Tag Archives: Madras Music Academy

Please, for God’s sake, Leave Her Spirit Alone

On M.S. Subbulakshmi’s 110th birth anniversary, a pan-India biopic—M.S – A Legacy On Screen—was launched at the Music Academy with starry fanfare: Rashmika Mandanna in the lead, Gowtam Tinnanuri directing, Anirudh Ravichander composing, and Kamal Haasan giving the first clap.

This op-ed asks a harder question: when does tribute become exploitation?

Arguing that M.S. was a private, spiritually oriented artist who disliked the spotlight offstage, it contends that the endless cycle of articles, statues, awards, and now a high-profile biopic risks turning her into a brand.

The piece calls for homage that honours the art—paataantharam, discipline, humility—rather than PR-heavy pageantry.

If we must celebrate, let it be through performance, archival rigour, and restraint in iconography.

Celebrate Sadasivam if you must; leave Subbulakshmi alone.

The Debt (“Rishi Rnam”) of ‘noblesse oblige’ owed to Saint Thyagaraja by the Carnatic Music world

Today a reflective morning mood prompted me to think up and ask three pointed questions to the Perplexity AI engine. The three questions and the Answers obtained are given below in seriatum. Question No. 1 Saint Thyagaraja composed more than a thousand “kritis” out of intense Bhakthi. He was not a musician nor was CarnaticContinue reading “The Debt (“Rishi Rnam”) of ‘noblesse oblige’ owed to Saint Thyagaraja by the Carnatic Music world”

The “Marghazhi Music Season, Chennai”: A festival of “divinity” travesty

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JH6uPKxpJ/?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JH6uPKxpJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr The Marghazhi Music Festival Season in Chennai is fast turning into a jamboree of circus stunts by various performers. And the audiences today who go to these performers go there not to enjoy true classicism of Carnatic music but to be entertained by the travesties of it delivered by so-called young “innovative” , “revolutionary”Continue reading “The “Marghazhi Music Season, Chennai”: A festival of “divinity” travesty”

What notable contribution to Carnatic Music has A.R. Rahman made that made Madras Music Academy invite him to preside over its prestigious 2025 Music Festival?

A.R.Rahman is without doubt a great popular musician. But he is NOT a classical musician. The MMA is an institution whose main mission is to preserve and promote classical Carnatic music . A.R. Rahman’s skill or depth in Carnatic music has no third-party independent endorsement. No doubt he has notably incorporated many elements of CarnaticContinue reading “What notable contribution to Carnatic Music has A.R. Rahman made that made Madras Music Academy invite him to preside over its prestigious 2025 Music Festival?”

AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AT RAGA SUDHA RASA 2025: Music and Dance Festival Dec 13-20, 2025 @ Surathkal, Karnataka – “Mani & MK ANNUAL AWARD-2025 for OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT in Carnatic Music”(instituted by the Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai): Full Text of Speech by the “Guest of Honour”, Sri. M.K. Sudarshan (Managing Trustee Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai)

(Below are AI assisted translations in Kannada and Tamil of the original speech rendered in English: please view at https://mksudarshans.blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=16122&action=edit ) ಮೊದಲು ಸ್ವಾಮೀಜಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ಮಾಡಿ ಅವರ ಆಶೀರ್ವಾದ ಕೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ. ವೇದಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಎಲ್ಲ ಗೌರವನೀಯರಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ರಸಿಕರೂ, ಕಲಾವಿದರೂ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ನನ್ನ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ಉಳಿದ ಭಾಷಣವನ್ನು ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕಾಗಿ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ನನಗೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಲು ಆಗುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ. ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು.​ (ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್Continue reading “AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AT RAGA SUDHA RASA 2025: Music and Dance Festival Dec 13-20, 2025 @ Surathkal, Karnataka – “Mani & MK ANNUAL AWARD-2025 for OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT in Carnatic Music”(instituted by the Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai): Full Text of Speech by the “Guest of Honour”, Sri. M.K. Sudarshan (Managing Trustee Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai)”

AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AT RAGA SUDHA RASA 2025: Music and Dance Festival Dec 13-20, 2025 @ Surathkal, Karnataka – “Mani & MK ANNUAL AWARD-2025 for OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT in Carnatic Music”(instituted by the Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai): Full Text of Speech by the “Guest of Honour”, Sri. M.K. Sudarshan (Managing Trustee Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai)

ಮೊದಲು ಸ್ವಾಮೀಜಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ಮಾಡಿ ಅವರ ಆಶೀರ್ವಾದ ಕೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ. ವೇದಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಎಲ್ಲ ಗೌರವನೀಯರಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ರಸಿಕರೂ, ಕಲಾವಿದರೂ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ನನ್ನ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ಉಳಿದ ಭಾಷಣ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ, ಕನ್ನಡ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಲು ಇನ್ನೂ ಬರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ. ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. (At the outset I offer my humble prostrations to the Swamiji to seek his blessings. I wish to offer my greetings to all the eminent persons onContinue reading “AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AT RAGA SUDHA RASA 2025: Music and Dance Festival Dec 13-20, 2025 @ Surathkal, Karnataka – “Mani & MK ANNUAL AWARD-2025 for OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT in Carnatic Music”(instituted by the Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai): Full Text of Speech by the “Guest of Honour”, Sri. M.K. Sudarshan (Managing Trustee Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai)”

Reading “Tiger” Varadachari’s brief history lesson fills me with grim foreboding for the future of Carnatic Music

For me reading the above account of the great Sri “Tiger” Varadachari (one of the gurus of my mother Smt Mani Krishnaswami) was like virtually being taken on a fast-track tour of the brief history of the Carnatic music world . What struck me most forcefully from “Tiger’s” reminiscences was that in those days itContinue reading “Reading “Tiger” Varadachari’s brief history lesson fills me with grim foreboding for the future of Carnatic Music”

“Freedom”: TM Krishna’s kutcheri @The Madras Music Academy & Richie Havens of Woodstock fame.

The song “Freedom” was performed by the popular rock-star musician of yesteryears, Richie Havens, as part of his performance at the world famous music festival called “Woodstock” on Friday, August 15, 1969. The song was an instant hit amongst rock music fans worldwide . Even today the song is considered to be an immortal classic. https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=richie%20havens&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c07507d8,vid:rynxqdNMry4,st:0Continue reading ““Freedom”: TM Krishna’s kutcheri @The Madras Music Academy & Richie Havens of Woodstock fame.”

The price of hubris, finally, has to be “biting the dust”

They’ve all been now made to bite the dust … Madras Music Academy, The Hindu Group and T M Krishna. Sheer hubris has brought TMK to this sorry plight … I have nothing but sympathy for him now in his hour of reckoning. The MAA and THG are institutions … they will survive somehow stillContinue reading “The price of hubris, finally, has to be “biting the dust””

A mobilising of conservatives: TM Krishna’s troubles echo a Tamil short story from 1967

A mobilising of conservatives: TM Krishna’s troubles echo a Tamil short story from 1967http://dhunt.in/XQa4Q (The News Minute 2 December 2024) This Op-Ed piece is complete nonsense . No one in the Brahmin community of Carnatic music rasikas has ever disdained T M Krishna’s so-called “progressive liberal” efforts to take Carnatic music to the masses inContinue reading “A mobilising of conservatives: TM Krishna’s troubles echo a Tamil short story from 1967”