It’s atrocious that an artist is just not allowed to carry out in a temple based mostly on their spiritual perception or non-belief: TM Krishna

Carnatic vocalist, composer and writer TM Krishna shall be rendering choose verses of Sree Narayana Guru at Hosanna Mount, Pala, on April 9. Hosanna Mount is devoted to the reminiscence of Joseph Pulikkunnel, author and social reformer.

The live performance is being organised by Backwaters Collective, Nool Archives, Hosanna Mount and Uru Artwork Harbour and supported by DC Books.

Mr. Krishna talks to The Hindu in regards to the significance of the live performance, and why it’s particularly essential to sing the Guru’s verses within the backdrop of a sudden surge of caste- and religious-based discrimination towards artistes in sure temples in Kerala.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

What are your ideas on artistes belonging to totally different faiths not being allowed to carry out in some temples in Kerala?

It’s atrocious that an artiste is just not allowed to carry out in a temple based mostly on spiritual perception or non-belief. A temple has all the time been thought of as a spot the place, so far as tradition and music are involved, individuals of assorted faiths or no perception in any respect may take part within the arts and tradition. The fantastic thing about any sort of non-exclusive house is that anyone can take part within the celebrations.

What in regards to the nice Nagaswaram artistes? There are Muslims. The best was (Sheik) Chinna Moulana. Are we going to say he couldn’t play at a temple? It’s stunning that that is occurring in Kerala. I’m deeply anxious that spiritual establishments are taking such steps. Just lately, we learn in regards to the hijab row in Karnataka, then there’s this rule that non-Hindus can’t have retailers round temples… I don’t know what we’re doing to ourselves. It’s tragic.

In that context, your live performance on the Hosanna Mount in Pala has an essential symbolism…

It turns into much more important that we’ve these locations the place cultural conversations; conversations on numerous faiths need to be nurtured. No faith is an unbiased one. Religions have all the time spoken to one another, have all the time shared and there could have been disagreements, however there was that coming collectively in commonality. In any case, each perception is about discovering goodness in your self. Whether or not you name out to any god’s identify, lastly you might be in search of to be a superb particular person. And meaning there must be an interaction of assorted faiths. I feel this live performance is important, and the voice of Guru turns into very important in that context.

I’ve already rendered verses the place he’s speaking about who’s god? Is it Allah, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna? So, when he says who it’s, He’s saying it’s all and it’s none. It’s much more important that we’re having this live performance the place faiths are going to intermingle.

Will you be singing solely the Guru’s verses?

It’s three-four years now since we began the ‘Guru venture’. The thought was to convey the Guru’s compositions and poetry into the Carnatic music live performance platforms. It began with the primary live performance in Bombay (Mumbai). Then I carried out at numerous places. My live performance in Pala will predominantly be on the Guru’s compositions on numerous topics. Additionally, in his compositions, you may see so many issues. You’ll be able to see utter religion in a deity or a goddess, on the similar time he’s philosophical. You’ll be able to see the subversion of mainstream hegemonic methods. Guru is a spectrum of potentialities, somebody who bought collectively the social dialog and the non secular dialog and didn’t run away from both.

Just lately, in an interview, you remarked that the liberals have failed the nation. Would you clarify why you felt that?

One a part of life is religion. Whether or not I otherwise you consider, the actual fact is that religion is essential for hope. Religion is what provides you the power to get up the subsequent morning, particularly, in case you are an individual who feels down or is on the margins.

The issue with the liberal dialog is that there is no such thing as a language within the liberal world to cope with religion, faith and ritual. The difficulty is what’s our dialog with the devoted? What’s our dialog with the believer? The straightforward manner out is to say it’s messy, all of it results in discrimination, marginalisation… No person is denying that. However you continue to must have that dialog. There may be goodness in such individuals.

The opposite factor is to suppose {that a} spiritual particular person is a socially insensible particular person, not fashionable sufficient. These are ridiculous condescending concepts we’ve developed within the liberal world. We nearly look down upon an individual with spiritual religion. That’s totally fallacious. Ugly human beings exist all over the place. There are ugly liberals as a lot as there are ugly spiritual individuals. So there’s a sure ‘othering’ that the liberal world has persistently performed. That’s one cause why we’re seeing what we’re seeing on this nation. I wish to take accountability for this.

In my view, let’s overlook the intense individuals as a result of it is extremely laborious to have a dialog with them. However what in regards to the vary of individuals in between? What’s the fashionable liberal dialog with that vary (of individuals)? In that vary, some individuals wish to maintain on to the temple, prayers and rituals. What’s my dialogue with them? I feel we’ve failed. I feel it will be important there’s a self-reflection from these on the left on centre and the liberals in regards to the difficulty. We don’t actually have a language for it.

If you’d like individuals, of any sort of hue and color to have interaction, in what I’d name, a really essential social dialog about identification, location, energy dynamics, privilege and so on, you additionally must say how their religion will be a part of the dialog, not say religion is a hindrance to this dialog. This must be a part of our dialog. It isn’t straightforward. I concede that. I do know it’s messy however in case you are not prepared to do that, our nation will go additional down. That’s what I really feel.

You’re a particular person of privilege, practising a privileged artwork? So the place does that place you?

It is a double-edged sword. I’ve the privilege and that’s by no means going to go away That is sort of a man speaking about feminism. It isn’t very totally different from that! I’m a person speaking about feminism. That’s not going to be a change.

It’s a problematic house to occupy. However, on the similar time, you will need to interact in dialog with the privileged. The privileged have to alter. They need to be pushed and requested uncomfortable questions. I’m solely talking the reality with my viewers. I need their expertise of Carnatic music and tradition to be extra difficult and sophisticated. My house is pushing you into conversations in these areas, whether or not it’s with socially privileged, culturally privileged or socio-economically privileged individuals. These are the areas I desire a dialog and I’ve my conversations.

My positionality is to allow these difficult conversations in locations the place individuals like me are collaborating. And the place I can have this debate or dialog. That’s what I feel my house is. However I perceive my house can be problematic. So if any person goes to name me out, I’ll hear. But when anyone tells me I shouldn’t be having this dialog, I gained’t agree. I feel all people ought to be having this dialog.

Many compositions in Carnatic music are devotional, devoted to gods and goddesses of the Hindu Pantheon. Do you suppose we have to widen the repertoire of Carnatic music by bringing in new themes?

During the last three years, together with Perumal Murugan Saraswathy Nagarajan, we’ve introduced in loads of Tamil compositions, that are on nature, social themes, equivalent to discrimination, handbook scavenging and so on on the Carnatic music platform. Then there are compositions written by Islamic Sufi saints, we’ve introduced in Christian compositions on Jesus, in Tamil and Malayalam. So, sure, I feel you will need to enlarge the spectrum of content material in Carnatic music. There aren’t any two methods about it. It isn’t simply content material. It’s also about dialect.

I all the time suppose how even after we are speaking about god, the dialects are totally different. The dialect utilized in Carnatic music can be a privileged dialect. Whether or not it’s Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada or Telugu, the dialect is of the privileged. I feel even the dialect must be challenged. In actual fact, with Perumal Murugan, we attempt to try this. He makes use of the dialect of the ?? in his space, which isn’t typically utilized in Carnatic music. We’d like content material, dialect, multi-religiosity and contemporariness in Carnatic music. We reside in the present day. So let’s discuss in the present day. If individuals really feel profound divinity from these diversified themes, then one thing attention-grabbing is going on there. Not solely do Rama and Krishna evoke the divine feeling however different themes additionally evoke that. We create a dialog. Even disturbing themes within the content material could evoke a really deep expertise. Then, I feel, the rigidity of the compartments will disappear. And the fluidity of thoughts and coronary heart will happen, not less than a risk of it exists. I can work. However all people must work in their very own sphere to herald this plurality in what we sing, what we predict, what we dance, what we write.