'I’m not a performer’, T.M. Krishna

Music, says Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna, is his way of understanding life. He is seated in a tastefully decorated living space, surrounded by his favourite art on the wall. Krishna is known not only for enthralling rasikas with his kutcheris but also, for speaking his mind.

A soul searching effort

His recently launched book, "A Southern Music — The Karnatik Story" (published by Harper Collins) is about our understanding of the art. “Is there a thread that has been retained over the last 200-300 years and can we identify it in today’s practice?” he says.

According to the author, such soul searching is possible only if we look at art by detaching ourselves from it. The questions that artists ought to be asking themselves, he says, are, “What is this art that I am practising? Why am I practising it? Why am I singing something in a certain way? I keep saying it is tradition. Does it have any sense? Is there value? I think there is great value to it. I believe that there are a lot of things that we should treasure from our music,” says, Krishna, adding that his book delves into understanding the philosophy behind Carnatic music.

Exploring carnatic music

The book is a collection of 27 essays where Krishna begins with exploring if each of the different genres of music has its own reasons for existing. 

“There are chapters which are technical, but by associating the technicalities with life experiences, even people who don’t know music can gain a glimpse of what technique means. I also critique the current practices of music. Then I look at Carnatic music’s relationship with different art forms — fusion, cinema, Bharatanatyam and Hindustani music. And there are also the social issues of caste, gender, religion, language, technology and internationalisation,” he says, in elaboration.

Caste and carnatic music

At the launch of the book at Kalakshetra, Krishna read an excerpt from the book that questioned the important role that caste plays in Carnatic music.

“I think that’s an issue, which needs to be tackled head on,” he stresses, never one to shy away from the hard questions. “It’s not enough to say, ‘Opportunities are open to all. Let them come’. We need to bring the issue out in the open. These are people who have done incredible work. The practitioners, Brahmin or not, made a great artistic contribution. Now, there should be a social contribution. Everybody must have access to this music. Nobody should feel while going to a concert that ‘I don’t belong here’,” says Krishna.

He concedes that every art form has its own audience. “Carnatic music cannot be cinema music. No form in the world can come near cinema music nor near popular Western music, and it would be ridiculous for us to compete with it,” he points out.

‘Now is the time to ask the tough questions’

The Carnatic music scene has grown immensely in the recent past and Krishna thinks that  it is an incredible time for it.

“I think the talent that’s around is quite phenomenal. A lot of very good things are happening. The next 60-70 years can be a great period for the art. It is always smart to ask the questions from a relatively comfortable position, which we are in today. If everything was down and nobody was singing or listening, asking the difficult questions then would be unfair. The art has a future now. That is why I think now is the time to ask the tough questions. We are prepared to at least face it — disagree may be, but face it,” he points out.

‘The artist within the performer is more important’

He warns though that the future may reveal an artistic snag.

“What worries me is that it’s becoming a highly professional field, which is good in a way. Artistically, it can be a problem. My generation included, we started off as amateurs. We sang because we loved it. Then, we became professionals. It’s a very different psyche, coming into it as a professional, in the sense, of the commitment to making it a livelihood. That can eat into the artist, and I hope that that doesn’t happen in the future. This is art, ultimately, and the artist within every performer is more important to me than the performer in him or her. The performer in that person has to be there, but if the artist dies at the cost of the performer, then it becomes like selling a product. Art can never be compared to a product,” he says.

So, what is Krishna’s philosophy when he performs? “I don’t like to call myself a performer. Wherever I am — a drawing room or a theatre — it’s an artistic space shared by everybody present. I am a vehicle of sorts for creating art within that space. I dissociate, as much as I can, from everything that exists around me, except the art. It is a huge challenge that requires a mindset. One has to put oneself a hundred per cent into every moment of music that is happening. Then, it is possible that it will click. Or, it may not. But that is the nature of music,” he adds meditatively.

He had early wanted to be an economist, a subject that he still loves. “I wanted to go to the  London School of Economics. I knew I was decent at music; it was in late school that I realised that music was more than something on the side. I had to take a call and I chose music. Even now, I love economics and keep in touch with it through the newspapers,” says Krishna.

Life is an inspiration

He regards life itself an inspiration. “It is about what’s around you — which is why I love to run away. I just went on a hiking trip to Ladakh. Past Leh, we climbed a peak of above 20,600 feet at Mentok Kangri. We spent 15 days hiking and every day was a vivid experience. I was sitting there with the mountains around and singing. Art is happening at concerts, but it is important for the artist to be alive and willing to experience all that exists around him with honesty. It is important for an artist to spend some time alone. An ideal holiday is when there is loneliness or aloneness,” says the avid globetrotter, who loves the mountains and the ocean.

In love with cricket and its niceties

Sport, especially cricket, is also an important part of Krishna’s life, and he likes to watch Test cricket.

“I love the niceties in it, the nuances in the sport. It is still beautiful, but now, I think even One-day cricket is losing its charm because people are scoring 400 runs. Everybody wants a contest between one batting side and the other. They don’t want a contest between bat and ball — and in that context, cricket doesn’t please me so much now,” says Krishna, reminiscing about watching test matches at the Chepauk.

“I watched Sachin Tendulkar bat against Pakistan at Chepauk. I also watched another game, where Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu played here and Shane Warne was battered all around the park,” he recalls fondly.

Krishna reveals that he also enjoys watching great sportsmen play. “I love watching Roger Federer play. I was a big Boris Becker fan,” says this artist.

Sharing music and life

Krishna says that he shares his love for music with his wife Sangeetha Sivakumar, who is also a performing artist. “My wife and I share music as much as we share everything else. It is an intense relationship because we share what both of us are very passionate about. My daughters Arya and Ananta, are 13 and 10. And, there’s always music in the house,” concludes this musician.