Why in news?
An event where the carnatic musician T M Krishna was supposed to perform was cancelled after an alleged troll campaign by right wingers against him.
Why was T M Krishna trolled?
- Carnatic Singer T M Krishna was to perform in the two-day event jointly organized by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC-MACAY).
- The event was to be held in New Delhi as part of the “Dance and Music in the Park” festival at Nehru Park.
- After the organizers announced his performance in the event AAI was trolled for inviting T M Krishna as he sang about ‘Jesus and Allah’.
- He was also called the singer ‘anti-national’, ‘urban Naxal’ among others things
- Krishna’s views on secularism and caste prejudice in music have made him a target of right wing factions.
- In August, a Maryland temple cancelled his concert, supposedly after Hindutva advocates accused him of singing Christian hymns.
What are his notable works?
- T M Krishna is a cranatic vocalist.
- He is the driving force behind the Urur-Olcott Kuppam Festival and the Svanubhava initiative.
- He has been part of inspiring collaborations, such as the Chennai Poromboke Paadal with environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman.
- His performances with the Jogappas (transgender musicians) and bringing on to the concert stage the poetry of Perumal Murugan are the other notable mentions.
- In 2016, T M Krishna received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in recognition of ‘his forceful commitment as artist and advocate to art’s power to heal India’s deep social divisions’.
- In 2017 he received the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration Award for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country.
- He has also received the Professor V Aravindakshan Memorial Award for connecting Carnatic music with the common man.
Source: Indian express
