T.M. Krishna

“So, I think the first thing we must realise that there is no end-game here. It’s not like 10 years, practice this and in 10 years you’re going to be relieved of all unconscious biases, thats never going to happen. First to understand that, that’s a perpetual operation within our, our mind, it’s going to always be there. So I think what it requires is, I mean, you know, kind of acute awareness of it, I mean, can we be aware of it?”

Thodur Madabusi Krishna or T.M. as he prefers to be known is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, writer, activist and author. As a vocalist, he has made many innovations in both the style and substance of his concerts and is known for his individuality. His concert stage, whether in his hometown of Chennai or anywhere else in the world, is wholly classical but his concert practice is uncompromisingly his own.

In the year 2016 he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for “his forceful commitment as an artist and advocate to art’s power to heal India’s deep social divisions, breaking barriers of caste and class to unleash what music has to offer not just for some but for all” In 2017 he received the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration Award for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country. In 2017, he has also received the Professor V Aravindakshan Memorial Award for connecting Carnatic music with the common man.

T.M. speaks and writes about a wide range of issues, not confined to the cultural sphere. His interests span the breadth of left-wing activism, be it the environment, the caste system, social reform, religious reform, combating communalism, innovation in classical music and more. He has started and is involved in many organisations whose work is spread across the spectrum of music and culture. Recently, he has spoken out against the destruction of statues of Lenin, Ambedkar, Gandhi and Periyar

In collaboration with Ashoka University, T.M. Krishna is now involved in The Edict Project, an attempt to reimagine Ashoka’s edicts in musical form. The project aims at creating vibrant aesthetic, socio-political and academic conversations around the edicts.