years, the friction between Krishna and the Carnatic establishment worsened, with right wing voices adding toxicity to the debate. His books A Southern Music, Sebastian & Sons and his analysis of MS Subbulakshmi’s musical persona raised many more questions about the biases in the Carnatic world. It seemed this standoff would never find a resolution.

Then, last year, The Music Academy awarded him what is regarded as the highest honour for a Carnatic musician – the Sangita Kalanidhi…

Read more