Carnatic vocalist and activist TM Krishna has denied the allegations levelled against him in a lawsuit filed by V Shrinivasan, grandson of legendary musician MS Subbulakshmi. In a counter-affidavit, Krishna asserted that he has not resorted to “vile, vituperative, and scandalous attacks” on Subbulakshmi as claimed by Shrinivasan in his lawsuit, challenging an award conferred on Krishna in her name. 

The award – Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award – given annually, was instituted by The Hindu group to honour the memory of the musician, since 2005, a year after her passing. The award -- a cash prize -- is presented to those who win the Sangita Kalanidhi award, given by the Music Academy in Chennai every year since 1942. However, Shrinivas, in his plea filed before the Madras High Court, said that the cash prize, named after MS Subbulakshmi, cannot be given to someone who had constantly criticised his grandmother. In his plea made in early October, Shrinivas pointed out various instances of Krishna’s apparent criticism of Subbulakshmi, quoting the latter’s write-ups that appeared in The Caravan and The Wire, and a speech he made in Hyderabad in 2016.

In his affidavit, Krishna vehemently denied belittling the legend, and added that his remarks were taken out of context by Shrinivasan. Krishna, who also writes books and columns, had authored a long story on Subbulakshmi on the Caravan nine years ago, titled ‘MS Understood’. The article, he said in the affidavit, was to disprove the claim that ‘Subbulakshmi was the greatest hoax of the 20th century’. He also defended other writeups and speeches he has made about Subbulakshmi on several occasions, as being misinterpreted. 

“Quite contrary to what has been alleged in the affidavit under reply, I have repeatedly expressed my admiration for the late great MS Subbulakshmi and I have also pointed out that I have looked to her for inspiration,” Krishna stated. Quoting many newspaper articles where he has expressed his admiration for Subbulakshmi, Krishna added that the allegations made by Shrinivasan are false, baseless, misplaced and defamatory.

The Music Academy, bestowing the award to Krishna, holds the Madras Music Season every year, one of the biggest cultural events in the country. The Academy has also filed a counter affidavit against the plea of Shrinivasan, denying all the allegations raised by him. The affidavit explained that the Sangita Kalanidhi award has been conferred by it since the year 1942, on the musician they choose to preside over the annual conference that the Academy hosts every year. MS Subbulakshmi too has been conferred with the award in 1968. After her passing in 2004, The Hindu instituted a cash award of Rs 1 lakh from 2005, named after her, and conferred on the person chosen by the Music Academy for the Sangita Kalanidhi award. It is in this manner that Krishna became the winner of the award. The affidavit pointed out that the award named after Subbulakshmi has been in the public gaze since 2005 and no relative of the musician had put forth an objection before this.

Appreciating the musical excellence of TM Krishna, the affidavit noted that he has played a considerable role in taking the art form to varied social settings and using music as a tool for social reformation. Denying that the choice of Krishna would in any manner dishonour or belittle the memory of Subbulakshmi, the Academy said that Shrinivasan cannot question the award merely because it is unacceptable to him.

A controversy had broken out at the time Krishna was chosen for the award earlier this year, when several Carnatic musicians expressed their disapproval over selecting a man who has often spoken out about casteism in classical music.

In his counter affidavit, Krishna explained the observation he made during a speech in Hyderabad in 2016, asking whether Subbulakshmi “would have received the adulation and appreciation that she did for her stardom had she not distanced herself from her Devadasi roots.” This, he said, should be of interest to anyone who explores the role that caste plays in society. Instead, it too was taken out of context, he said, to mislead the court. 

In his affidavit, Shrinivasan called Krishna “the antithesis” of all that Subbulakshmi had stood for. He also said that conferring Krishna with the award will be like “conferring a Bhakti prize on an atheist.” It is a mockery, he said, to confer an award in the name of one person to another who does not share common values. 

Shrinivasan’s petition also pointed out that Subbulakshmi had made it clear in her will that she did not want any trust, foundation or memorial in her name or funds collected for them. The Music Academy, which replied to Shrinivasan’s petition, said that no funds were collected or a trust formed in her name, the award was instituted only to honour her memory.

The Sangita Kalanidhi is to be presented to Krishna in a ceremony in December 2024.