CPI (M) General Secretary MA Baby collides Bharat Ratna for artists

CPI (M) General Secretary Ma Baby, a connoisseur of Karnataka music, made a strong case to compete with Bharat Ratna in India, stating that the competition had reached “Himalayan Heights” in the country.

“Not only is Umelpuram Shivraman. Kishan Maharaj, Alla Rakh, Zakir Hussain and Samata Prasad were. But the most respect like Bharat Ratna, only Bhajan Joshi, Bismillah Khan, Ms. Subbul Saksam, along with Ravi Shandhakar and Lata. Hindu Office in Chennai on Sunday (July 13, 2025).

Mr. Baby’s friendship with Shri Shivraman has been for several decades. He has organized several concerts and even persuaded Shri Shivraman to perform for Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj. He said that music academy and Hindu The collision should play a role in advocating Bharat Ratna recognition for artists.

“This is the most appropriate platform to raise the question: Why has a collision the artist never been given Bharat Ratna? He asked.

He also recalled an incident in which Tabla Mastro Kishan Maharaj criticized the Center for his unhappy attitude to give prizes on musicians.

“No national honor will come to us until we stayed for 80 or 85 years,” Mr. Baby quoted Kishan Maharaj as saying that Union Ministers participated in a program in Delhi.

The CPI (M) leader further indicated insufficiency and absence in the selection of award winners. “Of course, the real North Indian artists, but the real South Indian artists are not sufficiently considered,” he said.

Shri Shivraman said that long ago, he suggested to the music napk Academy that it is an award institution in memory of famous Nagaswararam player TN Rajratinam Pillai.

He said, “Ustad Bismillah Khan is a young priest. A similar award institute named after Rajratinam Pillai,” he said. Mr. Baby, while supporting this demand, said that Rajrathinum Pillai was equal in the stature of Bismillah Khan.

Mr. Shivraman, who performed with four generations of musicians, said he was also ready with the next generation. He also described the necessary special sports styles with great musicians like Mudikondon Venkatrama Iyer, Ariyakudi Ramnuja Iyngar, Gon Balasubramanian, Madurai Mani Iyer, Trem Mahlis, and MD Ramanathan.

Speaking on the subject of creativity, Shri Shivraman cited poet Kalidasa to explain his philosophy: “Don’t think that everything is good; don’t criticize everything new.

N. Ram, former editor-in-chief HinduThose who introduced both, said the event was to highlight and persuade an unusual association and a relationship that blossomed in permanent friendship.

He said that Mr. Baby faced Mr. Shivraman’s music for the first time during the Emergency, when he was half-age and arrested. “His elder brother advised him to visit a temple and listen to concerts. Similarly he first discovered the great music of Shri Shivraman,” he said.