The animosity towards TM Krishna ended due to audience response and participation

TM Krishna receiving the Sangeet Kalanidhi from Renee Lang Professor David Shulman, Chair of Humanistic Studies, during the session at the Academy of Music in Chennai. , Photo Courtesy: SR Raghunathan

The overwhelming response and participation of the audience in the concerts and morning conferences contributed to the success of the December music session of the Sangeet Academy and quelled the unsavory notes and rancor against Sangeet Kalanidhi Award recipient singer TM Krishna.

“For many months before the festival, there has been unnecessary external noise and toxicity, especially on social media. Despite all this, the festival went off smoothly and was a great success. Ultimately, music as a force of good prevailed and prevailed mightily,” said Academy President N. Murali said during his address to the academy’s alumni.

Enthusiastic participation, tremendous presence of the audience in the opening ceremony of the festival. Rasik The response to the Christmas morning concert by Shri Krishna and the similar response to Sadas proved that good music matters. Sri Krishna, who returned to the sabha music session after a decade, said that his participation in the session as Sangeetha Kalanidhi-nominee was special. “Presiding over the 98th Annual Conference of the Sangeet Akademi was an intellectually stimulating experience. I had the privilege of moderating this year’s conference and it would not be wrong to say that this year’s conference stood for very high standards in terms of quality and rigor in the presentations and lectures,” he said.

Sri Krishna, a Magsaysay Award winner and author of books on music and society, said the discussions and debates that followed each lecture in the morning were profound, robust and revelatory. He said he also made it a point to listen to as many concerts as possible, especially concerts by young composers, and that this was very gratifying.

“The publication of abstracts of each lecture in advance contributed to the seriousness of the conference. It was also heartening to see so many young musicians, students and audiences actively participating in the proceedings. The number of people across the world watching the uploaded recordings of the lectures on YouTube is a testament to its impact on Carnatic music connoisseurs,” he said.

“Receiving the Sangeeta Kalanidhi Award on January 1 and receiving love and affection from so many people from different walks of life is overwhelming,” she said.

The enthusiasm for Shri Krishna was shared by the renowned Indologist David Shulman. He said he and his wife arrived only for the last few days of the festival, but the event made it clear that the Markazi festival was unique in the world. “The richness and standard of excellence is absolutely amazing. Carnatic music today is thriving as never before, expanding its range and horizons while remaining true to its long classical tradition. He further added, “Look at the long line of awardees, most of whom are young and extremely talented musicians who have performed these days. Look at the passionate audience that attended the performance for several hours. Look to the connoisseurs who know every note and every lesson.

He said that the profound artistry of Shri Krishna crowned the festival and won the hearts of its audience. “Chennai is still the home of Goddess Saraswati, who would be listening to all the concerts and feeling satisfied,” Mr. Shulman said.

The Academy also paid tribute to former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. “He was one of the great leaders and statesmen of India, who contributed tremendously to the progress and development of the country, guided by the principles of humanity, inclusivity and equality,” Mr Murali said during his address at SADAS. “Manmohan Singh was a rare man who worked in both education and politics with equal success. He said, “This gentleman politician was full of humility and decency and people like him are very rare among us.”