Why traditionalist Carnatic musicians love to hate TM Krishna

CHENNAI: The Madras Music Academy conferring the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi award to noted vocalist and reformist TM Krishna has snowballed into controversy with several popular Carnatic musicians expressing their shock and disdain, and announcing a boycott of the Academy’s performances late this year. In normal times, this is as heretic as it can get in the world of Carnatic music.

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This set off a response, mostly from music lovers, liberals and those campaigning for social justice, who alleged that the protests from the traditionalists only exposed their notorious, inherent caste bias.

TMK, known as one of the brightest musicians of his generation, was once a darling of the Carnatic music aficionados. But that love seemingly faded away rapidly when he started talking about reforms rooted in social justice, and took steps to take Carnatic music, dominated largely by vocalists from the Brahmin community even today, to the common man.

Now, TMK is a name that elicits polarised points of view. In that circle, where art is indistinguishable from Bhakti (devotion) and bound by conservatism and traditionalism, he is an outlier who is swiftly becoming an outcast. Arrayed against him is the galaxy of "star musicians", who draw huge crowds during the festive season and whose fame is utilised and capitalised by sabhas across the State, including the Music Academy.

The primary reason for the disdain that he attracts from the large faction of the community - musicians and audience, both hailing from "elite" class and caste - has little to do with his art. It stems from his so-called leftist liberal views. Worse in their book is that he spouts "Periyarist" ideology.

As a counter to the famous Margazhi music season in December, a time when the who-is-who of Carnatic music and their fans from across the world descend in Chennai, TMK joined hands with noted environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman. Their effort was to make Carnatic music more inclusive by taking it to the masses, who seldom get space or even entry into the rarified sabhas. Thus began the Chennai Kalai Theru Vizha (previously known as Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha), held each year along the streets of Besant Nagar beach since January 2015.

Read: Row over Music Academy award for TM Krishna becomes DMK-BJP slugfest

His participation and continued patronage of the festival did not find many fans among his peer groups. Undeterred, he continued performing in streets to ensure Carnatic music reached the people, including those who are neither trained to understand its nuances nor have any devotion, that mandatory feeling that traditionalists say one should have to enjoy and appreciate the art.

Through another festival called Svanubhava (meaning ‘one’s own experience’), TMK attempted to enable access to many art forms that remained unrecognised by the Carnatic music industry.

At a book launch in 2017 in Hyderabad, TMK said that MS Subbulakshmi has in her later years distanced herself from her roots (she was born to a Devadasi mother) and transformed into a Brahmin. He said her vocals were mesmerising but her life story was a tragedy.

“If you listen to her songs on YouTube, it’s like listening to a rock star. But one must also notice certain sadness in her voice, the result of the transformation she has undergone,” TMK had said, and even asked the audience if they would have revered MS’s singing if she were a dark-skinned Dalit.

The following year, TMK’s decision to release at least one Carnatic song on Jesus or Allah created another controversy.

This initiative came about after it was reported a classical vocalist had cancelled a concert titled Yesuvin Sangama Sangeetham after a controversy erupted on social media about writing Carantic songs for non-Hindu gods.

TMK took a stand that almost guaranteed his ostracisation from the Carnatic musical community. On August 9, 2018, he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Considering the vile comments and threats issued by many on social media regarding Karnatik compositions on Jesus, I announce here that I will be releasing one Karnatik song every month on Jesus or Allah (sic).”

In his book, 'Sebastian & Sons: A Brief History of Mridangam Makers', TMK argued that there still exists the social gap between the Brahmin player and the Dalit who makes the musical instrument using animal hide.

Questioning caste privilege and the Brahminical dominion over the art form did not earn him any friends within the industry.

Also Read: Madras Music Academy award row: Kanimozhi rises in support of ‘Periyarist’ TM Krishna

He didn't stop there, but instead went on to do what the conservatives deemed was full-blooded blasphemy by questioning some of the compositions of Saint Thyagaraja, one of the holy trinity of Carnatic music, which he alleged reeked of caste and gender discrimination. He said every time someone sings one of the kritis, “it comes alive in that moment”, and hence they’re “irrelevant” in modern times.

He released a song in 2023 in honour of Periyar – father of the Dravidian movement – to commemorate the Vaikom Satyagraha, the anti-caste agitation in 1920s to enter the premises of Vaikom Temple in Kerala where once the lowered castes were prohibited entry.

The song, lyrics of which was written by Perumal Murugan, questioned caste discrimination. This hastened his alienation from the Carnatic music community. Praising Periyar, the man who played the most significant role in reducing the community's grip over the social and political polity of Tamil Nadu, was another heretic act that they couldn't forgive.

Seven years ago he rendered his voice in a song stating “I am Poromboku”, a song dedicated to the campaign Save Earth - Save Wetlands and Save Ennore. In Tamil, Porombokku also implies the subalterns who have nothing to call of their own and are hence reduced to occupying the fringes.

The song received wide appreciation from those fighting against environmental crimes. TMK portrayed the significance of poromboke land, in which he sang marking the significance of wetlands and wastelands that are essential for flood mitigation and food chain management. The song spoke about the evil effects of unchecked urbanisation and called for protection of natural resources.

But coming from him, it was not perceived only as an anthem for the environment. The class and caste subtext were not lost on any.

For the conservatives, thus, TMK was a radical iconoclast who questioned, exposed and challenged the social constructs that they believed defined their very existence. For long, they responded by ignoring him and criticising him within their closed-loop circles.

But now, with the Music Academy, which grew into being an institution that played a key role in ring fencing their conservatism, bestowing it's greatest honour on him, it is not possible for them to ignore TMK as an outlier. For them, his presence inside the hallowed halls of Music Academy, that too as the single-most important figure during the revered Margazhi festival, is sacrilege.

Little surprise, hence, that the controversy has erupted. And now, with the DMK, Left and others rising to back him and the BJP and the proponents of Brahminism arraying at the other corner, we will see the fire burning for some more time.