Why Is TM Krishna Still Stalling In The Sangita Kalanidhi Case?

Around the time TM Krishna put out a tweet today about him having climbed the Lobuche East (a mountain in Nepal), his lawyers in Madras High Court were, in a sense, more in a pedestrian mode. They sought more time in the ongoing proceedings over the controversial conferment of the Sangita Kalanidhi award on him by the Music Academy.

The whole thing has boiled into one big festering controversy with many leading Carnatic musicians expressing their displeasure over the bestowment of the coveted honour on Krishna, who has in recent times become some sort of gadfly in the conservative Carnatic music ecosystem.

The award to Krishna, however, has also not gone down well with the venerable MS Subbulakshmi's family with her grandson V Shrinivasan petitioning the court to stop the award named after her being presented to Krishna (for the record, the Sangita Kalanidhi Award concomitantly comes with a cash prize instituted in the name of MS Subbulakshmi, and sponsored by The Hindu).

Shrinivasan, in his petition, said the late singer’s will explicitly states there should be no trust, foundation, or memorial in her name after her passing. "It is my earnest desire and mandate that, after my demise, no trust, foundation, memorial, statue, or bust be created in my name or memory, nor any funds, donations, or contributions be collected for these purposes using my name. The only exception pertains to mementoes, souvenirs, or awards given to me, as I believe such initiatives are not in line with our culture," the will reads, according to the petition.

Aside from the fact that the award is against the spirit of her will, the family of MS Subbulakshmi also felt shock and disbelief that Krishna, who has lowered the dignity of the late singer with some controversial articles against her, has been chosen for the award.

In his petition, Shrinivasan said the family struggles to understand how the Music Academy, which was 'dear to their matriarch,' could honour someone who had questioned her credibility in the Carnatic music world. The sum and substance of the petition is, first, that the award in her name was against her wishes, and second, that choosing Krishna, who has 'shamed MS' good name,' is another wrong. 

Insulting Remarks 

The Hindu and the Music Academy — both controlled by the same group, namely N Ram and his brother N Murali — refuted the charges. In a counter affidavit, the Academy said it had no role in selecting the recipient of the Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award. It added that the award has been in full public gaze since its inception in 2005, with no objections raised by the late singer's family for nearly two decades.

Shrinivasan, who is mentioned as a legatee in the will, is however not its executioner. His contention is that the will’s executor, S Nagarajan, a chartered accountant, had the will under his custody and its contents were not known to Shrinivasan or his mother Radha Viswanathan, the step-daughter of MS Subbulakshmi and her constant accompanying singer for close to five decades. 

Both The Hindu and the Academy are harping on the point that some other institutions and organisations had instituted awards/memorials in her name. But they also played mean by suggesting that it was up to Shrinivasan to prove that he is the grandson of MS Subbulakshmi.

This is seen as a below-the-belt attack and also mocks the strong mother-daughter bond between MS and Radha Vishwanathan, who was the daughter from Sadasivam’s first marriage before he married MS.  

The larger point is also about whether Krishna should have been chosen for the award when he has been less than charitable to her in his writings and speeches about her. This is also something Shrinivasan is also driving home at. In his responses to the counters filed by The Hindu and the Academy, Shrinivasan has also mentioned Krishna's unflattering analysis and extrapolations in various publications.

Krishna Is In No Hurry

The man at the centre of the whole controversy, Krishna, strangely remained unresponsive for long — the first legal notice was served on him in April. Anyway, after lying low, Krishna in his counter-response, denied belittling the iconic singer, claiming his words were taken out of context. 

Having finally presented his side of the case, there was expectation among the general public that the proceedings would shift to higher gear and reach some sort of conclusion. But today, when the case came up for hearing before Justice G Jayachandran, both the aspects — the legal will and its contents and Krishna's 'controversial observations' on MS — were discussed. But when particularly the second part was sought to be taken up for formal arguments in the court, Krishna’s legal team sought more time. The case is now adjourned for 14 November.

The general feeling among Carnatic music rasikas, who have been following the case closely, is that Krishna (and the Academy) may be trying to buy time. The suggestion is that the 'season' begins on 15 December, and the Academy is presided over by the Sangita Kalanidhi winner of the year. If the case isn't settled before then, it would become infructuous for the petitioner. The rasikas' apprehension on that score is not unfounded. 

The mood among the general rasikas of Carnatic music and also among the section of Carnatic musicians is that the Academy has erred in its judgement by choosing Krishna for the award.

There is also considerable hypocrisy, they say, in Krishna accepting the award from the music academy. He has long been vocal in criticising the ecosystem the Academy has fostered over the years. In fact, he stopped performing there after one of his typical showy outbursts against the system. Given all this, his acceptance of an award from the Academy seems completely off-key.

Sounding off-key is an act of sacrilege for a platform singer, unless, of course, he has a real excuse — Like having just summited a mountain and palpably out of breath.