Justice S. Muralidhar (retd), former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, presents Sangeetha Kalanidhi-designate T.M. Krishna with The Hindu Sangita Kalanidhi M.S. Subbulakshmi Award at the inauguration of The Music Academy’s 98th Annual Conference and Concerts, in Chennai on Sunday. Also seen are Carnatic singers Bombay Jayashri and S. Sowmya, and N. Murali, President of The Music Academy.
| Photo Credit: Ravindran. R
Former Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, S. Muralidhar, on Sunday (December 15, 2024) said that to discover the art within each of us, we must be prepared to let the music unpeel the layers below which it lies hidden and allow our artistic self to introduce itself to us. “It can happen if the music is listened to, not just heard or watched. And it can happen if we don’t let our knowledge of music come in the way of our enjoying it in the present moment.”
Speaking at the inauguration of the 98th annual Conference and Concerts of The Music Academy here, he said that the 2024 Sangita Kalanidhi-designate, Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna, had made his choices clear – musically and politically. He was prepared to face the consequences of such choices. He had a precedent in “MS Amma, who also made clear and courageous choices”, Justice Muralidhar said. “Her opting to sing Tamizh Isai earned her a five-year ban from this Academy. Thankfully, it made amends and honoured her with the Sangita Kalanidhi in 1968,” he recalled.
Mr. Krishna, who was presented with The Hindu Sangita Kalanidhi M.S. Subbulakshmi Award, in his speech said he was blessed to receive an award instituted in her memory. “For a singer like me to receive an award instituted in her memory is not just a signal honour but a blessing. Even more, it carries with it a responsibility: that I sing not just with my trained voice, not just with a concentrating mind, but with my very being, my life, my all. I thank The Hindu for reposing that responsibility on me,” he said.
With so much happening in the virtual universe, Mr. Krishna said “we have forgotten Carnatic music’s sabha culture”. “I was told by many prominent musicians that, between June and September this year, there were hardly any sabha concerts. The sabha network is a unique feeder system that provides consistent opportunities to musicians who are at various stages in their musical career. The smaller sabhas help them gain experience, receive constructive feedback from rasikas and rise in the profession. This network has weakened and this should worry all of us,” he said.
President of The Music Academy N. Murali said that Justice (retd) Muralidhar is widely respected for his integrity, forthrightness, erudition, incisiveness, discipline and above all, a self-effacing nature. He is a keen and ardent rasika and a connoisseur of Carnatic music and has made time to attend concerts during the season. On Mr. Krishna, he said that the singer gave his first concert at the age of 12 in 1988 during the Academy’s Spirit of Youth series. His musical career has been truly a voyage of exploration and within the confines of the Carnatic tone. The Sangita Kalanidhi Award would be presented to Mr. Krishna at the Sadas on January 1, 2025.
Carnatic vocalists Bombay Jayashri and S. Sowmya attended the event.
Published – December 15, 2024 11:29 pm IST
