Making Carnatic music accessible to all sections of society

An artiste should be willing to embrace other art forms, says TMK

Reaching out: Vocalist T.M. Krishna during an interaction with The Hindu in Visakhapatnam.

Be it the counter-cultural arts movement ‘Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha’ or the collaborative concert with Jogappas, a transgender community in parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, or his recent popular track ‘ Poromboke paadal ’, Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna believes that an artiste should explore the untouched space of music and strive to make music accessible to all sections of society.

In an interview with The Hindu , TMK does not mince words while expressing his views on the need to bring marginalised art forms to the limelight, breaking free from the age-old caste shackles.

“Art is a channel through which we connect with communities. Take for instance, the outreach initiative

Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha where art is presented in public places. We [a group of artistes] took part in performing art relay by boarding the public transport system. Later, a group of dancers performed Bharatanatyam at Chennai Central Railway Station on Independence Day. The idea is to bring communities together,” says the Ramon Magsaysay Award winner who came to the city to present a Carnatic concert at the recently-held annual music, dance and drama festival hosted by the Visakha Music and Dance Academy.

Besides a number of artistes present in Visakhapatnam, TMK observes that the city comprises several music teachers who could come up with their own creative ideas to support marginalised art forms. “Until we presented a concert with Jogappas, not many knew about their devotional music. An artiste should be willing to embrace other art forms so that communities performing the art not only takes the centre stage but will also be respected,” the singer opines.

Terming caste as the biggest hurdle in the endeavour to transform society, TMK says music should break free of such shackles. “Every art has its own beauty. Initially, when I was performing a concert with Jogappas, I was confined to my own ideas about the community. However, when we started singing, we enjoyed learning from each other. They were gracious enough to share the stage and their immense musical knowledge with me,” says the renowned musician, who says he is looking forward to present concerts with Jogappas at their home ground.

About the next generation, TMK says the youngsters are far more open-minded towards bringing social change as they carry less baggage.