Airport Authority of India (AAI) announced that it has postponed musician TM Krishna’s concert. The event had to be organised in collaboration with cultural organisation, SPIC MACAY at Nehru Park, Delhi on November 17 and 18. AAI issued a statement stating, “We would like to inform that due to some urgent engagements, ‘Dance and Music in the Park’ programme jointly organised by the AAI and SPIC MACAY, scheduled on 17&18 November 2018 has been postponed and new dates would be announced shortly”. It was clear that due to some exigency, the concert had to be postponed. However, the left liberals soon went up in arms to play the victim card in support of the vocalist TM Krishna. Krishna has been targeted for his controversial innovations in Carnatic music and for unnecessary and overboard criticism of Hinduism.
Carnatic music finds its deep roots in the Hindu religion. However, Krishna has been one of those singing Carnatic songs in the praise of Allah and Jesus. This obviously has not gone down well and led to his drawing flak from several quarters. Carnatic music took birth and got nurtured in the Hindu culture and therefore, singing Carnatic songs for Jesus or Allah is bound to be taken as an absurd and bizarre concoction of Carnatic music rather than an enriching innovation. In order to defend himself, Krishna has constantly been targetting the caste division in the Indian society alleging that there is a belief that Carnatic music has been a thing of upper caste Hindus only. It is ridiculous how he brought the idea of caste prejudices into the allegations of tampering with Carnatic music. This goes on to show his deep-rooted prejudice against Hindus and the tendency to malign Hinduism on the basis of caste system for any issue under the sun. In one of his speeches, Krishna went on to drag even the Carnatic legend MS Subbulakshmi in order to further his own agenda. He claimed that Subbulakshmi had to distance herself from her family and brahminise herself which was visible in her music as well. He reportedly said, “One can hear MS Subbulakshmi’s old songs on YouTube. The music is free-spirited and electrifying and one feels like one is listening to a rock star. The music rendered by her after undergoing cultural and social transformation is equally fascinating to hear, but one notices the sorrow behind her voice.” This only goes on to show how Krishna has tried to malign Hinduism on the basis of make believe claims. Carnatic music has roots in Hindu spiritualism, just like Yoga, but Krishna has been adamant on giving it a caste angle.
This is not for the first time that TM Krishna’s controversial take on Carnatic music and his disgraceful comments have created a furore. In the past too, such issues have come up. In September this year, one of his concerts had to be shifted from a temple in Maryland, US to the Georgetown University. This goes on to show that TM Krishna is seen in a bad light and as a ‘Hindu-phobic’ not only in India but elsewhere too.
Even as the AAI postponed his event leading to vociferous protests by the leftist-liberals and pseudo seculars, Kejriwal government grabbed the opportunity to impress upon the cabal and immediately stepped in to host Krishna for a concert. It is clear that the Kejriwal’s government is eyeing a wonderful opportunity of setting a political narrative around TM Krishna who is seen as a Hindu-phobic actively tampering the Carnatic music.
