Making Carnatic music a symbol of communal harmony

TM Krishna needs no introduction. Uncommon in his rendition of music and original in his interpretation of it, Krishna, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, is at once strong and subtle, manifestly traditional and stunningly innovative.

As a public intellectual, the ace Carnatic vocalist, speaks and writes about issues affecting the human condition and about matters cultural.

His honest interventions in current issues are examples of unparalleled activism. And his upcoming act that will be held at the Christ the King Church, Loyola College, a rare platform for a Carnatic music concert, is yet another attempt in that direction.

The organisers of the concert to be held at 7 pm on February 26 — Islamic Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought, Loyola College, and Sri Vishnu Mohan Foundation – are quite in sync with the theme Abide with Me — In togetherness, set in the context of promoting communal harmony. “India is very precariously poised. There is a concerted effort by extreme religious groups backed by political fronts to sharpen the divisions between us. This is affecting the way people feel, think, eat, and celebrate.

There is an urgent need to resist this attempt to make India a monolithic cultural entity.

In my mind, this concert is a challenge to religious and sociocultural bigotry,” begins Krishna.

Interestingly, the idea of this concert, took shape at another.

“Just a few months ago, I sang in the Afghan Church in Mumbai along with the ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram.

It was after that performance that we decided upon Abide with Me — In togetherness.

Rector of Loyola college, Fr. AM Jayapathy Francis SJ, my friend Faizur Rehman and I worked on making this happen.

The message is obvious in our title. I do believe this is just a beginning. I would love to sing at the Thousand Lights Mosque and I do hope I can sing on Christ and Allah in Hindu temples without hesitation,” adds Krishna.

Krishna’s brand of music isn’t bogged down by conventions of Carnatic music. At an earlier performance for instance, he interweaved a Bengali song and a Viruttam by writer Perumal Murugan. But what happens when an artiste breaks away from the mould?

“If art is about being free, then the artistic journey must give us the insight to recognise and dismantle things that strangle art itself. All that I do comes from this gift that music has given me. I am still learning,” he says.

One of his pioneering efforts, the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha, that recently held its fourth edition, has become an avenue for art to thrive beyond societal hierarchies and barriers. However, it continues to face criticism which also included some calling it cultural appropriation where folk culture was being co-opted into the classical.

“In the Vizha, the non-classical has its own pre- eminent position. The curation comes from the wide range of people which includes the people of the village. Critics forget that the people of Urur Olcott Kuppam have their own agency and preferences. This festival is as much a celebration of the culture of the fisherfolk, as it is about allowing all art forms and people to intermingle.

Over the last few years, the Vizha has also held non-classical events on stages that usually reserved for classical performances. I wish people who feel this way engage with the Vizha with greater seriousness. We can all learn from each other,” he puts forth.

It is perhaps because of these efforts that we’ve seen an increase in the number of youngsters, beyond the rasikas, attending Carnatic music concerts. “I think we need to take Carnatic music beyond the sabhas and let everyone experience it. I am not worried about numbers, but I would love to see diversity in the Carnatic universe.

Everyone has right to access and that cannot be stifled by upper-caste conservatism,” he says assertively.

There is another section’s perspective that there is a fear of art getting diluted when you try to make a complex art form more accessible. “The undertones in such a statement are so disturbing. Not only does this imply that the classical is far too complex for the common person, meaning that the common person is not good enough. This line of thought is so very problematic,” he explains. But is there no fear or apprehension in exploring certain narratives considering how creative freedom is under threat? He responds with a resounding “No”. Speaking of politics, will we see him entering active politics? “I am in politics and political. I also think it is essential that the political becomes an everyday truth rather than just an electoral instrument. Right now, I do not see myself as a party politician,” he responds