In an odd decision taken by the Madras High Court on November 19, Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna will be awarded the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi, but not in MS Subbulakshmi’s name. The decision comes after V Srinivasan, Subbulakshmi’s grandson, opposed the conferment of the award as, according to him, Krishna had made scandalous remarks about his grandmother. While Justice G Jayachandran’s verdict blocks the award in Subbulakshmi’s name, because it would violate Subbulakshmi’s will according to which she did not want any memorial, foundation or statue in her name, it also says that Krishna’s opinion “whether good, bad or ugly will not disqualify him from getting the title Sangita Kalanidhi”.
Will all the future Sangita Kalanidhi awards also not carry Subbulaksmi’s name? Or will it depend on Srinivasan’s discretion? Would other awards and fellowships in her name continue? If the court wants the singer’s will and wishes to be respected, shouldn’t it then also consider taking down Subbulakshmi’s famed bronze statue installed at RTC Cross Road Junction in Tirumala Tirupati? Taking away Subbulakshmi’s name from the Sangita Kalanidhi just because it’s being given to Krishna is as distasteful as taking down the statue.
Just as Krishna has questioned the rich musical tradition of Carnatic music, exploring the margins, speaking of equality and shaking the status quo, he has critically analysed the life and times of Subbulakshmi and tried to interpret her musical choices. While examining her Devadasi roots, Krishna has asked whether MS would have been accepted and embraced if she hadn’t “Brahminised” herself. He tracked changes in her music — from immortalising Meera to ending up in the spiritual realm “only to be summoned whenever we want to reaffirm our faith in the religious, sanctified, spiritual and ritualistic.” He wondered what the music could have been if some choices were not imposed on her. This vivid analysis is not only the right of the expert, it could have also inaugurated a great intellectual debate. It is not slander. In fact, it comes from a place of deep respect and emotional attachment to an artiste.
