“He is crazy!” “You can never tell what he will surprise you with next.” “He is a maverick.”
Comments fly to and fro at T.M. Krishna’s first concert in Tamil Nadu (Rajalakshmi Fine Arts, Coimbatore) after the Ramon Magsaysay award. As if he can hear what they are saying, he weaves in a Bengali song and a Viruttam by writer Perumal Murugan. The listeners are surprised, but there is also some appreciation.
Does this signal changing times in Carnatic music? T.M. Krishna shares some thoughts about his approach to music.
Excerpts from an interview
What happens when you break away from the mould?
A mould is only a casing. True art exists beyond this. It is also true that these scaffoldings are control mechanisms. It is, therefore, imperative that artistes and listeners explorethis space. And, this happens only when we detach ourselves from the psychological and emotional compulsions that are ingrained. Perumal Murugan’s poem ( Viruttam ) is part of his collection that is deeply evocative and a stunning expression of the internal struggle of a creative human being stifled by the violence unleashed on him. It is significant to note that the verses are dedicated to the lord of Tiruchengode — Madhorubagan. The Bengali song ‘Dhono Dhanye’ is written by Dwijendralal Ray. As a Carnatic musician, my aim is to present every piece with the intention of abstracting human experience using text, raga and tala. What a listener takes from the music cannot be controlled by me, but I am clear about my intent.
Someone at the concert called you a maverick. How does the conventional audience respond to your music?
Tags such as ‘maverick’ do not matter. I think that, over the years, people have moved with me. I have noticed that they have learnt to access the music that I share without being bogged down by convention. This, I think, is a huge step forward.
Why don’t more youngsters attend classical music concerts?
I do not entirely agree with this observation. Over the years, I have seen that in cities such as Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai, a large number of young people {though belonging more or less to the same community} attend concerts. Of course, there needs to be a conscious effort. I have initiated a small programme along these lines with Vidya Vanam in Anaikatti, and I do hope we can use that to bring in many more youngsters from a cross section of society.
Do you think artistes have the responsibility of bringing ignored art forms to the forefront, especially in a hierarchical society like ours?
I think it is a collective responsibility of society. We have to come together with the awareness that we need to change the way we see each other and, therefore, the arts that each celebrates. But, it is also true that the culturally powerful have to break down the socio-political-cultural pedestal of the arts they ‘own’ and truly celebrate the art forms that remain in the fringe of culture. There can be absolutely no condescension in this engagement. We need to create spaces where art is shared on an equal stage.
The Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha was an interesting cultural experiment. But, it also came under fire. People called it a cultural appropriation where folk culture was being co-opted into the classical. How do you engage with this criticism?
First, let me point out that we have not used the terms classical or folk in the Urur Olcott Kuppam initiative. When you use these terms unconsciously, you place a higher value on the classical. This, we do not do. Therefore, the Urur Kuppam Vizha is about respect and love among people and art. We rejoice as people and in the culture that every community holds within. Every art has its own aesthetics and form, and the Vizha allows for all to access them as they are, and never attempts to morph any art to imitate upper-class/caste habituations. We want all people to participate in the spirit of mutuality.
Appropriation happens when the people who have practised and enjoyed an art form are removed from the equation, and the art is snatched away from them. And, such an act is entrenched in social and cultural hierarchy. We are, in fact, addressing these very dangerous tools of social power. But, I must say that all this is not easy and calls for constant introspection and awareness of the issues that lurk in our minds. We need to be conscious of our own failings as members of a collectivity.
There is a fear that when you try to make a complex art form more accessible, you run the risk of diluting it.
So, are you also saying by default that those art forms that are more accessible are inherently easier or less complex? Are you also saying that people beyond the privy circle will be able to enter this world only if we dilute the art? That is a conceited view of the art.
The Ramon Magsaysay award is associated with recognition for social work. Do art and social work go hand-in-hand? And, do you call yourself an activist?
If the ‘Art Experience’ is a profound state of being, then it has to change the way we see ourselves and all that is around. If we conveniently box it within the performance space and do not let it change who we are as human beings, to me it is a waste of time.
