Thuglak row | 'Gurumurthy unable to digest MS Subbulakshmi award for TM Krishna'

Amid the blazing controversy over Music Academy's cancellation of a booking made for Tamil political weekly Thuglak by its Editor S Gurumurthy, writer Perumal Murugan has voiced support for the Academy.

He has also come out in support of TM Krishna, who is at the centre of the issue.

The latest row

Chennai-based cultural institution Music Academy, hailed for long as the Mecca of Carnatic music, rents out its auditoriums for various functions. Thuglaq had booked a hall for its annual meet, slated for January 14, 2025. A month after the booking, however, it was cancelled.

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The cancellation occurred soon after Gurumurthy wrote an article in The New Indian Express on October 10, slamming Music Academy for conferring renowned singer TM Krishna with the title of Sangitha Kalanidhi and, by virtue of that honour, the MS Subbulakshmi Award for 2024.

The cancellation made just after the article's publication triggered a public spat. The Academy claimed it axed the Thuglak booking as it needed the hall for its own event. Not many bought that story. 

What Gurumurthy wrote

Gurumurthy wrote that the Academy’s choice of Krishna was akin to presenting the Bhagwan Mahaveer award to a butcher for promoting vegetarianism. The decision deeply hurt ardent followers of Carnatic music, he said.

Gurumurthy is also a part-time director on the central board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue. 

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''By its single act of honouring the man who dishonoured MS with the honour of the MS Award, the Music Academy has ended up irredeemably dishonouring itself,” he said. He said Krishna has “unquestionable liberal and woke credentials” that undermine the legacy of the gentle and humble MS.

'Music for harmony'

Perumal Murugan, a renowned Tamil author, disagreed with Gurumurthy's stance.

"I read Gurumurthy's article. He seems to be really disturbed and cannot digest the fact that the Academy has decided to honour an artist who has used Carnatic music as a tool to create harmony in the society," he told The Federal.

"Gurumurthy said in his article that Krishna had glorified Periyar by singing a song written by me. Merely talking, singing about Periyar and his contributions to society appears as 'glorification' for Gurumurthy. There's a need in society to discuss Periyar," he added.

"He mentioned about my book Mathorubagan (translated in English as One Part Woman) and criticised that my work demeans women. Actually, this book was read and honoured by the judges of the Madras High Court. Gurumurthy thus disrespects the verdict and the court by his comments," Murugan further said.

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"The Music Academy has already issued a detailed statement on its choice to award TM Krishna based on his merit. So, Gurumurthy's criticism has no meaning," he added.

The earlier protests

A hail of protests hit the Academy earlier this year after it announced Krishna’s selection for the award.

Some performers of repute announced a boycott of the Academy and returned its earlier awards. Just when music lovers thought the hail was settling down, another missile has hit the Academy now.

Krishna had on several occasions criticised the Carnatic music ecosystem as being Brahminical, elitist and exclusionary.

Breaking away from traditional sabha concert mode, he had taken music to slums, churches, mosques, streets and villages, advocating for the recognition of music from underprivileged communities and presenting Carnatic music to them.

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Criticism of MS

He had also written critical articles on Carnatic music and the legendary MS Subbulakshmi, drawing fire from many MS fans.

He once wrote: “By 1970, MS had been singing for nearly four decades. She was also constantly doing what someone or the other expected of her, rather than what her genius expected of her. The songs she sang on stage were always meant to please some constituency. Her singing itself was about satisfying what her husband saw as music. She had become mother, woman-saint, deliverer and model, as well as singer.''

The bottled-up anger among the orthodox Carnatic musicians and their fans exploded when the Academy announced its Sangita Kalanidhi award for Krishna in March.

Academy defends itself

But Music Academy president N Murali was unmoved, insisting that notwithstanding his unorthodox approach, Krishna was one of the foremost Carnatic musicians today and deserved the award.

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“Our foremost criterion is ‘excellence in music over a sustained period,’ and Krishna fulfils that. End of story,” Murali said in a statement.

But Gurumurthy was undeterred. “If the Academy chose Krishna without even basic due diligence that would have revealed his vilification of Subbulakshmi, it is guilty of wilful negligence," he wrote in his recent article. "If it knew he had maligned her and still chose him, it is guilty as an active co-conspirator.”

Murugan, however, said it was untrue that Krishna had demeaned MS Subbulakshmi. "TM Krishna has written several articles on Carnatic music and MS Subbulakshmi. He is outspoken and his views are accepted by people who want to see the truth. He used Carnatic music to bridge people in different strata of society. TMK is very fit to receive this award," he said

The Thuglak event

Senior journalist and avid Thuglak reader GC Shekhar told The Federal that the Academy's cancellation of the magazine’s event was unprofessional.

“The Thuglak readers’ meet is not just another programme; it has always been a significant annual event that influences the political landscape of Tamil Nadu and the nation,” he said.

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He recalled the 2008 meet, when Thughlak founder and then editor Cho Ramaswamy had named Narendra Modi, then the Gujarat Chief Minister, as a fit prime ministerial candidate.

Modi and Advani

And, when Modi and LK Advani shared the Thuglak stage at the 2012 annual meet, Cho openly urged senior leaders like Advani to make room for leaders like Modi.

Shekhar pointed out that readers were encouraged to question the editor, with the answers making the headlines.

“The Academy’s cancellation of such an important event diminishes its reputation. It could have issued a statement addressing Gurumurthy’s action; instead, it chose to act petty,” he said.

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The Federal sought comments from Music Academy authorities over telephone and email, but did not receive any. 

Meanwhile, V Shrinivasan, grandson of the late MS, has filed a petition in the Madras High Court challenging the decision to present the Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award to Krishna. Shrinivasan said that Krishna made "vile, vituperative and scandalous attacks" on MS after her death, and the award in her name should not be given to him.