• By JE Entertainment
  • Thu, 21 Mar 2024 02:09 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Multiple Carnatic singers have withdrawn from the Madras Music Academy's yearly December conference in protest of the Sangita Kalanidhi award being conferred upon classical vocalist TM Krishna. They claim that Krishna has 'glorified Periyar' and criticised the Carnatic music community. Expressing their discontent with the academy's decision to grant the prestigious honour, which is akin to the Oscars in Carnatic music, to the 48-year-old vocalist, these artists have opted out of participating in the event.

A controversy has emerged within the Madras Music Academy following the presentation of the Sangita Kalanidhi award to musician TM Krishna this week. In protest against this decision, Carnatic vocalists Ranjani-Gayatri and Harikatha exponent Dushyanth Sridhar have opted out of the Music Academy Conference 2024.

The Carnatic vocalists, Ranjani and Gayatri, have announced that they will refrain from performing at their concert scheduled for December 25 and will not partake in the conference scheduled from December 15 to January 1.

The Trichur Brothers, Srikrishna Mohan, and Ramkumar Mohan, expressed their reluctance to participate in the year-end festival conference hosted by the Academy, stating that doing so would render them "outright hypocrites in our own eyes."

They took to X and wrote, "Formal announcement that we are pulling out of the Annual Conference 2024 of The Music Academy, Madras, for obvious reasons. To participate in a conference presided by Mr TM Krishna would make us outright hypocrites in our own eyes. Sincerely, Trichur Brothers."

Musician and composer Chitravina Ravikiran also expressed his discontent over the decision and mentioned, "RETURNING SANGITA KALANIDHI AWARD from ACADEMY: I've taken this step after careful consideration as principles much larger than all of us are at stake. However I'll always remain deeply grateful to the org for its role in my career from childhood #musicacademy #award #Music."

Vedic Speaker and writer Dushyanth Sridhar said that he won't be performing at the academy's upcoming music festival in protest. He mentioned, "#Astikas - I have conveyed to the Madras Music Academy that I will not be performing on the 1st January 2025 (after the sadas). Below is a copy of the letter drafted to them."

"I have no authority to question the selection of his name for the award. I am pained by many of his public statements on Dharma, Ayodhya, Sri Rama, and more," he wrote. He also attached a copy of the letter he wrote to the President of the Music Academy outlining his ideological disagreements with Krishna as well as his reasons for declining to perform.

Historian Vikram Sampath supported the move by the renowned Carnatic musicians and vocalists like Vishakha Hari, Dushyanth Sridhar, Trichur Brothers among others. He mentioned in his post, "A big shoutout to the immense courage of conviction showed by artists like @ranjanigayatri @dushyanthsridar @TrichurBrothers Vishakha Hari & most of all @ravikiranmusic's bold step of returning the Sangitha Kalanidhi award in the wake of @musicacademyma's foolish, suicidal & self-serving move. A quiet revolution brews & hope other Carnatic musicians who revere the composers & our Gods join ranks to demonstrate how some things are simply non-negotiable!"

Musician Vishaka Hari said that Krishna has previously "engaged in a lot of slandering" and hurt the sentiments of many "tremendously and wilfully."

Earlier, in a statement issued by N Murali, President of the Madras Music Academy said the distinguished recognition for Krishna is for "his powerful voice", "adherence to tradition when it comes to the art", "focusing on its exploratory as opposed to tightly defined structures" and for using music as "a tool for social reform".

Krishna thanked the Music Academy and termed it "special" moment. He wrote in a social media post on X, "I am happy that The Music Academy, Madras is honouring me with the title Sangita Kalanidhi, for the year 2024. It is without doubt the highest honour for Karnatik musicians. At this moment I thank my family, my Guru-s and co-musicians for their selfless giving.."

Krishna has often spoken out against conventional ideas of caste and gender politics in the existing Carnatic music system and also been vocal about the non inclusiveness of the famed December music season in Chennai, also known as the Marghazi season. He had also started a music festival in the fishing village of Uroor-Olcott Kupppam.

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(With ANI Inputs)