M S Subbulakshmi award to T M Krishna: My grandaunt would have abhorred this furore

The second issues our consciousness of the phrases of her will. I used to be additionally a beneficiary of the need left by my nice aunt, M S Subbulakshmi. Shortly after her demise, I, together with the opposite beneficiaries, was given a letter outlining her needs, and these have been  recognized to me since 2006. Stories that we had been unaware of those until just lately are inaccurate.

I’ve spoken with a number of members of the family, and the overall view amongst these whom I consulted is that the authorized case is misguided and a waste of worthwhile courtroom time. Moreover, it generates pointless publicity and a divisive feeding frenzy that M S would have abhorred.

Since M S was a public and iconic determine, folks have the suitable to share their opinions and views about her and have discussions about her life, her music, and her impression on the world of Carnatic music and past. A number of books and innumerable articles have been written about her. Not all of those have been adulatory or hagiographic. Human nature being what it’s, some gossip and makes an attempt at titillation had been inevitable. Our members of the family have typically maintained a reflective silence, figuring out that any response would merely provoke pointless public dialogue, which might not have happy her.

Many people and organisations have held occasions and instituted awards to have fun M S Subbulakshmi. Statues of her have been put up. The Authorities of India struck a coin to honour her. That is solely pure and the phrases of her will certainly couldn’t be binding on the world at giant.

Musicians Sudha Ragunathan and A R Rahman carried out on the United Nations to have fun the reminiscence of M S’s 1966 live performance for the Normal Meeting.

Together with one other of my cousins, I personally, established an internet site (msstribute.org) to pay tribute to her. A variety of folks, together with T M Krishna, had been invited to share their ideas and experiences relating to M S. I additionally organised a music competition in america to commemorate her centenary. My nieces Aishwarya and Soundarya, daughters of V Shrinivasan, participated by giving a live performance on that event, as did the violin maestro V V Subramanian in addition to Gowri Ramnarayan and her staff from JustUs Repertory. None of us felt any of this was a violation of the phrases or the spirit of M S’s will.

Now, I come to the accusations about what T M Krishna wrote and stated in his articles and lecture on M S. I’ve learn these, and whereas a few of his statements could also be combustive, I don’t discover them disrespectful. My studying of his phrases is that he’s accusing society at giant of minimising her persona, braveness, and power by specializing in the merely beauty.

M S Subbulakshmi was as iconoclastic as they arrive. It should have taken a lot braveness for this younger lady from a modest household in Madurai to got down to search a brand new life within the huge metropolis. Her performing profession, her relationship with and eventual marriage to T Sadasivam, even her Suprabhatams, her Vishnu Sahasranamam and her Hanuman Chalisa recordings had been all groundbreaking and fairly radical of their time.

Like many others earlier than him, Krishna appears to have been attempting to elucidate — maybe even to himself — the M S Phenomenon. How did such a forward-thinking particular person and radical trailblazer handle all this whereas being cloaked by the duvet of a conventional and reticent lady? The novelist R Okay Narayan tried his personal rationalization in his quick story Selvi.

May Krishna have been extra selective in his use of phrases? Absolutely, sure. However is it a matter for authorized proceedings with legal professionals and the courts? I hope we will all attempt to be a bit extra thick-skinned and never permit our variations of opinion to tear us aside as a society and a folks. These are disagreements which we will resolve head to head. We should additionally settle for that we can not at all times agree on every part. Our discussions and arguments may be forceful with out turning into recriminatory. By such inquiry, we advance our understanding of many issues. Even those that are offended by Krishna’s remarks needn’t attain out to the courts to intimidate or to suppress.

Regardless of the Supreme Court docket decides would be the ultimate judgment.  Nonetheless, can we not limit our argument to the information? Can we not say we expect somebody is mistaken with out saying they’re dangerous? Can we be taught to respect the suitable of others to be completely different, in addition to the suitable to query our ideas and beliefs?

The circumstances right here certainly lead us to wonder if there are those that are working behind the scenes to sow discord amongst us. Their curiosity might not be in defending the M S Subbulakshmi picture as a lot as in benefiting from the discord itself. I encourage newspapers and reporters to dig deeper into this story. I urge the Carnatic music neighborhood to put aside these variations and deal with working collectively to advertise not simply the music but in addition higher inclusivity.

I like my cousin Cheenu (V Shrinivasan). His daughters name me periappa, an honour and a severe duty. I write this out of concern over the hurt this case is doing to us in M S’s prolonged and speedy household and to the reminiscence of M S Subbulakshmi and T Sadasivam. I hope Shrinivasan and all who learn it can settle for it in that spirit and never interact in additional advert hominem assaults.