I was as casteist and classist as possible: T M Krishna

It’s hard not to know T.M. Krishna if one is even slightly acquainted with Carnatic music. Not just a musical genius with numerous awards to his name, he also boasts of an illustrious lineage in the art form. In fact, the arterial TTK Road, host to a number of sabhas (auditoriums) in Chennai, is named after his grand uncle. Normally, with his musical talent and credentials, it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise that he is this year’s recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award. After all, he has a precedent in Carnatic musician M.S. Subbulakshmi, who also won the award in her heyday. However, there is one aspect to this award that exemplifies all that is unique about T.M. Krishna and his identity beyond that of a Carnatic musician. It is the fact that unlike other artistes preceding him, he has won the award in the Emergent Leadership category, thereby joining the likes of Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjeev Chaturvedi.

Telling us how he views the award, he says, “I see this award as recognition for the role art has played in society, that it is eternally intertwined in its fabric. Further, it also recognises that art is a channel through which we can make people understand each other, even those who live in the opposite sides of the society’s social scale. I am glad that I was given in the category of Emergent Leadership. This  means that I have a long way to go and I have to continue pushing the boundaries of society and art. It is a blessing that I am receiving this award in M.S. Subbulakshmi’s birth centenary year. Further more, it is even more special that I am receiving it with Bezwada Wilson. I hope to learn a lot from my interaction with him,” says Krishna.

A vociferous critic of his own circle, Krishna has come a long way in the recent years from asking “uncomfortable questions” about the functioning of the December festival to conducting full-fledged ‘Vizhas’ in places as unlikely as Urur Olcott Kuppam and Sri Lanka’s war-torn Northern provinces. But it wasn’t always like this, says Krishna, who reveals, “It is not as if I was always this open, free or aware. I too was blind to all this for years. I was as casteist and classist as possible. And then through my abstraction in music, I began asking myself these uncomfortable questions and they manifested themselves as music, writing, speeches and activism.”

The major grouse he had with his community, says Krishna, was the reluctance to accept what was “Staring in the face”. But despite all that he has to complain about Carnatic music, it was the music itself that spurred the activist in him, says Krishna, who adds, “I am a musician and I owe all that I do to Carnatic music. It is what moves me to ask questions.” To that end, Krishna says that most of his criticism is only self-criticism as he considers himself very much a part of the community. “I do not see myself as an outsider. I am an insider and I am not perfect. It is just that I keep that in my consciousness and am aware of whom I am,” he adds.

Telling us about his efforts, Krishna says that most of what he does is instinctive. “Jaffna was one of the most beautiful travels that I have ever undertaken. I toured in October 2011 and was the first Carnatic musician in 35 years to perform in the Northern Provinces of Sri Lanka. I learnt so much about life, art and struggle from the Tamils in Sri Lanka and it was a life changing experience. As for Urur Olcott Kuppam, it was just a wild idea. I bounced the idea off well-known conservationist Nityanand Jayaram, and together we came up with a plan. We did it with the help of a lot of volunteers and I think we have built a very special relationship.”

While his activism is one side of his personality, another dominant facet is that of a politically active citizen. “Unfortunately, in this country, we have surrendered to the political idea of a party. I am political and I will continue to be political but this has nothing to do with leadership ambitions,” adds Krishna, who says that if there is one ambition or a goal he consciously works towards, it is cultural integration within his own community. “As much as I want Carnatic music in the fishing village and a Dalit singing classical music. I also want a music season when Gana and Paraiattam (both subaltern art forms) will be performed as part of the Madras Music season. That will be magical,” he says as he signs off.