THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Mentioning that the essence of being an artist is to be honest to oneself and his surroundings, veteran Carnatic vocalist T M Krishna said that art which does not engage with time is useless. “If an artist’s art is not in conversation with the time, place and environment they live in, it is not art,” he said after receiving the fifth P Govinda Pillai Memorial National Award at the Senate Hall here on Saturday.
Talking about traditional musicians like Thyagaraja Swamikal and Muthuswami Dikshitar, Krishna said that they too engaged with their times, though he may not agree with them.
Presenting the award to the acclaimed singer, CPM national general secretary M A Baby said that Krishna widened the creative boundaries of Carnatic music, without leaving behind its scientific aspects.
“T M Krishna is a person who liberated the stringent procedures and rigid customs of Carnatic music,” he said. Calling him a musical magician, Baby also added that Krishna was effectively able to cater the art to today’s evolving audience.
Bestowed in the name of veteran CPM leader P Govinda Pillai, the award was previously won by Adv Prasanth Bhushan, journalist N Ram, writer Arundhati Roy and historian Romila Thapar. The programme, which began with a musical performance by Krishna, was presided over by former speaker M Vijayakumar.
The award presentation ceremony was also attended by General Education Minister V Sivankutty, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, TRIDA chairman K C Vikraman, P Govinda Pillai’s children R Parvathidevi and M G Radhakrishnan, among others.