The article “No caste, no creed, no gender” by T.M. Krishna (December 13) was disappointing to read. The author descends from lofty thoughts on imagination and creativity to issues of Brahmin domination and male chauvinism. The ‘Musician M.S.’ was never suppressed by the ‘Divine M.S.’. M.S. Subbulakshmi’s rendering of Kalyani or Kambhoji was sheer musical expertise. Her contemporary D.K. Pattammal was hailed not because of her Brahmin heritage, but because of her courage to break free from an oppressive environment that barred women from public spaces. The author confuses bhakti with religion. Of course, music and voice are inseparable. But I don’t understand why many Carnatic musicians, unlike Hindustani musicians, don’t place an any sort of emphasis on voice culture.
G. Padmanaban,Bangalore
M.S Subbulakshmi was a class apart; she was divine. The lyrics of her songs are pregnant with meaning. A performer of her class cannot be compared with anyone else, or described in terms of caste and creed.
V. S. Sankaran,Secunderabad
