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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteTM Krishna told Scroll that accepting the Music Academy’s 2024 Sangita Kalanidhi award and performing at its December conference belonged together. He said the decision offered a chance to reopen conversations about Karnatik music and social change, even though he does not believe the concerns that led him to step away from the Margazhi season have been resolved.
Why Krishna accepted the award and returned to the Academy stage
In a Jan. 14, 2025 interview with Scroll, published after his Dec. 25 Music Academy concert, Krishna connected the performance directly to accepting the honour: “My concert at the Music Academy cannot be decoupled from me having accepted the Sangita Kalanidhi Award.” He described accepting it as an opportunity to begin a new conversation about Karnatik music and social change.
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Krishna said he had stepped away from the Margazhi season to reconsider his relationship with the sabha system and what he saw as its exclusionary culture. He described seeking other ways to share his art and collaborate with communities beyond elite spaces. He said he continued engaging with sabhas and artists through collaborations and Sumanasa Foundation activity, and characterised his position as that of an “insider-outsider.”
Scroll reported that many compositions in the Dec. 25 concert were suggested by fellow performers or students, with some choices made on the spur of the moment. One was “Sudandiram Vendum,” a poem by Perumal Murugan set to music by Krishna, which the interview said resonated in the room.
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What the Sangita Kalanidhi award represents
The Music Academy describes Sangita Kalanidhi as its highest Carnatic music accolade. The title began in 1942; the Academy says its recipient presides over the annual conference and receives a gold medal and a birudu patra, or citation. Its official award list names TM Krishna as the 2024 recipient. See the Music Academy’s award page.
Why the selection drew objections
The award announcement prompted objections and withdrawals from the Academy’s December conference. In March 2024, Carnatic vocalists Ranjani and Gayatri announced they would withdraw after Krishna’s selection. Their objections included his public praise of Periyar and wider disagreements with his positions, as reported by The Indian Express and India Today. Other musicians also withdrew; the contemporary reports said Chitravina Ravikiran announced he was returning his award.
Academy president N. Murali defended the selection on a different basis. He said it was made for Krishna’s musical excellence over a significant and sustained career, without extraneous factors. These are distinct stated positions: Krishna framed his return around participation and social change, the objectors raised cultural and political disagreements, and the Academy defended its musical criterion. The withdrawals and objections are documented events; the arguments about what they mean remain attributed views.
Has the Carnatic ecosystem changed?
Asked whether things had changed significantly since he left the season a decade earlier, Krishna answered: “No.” He immediately qualified that assessment by saying he saw movement in some quarters while marginalised musicians continued to struggle for a footing. He did not present the award or his return as proof that institutional barriers had been removed, and said criticism of his own work and actions was valid.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Scroll’s January 2025 interview also referred to a court case among the protests and said it had yet to be resolved at that time. That report does not establish the case’s later status.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Further reading mentioned in the interview
Scroll mentions Krishna’s books A Southern Music and Sebastian & Sons. They offer additional context on his writing and interests, but neither is necessary to understand the award or the interview. Current editions and retail availability are not established here.
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