T wo years ago, when T.M. Krishna conceived the Urur-Olcott Kuppam Vizha, a parallel December Music season in Chennai, no one was sure about the form it was going to take. There was enthusiasm, there was doubt, and a general sense of disbelief. Krishna himself was unclear about what this was going to be. However, to erase boundaries, break barriers, and a passionate imagination of the egalitarian space, led this idea.
Into its third year, the Urur-Olcott Kuppam Vizha is dynamic and vibrant, thanks to friends, believers and fellow travellers of T.M. Krishna, who, despite differences and quarrels, hold on to the purpose of Urur.
A brief conversation with T.M. Krishna:
You are in the third year of Urur… are you able to retrace your footsteps with greater clarity now?
The Urur Olcott Vizha began with a rather simplistic idea in my head. Neither was I an activist nor did I have a clue about how activism worked. So, along with a few like-minded friends, we met the Panchayat of the Kuppam, proposed our idea, and then as the word spread around, a lot of people from across the city joined us. Each, we realised, came with his/her baggage. As we started conversing, we realised each other’s limitations, strengths and differences. But the very fact that we all collectively saw how some parts of the city were given certain privileges while the others were denied the same, and that we wanted to do something for it, was just fantastic.
By the time we came to the second year, the city had been flooded, and there was a lot of commentary about our rights and wrongs. In a way, it was a lesson in humility and also helped us get rid of the stereotypes we nurtured. To give you my own example, I requested the Ayodhya Mandapam authorities to give a kovil maryadai (temple honour) to the fisherfolk who had done so much during the floods. I was so sure that this “Brahmin space, a Carnatic hub” wouldn’t. But they readily accepted my proposal and the affection with which they did it..., it was touching.
Some of the residents of the kuppam had expressed anger at being seen as “recipients”. Doubts and dissent, particularly from whom we seek to ‘include’, are usually valid. What are their feelings at this point in time?
Yes, those are the mistakes we made. Our notions of voluntarism have changed in these years.
The energy in the Kuppam is magnificent. They have helped us rethink many issues. Now, they have gradually begun to dialogue with us. This year, we have included the songs of the fisher folk into the festival. And this is an idea that came to us from the chief of the Kuppam, Palayan. Slowly, they have begun to feel a sense of ownership about the festival.
The Urur Olcott is turning into an interesting metaphor for the possibilities of change. Having said that, it is a long journey and an extremely slow process. The results will neither be magical not quick.
Do you have fellow travellers from the world of music in this journey?
The support that I have received from the music community is amazing. Every artiste likes to give, to share. As a run up to the festival, we have been running three workshops since October for girls, destitutes, under privileged etc. A number of musicians have been involved in this. We will have a performance by these groups at the festival. If the artistic fraternity had felt that this was not a worthy idea, it would have been difficult.
Poromboke is a very good move. Shouldn’t you take it to the people?
The Ennore community was listening to the song as we recorded it, and were thrilled. People living there came and told us that we must organise a festival for them. Nitya Jayaraman, my friend, thinks this is a huge victory for the movement. Environmentally and aesthetically, it has been a phenomenal experience for me. Let us see what road it takes.
The success of Urur, as I see it, will be when a reverse initiative is possible. Someone from ‘them’ should be able to pull off something like the Urur Festival, without T.M. Krishna leading it. Do you see it happening?
This year it is happening. At the Raga Sudha Hall, Mylapore, the festival will begin with a Gaana performance, something unthinkable in that space. Also, residents of Tiruvalluvar Nagar came to us and said they wanted to do something like Urur on January 15. ‘We will organise, you curate’, they said. That is an inversion, isn’t it?
Let me tell you this much, something special is happening and I can scream from rooftops. We as a nation, love ‘bigness’. But none of what we are doing is big, they are small steps. We are making mistakes, quarrelling, but still going forward. The social address will change, but it will be a long time before that happens.
