Carnatic classical vocalist Thodur Madabusi Krishna, the musician at the forefront of challenging the conventional ideas about caste and gender politics in Carnatic music besides highlighting the institutional issues and non-inclusivity of the famed December Music Season, has been conferred the Sangita Kalanidhi award – the most prestigious recognition in Carnatic music – by the Madras Music Academy. According to a statement issued by N Murali, President of the Madras Music Academy, the distinguished recognition for Krishna is for “his powerful voice”, “adherence to tradition when it comes to the art”, “focusing on its exploratory as opposed to tightly defined structures” and for using music as “a tool for social reform”. In an email conversation with The Indian Express, Krishna called the award “the highest recognition for a Karnatik musician” and a “humbling and special moment” in his life. “At this moment, I pause and reflect on all that has happened, and at the same time look forward to travelling many more less-travelled paths,” said Krishna, who will preside over the 98th annual conference and concerts of the Academy later this year in December. Krishna opted out of singing at the Music Academy in a decision he took in 2015 after he felt that the sprawling December Music Season, which had stemmed from the Music Academy’s first annual conference on Carnatic music in 1929, was increasingly being driven by "commodification" besides being "socially stifling". He also highlighted the non-inclusive nature of the artform and the music season, wherein non-Brahmin musicians and certain art forms such as Pariyattam, Villupattu, Gaana-Pattu and Kuthu were being left out. He spoke of not making classical forms a conserve of certain spaces only, and, started a music festival in the fishing village of Uroor-Olcott Kupppam in an attempt to “push out caste elitism from the existing Carnatic music system” and unite various art forms. It was in February this year that Krishna returned to the Academy to present a concert — Tyagaraja Aradhana — as an ode to the Telugu saint-composer. Last year, he also organised a ‘Nadaswaram and Thavil Festival’ in collaboration with Narada Gana Sabha. Most of the nadaswaram and thavil players are not Brahmins and are often not included in the kutcheri circuit. The instruments are considered more appropriate for rituals and weddings. An economics graduate, Krishna was a musical prodigy who began learning from Bhagavathula Seetharama Sharma, followed by lessons from Carnatic vocalist Chingleput Ranganathan and Semmangudi Srinivas, the famed colossus in the field. Grandnephew of former Indian finance minister TT Krishnamachari, also one of the founders of the Madras Music Academy, Krishna was 12 when he presented his debut concert at the Academy. In other awards announced by the Academy, while the Nritya Kalanidhi has been awarded to Mohiniyattam exponent Neena Prasad who runs music academies in Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, the two Sangeet Acharya awards were given to mridangam guru Professor Parasalla Ravi and Carnatic vocalist Geetha Raja who learned under the aegis of T Brinda, one of the foremost representatives of the Veenai Dhanammal school of Carnatic Music.
