Celebrating a legend, celebrating a singer-awardee

In March 2024, The Music Academy, Madras announced T.M. Krishna as the recipient of the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi award, which is given annually to outstanding musicians. But over the past seven to eight months, there has been an ongoing wave of criticism and backlash directed at Mr. Krishna, posing a challenge to the freedom of expression.

Beyond his profession as a musician, Mr. Krishna actively voices his views on social issues such as politics, caste, language, and the role of music, in his speeches and writing. His views have sparked anger among dominant groups, who lack the openness and the tolerance to engage in meaningful dialogue on these topics. They seek to suppress his freedom of expression, employing various tactics to silence his anti-hegemonic perspectives and remove him from the public sphere.

The recipient of the Sangita Kalanidhi award also receives the M.S. Subbulakshmi Award instituted by The Hindu. Mr. Krishna had previously written an in-depth article on M.S. Subbulakshmi, "MS Understood", which has since drawn criticism, with some accusing him of defaming her, leading to questions about how he could be awarded the honour named after her. M.S. Subbulakshmi's grandson, Shrinivasan, took the matter to court, stating that the person who insulted his grandmother should not be given an award in her name. The Madras High Court has now delivered its judgement.

An insightful article

The article written by Mr. Krishna is a rare and insightful study of a musician. One approach in literary criticism is to explore the relationship between a writer's life and their work, and Mr. Krishna applies this brilliantly to music. There is no doubt about M.S. Subbulakshmi's remarkable personality, but the article delves into whether she was able to fully express it through her music. Her songs serve as the primary evidence. By continuously listening to her songs, the article seeks to uncover whether the artistic excellence in her music was a result of her creative freedom or a compulsion to conform, and seeks reasons in her life for this dynamic.

The article divides M.S. Subbulakshmi's life into three phases, describing how she sang during each period, the kinds of songs she chose, and the reasons behind these choices - all conveyed with a blend of logic and beauty. It also explores various opinions within the inner world of Carnatic music, presenting them as oral evidence.

As a singer himself, Mr. Krishna has been able to gather these perspectives, examine them, trace the reasons behind their emergence, and offer his own insights.

The family of M.S. Subbulakshmi may take issue with the passages in the article that address her caste and her husband, but there is no transgression in them. Mr. Krishna presents his thoughts in a cultured language. In our society, while religion can be changed, caste remains unalterable. How can the Devadasi background, in which M.S. was born and raised, be concealed? It is a widely acknowledged fact in the public sphere that she was under the influence of her husband, who played a significant role in determining the composition of her concerts. 

This article is a profound commentary on M.S. Subbulakshmi, a widely admired public figure. Listening to her songs with the understanding offered by this article allows for a deeper experience of her music. Beyond general interest, one can explore the variety of songs she performed. "Some people feel that this article insults her memory. In fact, I have celebrated her in the best possible way," says Mr. Krishna in the preface to the Tamil translation. Those who have read it carefully can understand it better.

The Madras High Court verdict

The Madras High Court did not address whether Mr. Krishna insulted M.S. Subbulakshmi in its verdict. It raised no objections to the conferment of the 'Sangita Kalanidhi' award by the Music Academy on Mr. Krishna. Instead, the High Court focused on the Sangita Kalanidhi M.S. Subbulakshmi Award, which is presented by The Hindu to the recipient of the Sangita Kalanidhi award and includes a prize of  Rupees 1 lakh.

In her will, M.S. Subbulakshmi has stated that she did not want any award to be given in her name. Based on this, the judgment ruled that to respect her wishes, a cash prize could be awarded without using her name. The award presented by The Hindu is titled the 'Sangita Kalanidhi M.S. Subbulakshmi Award. However, the Tamil media, which confused the 'Sangita Kalanidhi' award given by the Music Academy with the 'Sangita Kalanidhi M.S. Subbulakshmi Award' presented by The Hindu to the awardee, misreported the verdict.

The media mistakenly understood that the Sangita Kalanidhi award is given in M.S. Subbulakshmi's name. Tamil newspapers, television channels, and social media have wrongly reported that there is a ban on conferring the Sangita Kalanidhi Award in her name. There have also been reports claiming that the High Court has stayed the conferment of the Sangita Kalanidhi award on Mr. Krishna. 

When the High Court took up the case, it was reported with the same confusion. Some English media outlets also misunderstood the situation. The judgment was not clearly understood due to a lack of basic knowledge about the background of the award. This raises questions about the credibility of the news published by the media. 

The verdict stated that The Hindu should not use the name of M.S. Subbulakshmi. This raises a few questions. In previous years, the winners of the Sangita Kalanidhi Award were presented with the award in M.S.'s name. What will happen to those instances? The High Court did not provide a judgment on that matter, possibly choosing not to interfere in such past decisions.

In the future, when The Hindu awards the r Rupees 1 lakh prize to the recipient of the Sangita Kalanidhi Award, M.S. Subbulakshmi's name cannot be used. This means that either the name of the award must be changed or it will need to be presented under a different name.

Another question arises. Awards are given in the name of M.S. Subbulakshmi not only by The Hindu but also by other organisations. For example, the 'Eyal Isai Nataka Manram' of the Government of Tamil Nadu presents the 'M.S. Subbulakshmi Award' every year. Singer S. Janaki received the award for 2016 and Vani Jayaram won it in 2020. Will the High Court ruling apply to such awards as well? The judgment lists several issues named after her but does not address these awards. If someone were to challenge these awards in court, citing the judgment, it could result in them being halted.

A wish fulfilled

As in the verdict, Mr. Krishna is not affected. He can still receive the Sangita Kalanidhi award. And the cash prize offered by The Hindu can also be awarded. However, M.S. Subbulakshmi's name can no longer be used for any award. In her will, M.S. Subbulakshmi stated: "After my death, no trust or memorial should be erected in my name. No funds should be raised or given in my name."

If M.S. Subbulakshmi's wish is to be respected, her name should be removed from all awards and recognitions, in line with this judgment. In the context of conferring the Sangita Kalanidhi on Mr. Krishna this year, and the subsequent court battle, it can be said that her wish has been fulfilled. Mr. Krishna, who celebrated MS through his article, has now honoured her wish. 

Until now, it was not publicly known that she had written such a thing in her will. The information in the will, written over 25 years ago, has now come to light, reinforcing a dimension of her personality wherein she refrains from placing herself at the forefront. T.M. Krishna bas paved the way for this. Both deserve to be celebrated.

This has been published in The Hindu.