TMK makes it loud and clear

Chennai

Chennai, NOV 1

According to a Sabha secretary, “You don’t know how TMK will structure the day’s kutcheri. He may start with the Mangalam or make it the centrepiece, weaving a ragam, thaanam and pallavi out of it!”

Krishna has record collaborations with the maximum number of Carnatic vocalists, such as wife Sangeetha Sivakumar, Bombay Jayashri, Vijay Siva, Sudha Ragunathan and a jugalbandi with Hindustani maestro, Rashid Khan. “I think working with artistes in the same musicality is tougher than collaborating with a musician who represents another genre,” he said.

TMK (40) hails from a musical family. Learning music from Guru B. Seetharama Sharma since the age of six, his first concert was at the ‘Spirit of Youth’ series under the auspices of the Music Academy.

Starting young as a teacher, his students come from around the world, spending months learning music from him like in a traditional gurukulam. TMK is a difficult taskmaster, but generous when it comes to sharing his knowledge and expertise.
An articulate speaker, he excels at presenting lec-dems. He recently ruffled some musical feathers in town when he said, “The overall (cultural) atmosphere is so commodified that listening has more or less vanished.”

He has therefore said that he would not sing in the December season this year!

Compiled by Padmini Natarajan