BENGALURU: As Bengaluru embraces autumn, SwarTaal, Jagriti Theatre’s annual festival celebrating Indian classical music and dance, is in full swing. In its eighth year, the programme features three performances that captivate, provoke thought, and transport audiences through unique expressions of devotion, philosophy, and artistry.
One of the most anticipated performances is by TM Krishna, the pioneering Carnatic musician whose intellectual and emotional approach has garnered both acclaim and controversy. Krishna describes his relationship with Carnatic music as “deeply reverential and hence seriously critical.” Known for his fearless experimentation, he has redefined the role of a classical musician, pushing boundaries not only in music but within the socio-political contexts surrounding it.
While Carnatic music traditionally adheres to a structured format, Krishna has long challenged this, often giving his accompanists more freedom or reimagining the concert sequence. He emphasises that creativity in classical arts is about transformation and interpretation, not rigid adherence to form. “It has been a decade and a half since I stepped aside and reimagined a Carnatic concert,” he reflects. “Whatever happens, happens in the moment.”
On his upcoming performance, he says, “Creativity cannot be specified concert by concert. It is a continuum. It would be naive to claim any specific differentiation for any one concert. As a musician, all I can promise is honesty and immersion. I cannot predict what will happen at the concert. The audience just has to come and experience it with us.”
The Sangita Kalanidhi awardee will be accompanied by musician HN Bhaskar on the violin, Praveen Sparsh on the mridangam, and Sai Subramaniam on the morsing. His concert promises to explore the emotional depth of the ragas, focusing not just on technical mastery but on bhaava – the emotional essence – which, for Krishna, is as powerful as bhakti (devotion). “Bhakti needs to be understood with far more nuance than it is now. It cannot and should not be confined to any single frame. Such parochialism is the antithesis of bhakti itself.”
Over the years, Krishna has sought to dismantle the elitism often associated with Carnatic music and sees festivals like SwarTaal as aiding this cause. “We need many smaller spaces where diverse arts and audiences converge,” he says.
The festival opened yesterday with a performance by Kapila Venu, a practitioner of Koodiyattam – one of India’s oldest surviving theatrical traditions. Venu’s Shaiva Koothu is an adaptation of a 6th-century Tamil devotional work that tells the story a devoted follower of Lord Shiva.
Today, renowned Kathak dancer Aditi Mangaldas presents Immersed, a philosophical reimagining of the Hindu deity Krishna that goes beyond his conventional portrayal as the god of love and mischief.
(Immersed, and TM Krishna in Concert are scheduled for September 28 & 29 at 7.30 pm, respectively, at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield. Tickets are priced at Rs 500 on bookmyshow.com)