BENGALURU: Seems like ‘returning awards’ and ‘boycott’ season is back; much ado about nothing...Carnatic music is not so new, simplistic, or shallow, that an award given to TM Krishna is going to validate every word or action of his. It is a recognition of his talent and contribution to the Carnatic scene.
Surely, neither the music academy nor the executive committee that decided on this is going to be in total agreement or appreciation of all of TMK’s music or his socio-political stances. But is his musical prowess worth recognising and rewarding? Definitely! Academy president N Murali issued a statement saying that the sole criterion for conferring the award is musical excellence demonstrated over a significant and sustained career.
So there is nothing here to protest about unless Ranjani-Gayatri or whoever else can legitimately claim that he is a bad musician. Which they are not claiming and cannot claim. So that’s as far as the award is concerned.
Having said that, those opposing this have a right to voice their sentiment about some of TMK’s opinions and statements from the past. However, it is misplaced to boycott the award. The tone and reasoning of the opposition are shocking, considering the cherry-picked and half-baked opinions that they hold. Periyar is a well-known and hugely respected, albeit controversial figure in Tamil Nadu, and there have been many controversies surrounding him in the past as well.
To use this opportunity to equate an anti-Periyar stance with that of Carnatic music culture or Tamil culture is rubbish. Being a proud Tamilian or musician has nothing to do with being anti-Periyar, who was anti-Brahmin. There is no correlation between appreciating Carnatic music as an art form and Brahminism, and there should not be. If they are claiming otherwise, they are making TM Krishna’s point for him. Tamil Nadu and Tamilians have rejected this equation of its culture solely with Brahminism, several times.
About TMK’s comments on MS Subbulakshmi, he has explained himself multiple times, and nobody can deny the kernels of truth there even if one doesn’t fully agree. As her great-grandson, and her being one of the strongest women I know, all I can say is this: I hope she would have responded to TM Krishna and clarified her own choices which were made in a particular period and context that TM has not lived and cannot comprehend fully.
She would not have been offended or insulted by this discourse. But she would have engaged with him directly and exchanged views openly, in the spirit of debate and democracy. She does not need spokespersons or superficial custodians of her legacy to use her name and score personal brownie points. TN and Tamilians have seen and ignored such dog whistles for decades, and they shall be ignored now as well. I wish that MS was alive so that she could use the platform of the Music Academy to herself give the award to TMK on the dais, have a constructive debate about the history and legacy of Carnatic music, and put an end to this tussle that erupts every few years.
If Ranjani-Gayatri are true artistes, and respect MS, they should do much more to democratise the Carnatic music tradition from within. Performing to a largely homogenous audience is not doing anything to push the needle. Using the excuse of pride in culture, when the inequities of classical music are so obvious, is disingenuous. MS came from the outside and made an iconic space for herself in a challenging competitive landscape.
(The writer’s views are personal)