SC Ignominy For Music Academy, And It Has No One Else To Blame

The headlines say it all: "SC setback for TM Krishna and Music academy", "TM Krishna cannot project himself as MS award winner", "TM Krishna not to be recognised as MS award recipient" and "Explained: Why TM Krishna can't project himself as MS Subbulakshmi Award recipient".

No musician has gone through this mortification of an award presented a one day being put in abeyance on the just the next. And that ignominy has befallen TM Krishna.

As is known by now, the Supreme Court on Monday temporarily stayed the 'Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulaksmi' award, which was bestowed on Krishna under controversial circumstances on Sunday.

The apex court has sent notices to be replied in four weeks time to The Hindu, The Music Academy and Krishna in response to a plea filed by M Subbulakshmi's grandson V Shrinivasan who doesn't want the award to be given in late grandmother's name.

Shrinivasan's grouse is that Krishna, through his articles and speeches, had repeatedly belittled the late singer's legacy and music. 

The case, after doing its rounds at the Madras High Court, had landed in the Supreme Court. On Friday evening itself, following the verdict of a division bench of the HC clearing the decks for presenting the award, Shrinivasan knocked on the doors of the SC, which did not take up the matter immediately.

But the CJI, when told that the award function was on the intervening Sunday and may make the case infructuous, retorted that the award can always be taken back. 

Circumspection was the need of the hour

This was the message that should have been heeded by the Music Academy and The Hindu, which had instituted the award in memory of Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi. If not for anything but just for the propriety of needing to hold tight as the matter was sub judice. 

And there was also the legal technicality that the injunction against presenting the award in MS’ name was on both The Hindu and The Music Academy. But the appeal in the Division Court was preferred by only the news publication and not the Academy.

So, technically, the injunction against The Academy, under whose aegis the whole award function happened, still stands as it has not gone on appeal. It was a point that was mentioned in the Supreme Court, and the two judges who heard it did not seem too impressed with it. That may be one of the reasons for them holding back the award for at least four weeks now.

Act of oneupmanship

From outside, it seems as if The Hindu and the Academy wanted to prove some notional point and went ahead with the award presentation knowing full well that it was fraught with undesirable repercussions for all concerned. So now when they are cutting a sorry figure, it is impossible to feel sympathetic to their predicament. 

Their approach in this contentious issue is clearly of one-upmanship. As has been pointed out in these columns the Sangita Kalanidhi award to TM Krishna, per se, is not a problem as it is well within its ambit to choose anyone it deems fit. But the mirror award in MS Subbulakshmi's name is the one that has run afoul of the family of the late singer.

Now, it is not our place to question whether what they feel is right or wrong. Radha Vishwanathan, MS' daughter who had accompanied her for close to 50 years, was said to be deeply hurt by the articles that were filled with insidious insinuations and innuendoes. So when Radha's son, Shrinivasan, sent a legal notice on the issue, the Academy could have easily taken the moral high ground by refraining from presenting the award in her name at least this year. Instead, they vaingloriously chose to fight the case with bile spewing everywhere. 

The Music Academy should have taken into account how MS' family had conducted itself so far. Like the late singer, they are also dignity personified and have seldom crossed the lines of decency.

Shrinivasn's two daughters --- Aishwarya and Saundarya --- have also been carrying forward the musical legacy of the Bharat Ratna singer by actively taking up songs and hymns popularised by their great grandmother.

When such a family feels slighted, they should have checked themselves on their tracks. After all, it was MS Subbulakshmi, who was primarily responsible for shoring up the funds for the construction of the present building that houses the Academy now. 

The Academy should have been doubly careful when it came to matters involving such a person's family. Also, there was, and is, nothing stopping the Academy from going ahead with the main honour, the Sangita Kalanidhi title.

Academy has a moral responsibility 

It is anybody's guess as to why the Academy chose to act in the way it has. Anyway, it was ironic to see Krishna invoke the name of MS in his acceptance speech of the award (which sadly is now being held back from him).

He talked about the award for him in her name being a 'blessing' --- a word that you wouldn't expect him to be using as he has moved to the side of rationalists who don't necessarily buy into the idea of benison of Gods or departed souls.

Him talking about sabha culture weakening was also equally baffling as he was the one who started the vociferous campaign to scuttle the sabha culture (he famously stopped doing the Season concerts in protest against the ecosystem engendered by the same sabhas).

Also, the academy and The Hindu did not cover themselves with any glory by having a former High Court Justice give away the award when in reality that matter was still in the courts. They seem to have led him down the garden path.

And even today in its report The Hindu still refers to Shrinivasan as one 'claiming to be the grandson of MS Subbulakshmi''. (The cheap reference here is to the fact that Radha, Shrinivasan’s mother, was not MS’ biological daughter but step daughter).  

As you can see, there is a streak of desperation, and while individuals can get away from that, what of an institution like the Academy? 

It needed to have been more circumspect and understanding of its own stature. Long back when MS was banished from singing in the Academy after she took up the cause of Tamil music, her husband Sadasivam vowed to see the end of the Academy. But later, he was gracious enough to take back his hard stance.

Later, the MS and Sadasivam couple did so much for the Academy to flourish. That was their large-heartedness. But now, some commissars within the Academy seem set out on what Sadasivam committed himself to do but did not due to his essential magnanimity  --- finish off the Academy.