Madras Music Academy president says protest against TM Krishna “unwarranted, slanderous”

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 21 (ANI): Madras Music Academy on Thursday lashed out at the “unwarranted and slanderous assertions and insinuations” by Carnatic music vocalists Ranjani and Gayatri and their “vicious tone” against senior fellow-musician T M Krishna.

N Murali, the president of the academy in a letter to Ranjani and Gayatri said, “I received your joint letter of 20th, March, 2024 and was shocked by both its vituperative content, which is replete with unwarranted and slanderous assertions and insinuations verging on defamation, and its vicious tone against a respected senior fellow-musician.”

This follows a statement by Ranjani and Gayatri announcing their decision to withdraw from the Music Academy’s Conference 2024 to protest the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ honour for Krishna.

In his letter, Murali said “You are aware that the Sangita Kalanidhi award instituted by The Music Academy in 1942 is the highest accolade in Carnatic music. The choice of Sangita Kalanidhi made year after year is a prerogative of The Music Academy and has always been made after careful deliberation, with the sole criterion being musical excellence demonstrated over a significant and sustained career.

“This year the Executive Committee of the Academy chose TM Krishna for this accolade based on his excellence in music over a long career, with no extraneous factors influencing our choice,” Murali said.

He said that that the music academy respects the decision of RAnjani and Gayatri but said that posting their letter addressing him and the academy on social media was “discourteous.”

“We regard your decision to withdraw from the upcoming annual conference because the Academy has chosen for the award a musician you dislike and malign as unbecoming of artistes and in poor taste. I note that you have shared your letter addressed to me and the Academy on the social media, which apart from being discourteous, raises doubts about the intentions behind and the purpose of your letter,” Murali wrote.

“Normally, a missive of the kind you have addressed to me and the Academy posted on the social media before you have received a reply would not warrant a response. But I would not like to deny you the courtesy of a response in consideration of your contributions to the field of Carnatic music,” he said.

Several musicians have pulled out of Madras Music Academy’s annual December conference to protest the Sangita Kalanidhi award to vocalist T M Krishna, who they allege has “glorified Periyar” and vilified the Carnatic music community.

The artistes are miffed with the Chennai-based academy’s decision to bestow the honour, which is considered the Oscar equivalent in Carnatic music, on the 48-year-old vocalist. Krishna will preside over the 98th annual conference and concerts of the Madras Music Academy later this year in December.

Yesterday, the musicians Ranjani and Gayatri took to social media to announce that they will not participate in this year’s conference under TM Krishna’s presidency as it would constitute a “moral violation.”

They accused Krishna of causing “immense damage” to the Carnatic music world by “wilfully and happily” stomping over the sentiments of the community and said he “insulted most respected icons like Tyagaraja and MS Subbulakshmi”

Taking to social media platform X, Ranjani and Gayatri said, “We have communicated our decision to withdraw from participating in the Music Academy’s conference 2024 & from presenting our concert on 25 Dec. We made this decision as the conference would be presided over by TM Krishna.”

“He has caused immense damage to the Carnatic music world, wilfully and happily stomped over the sentiments of this community and insulted most respected icons like Tyagaraja and MS Subbulakshmi,” they added.

The musicians further alleged that Krishna’s actions have “tried to spread a sense of shame in being a carnatic musician” and has been exhibited through his “consistent denigration of spirituality in music.”

They also accused him of vilifying the Carnatic music fraternity that has collectively contributed millions of hours of artistry, hard work and literature.

“It’s dangerous to overlook Mr TM Krishna’s glorification of a figure like EVR who 1. Openly proposed a genocide of ‘brahmins’ 2. Repeatedly called/abused every woman of this community with vile profanity 3. Relentlessly worked to normalize filthy language in social discourse,” they posted on X.

“We believe in a value system that respects art and artists, vaggeyakaras, rasikas, institutions, our roots and culture. We will be in moral violation if we were to bury these values and join this year’s conference,” the musicians added.