The Madras Music Academy row over Sangita Kalanidhi award for singer TM Krishna is getting uglier by the day with no sign of ending. After Carnatic musician duo Ranjani and Gayatri protested and withdrew from the Music Academy Conference 2024, the academy wrote a letter criticising their determination. The Vidushi sisters have now hit again on the Music Academy, responding to the letter.

A letter written by N Murali, the chief of Madras Music Academy mentioned that the letter written by the duo informing the Academy about their withdrawal was “replete with unwarranted and slanderous assertions and insinuations verging on defamation, and its vicious tone towards a revered senior fellow-musician.” “The Executive Committee of the Academy chose TM Krishna for this accolade based on his excellence in music over a long career, with no extraneous factors influencing our choice,” the letter added.

Also Read | Why TM Krishna’s Sangita Kalanidhi Award Has Upset Carnatic Musicians? Is There a Divide Within Community?

Reacting to letter, Ranjani-Gayatri have but once more taken to social media saying that their letter was written to tell the academy of their determination and never search any rationalization on the award. “The Music Academy Chennai Dear Mr Murali, We thanks for the courtesy of offering a response to our letter dated 20 March 2024.We’d prefer to make clear that our letter to you was solely a notification of our withdrawal with none request on your selections or actions. We didn’t submit the letter on social media, however merely knowledgeable our followers on the identical topic. Now we realise, this didn’t enable you handle the optics and we’re sorry about it. Did we query your prerogative to award anybody? No Did we train our prerogative to withdraw? Yes Did we refuse to be implicit apologists for genocide mongers and filthy discourse? Yes,” the two wrote on X.

“With your verbose answer to questions we never raised, you are trying to build a convenient narrative and cast aspersions on us. Your statements to the press in this regard are immoral and dishonest. We were a bit surprised as to why your response reads like a release on behalf of the awardee, erasing the distinction between him and the Music Academy. But it became obvious when Mr. N. Ram, media hegemon, joined as an undeclared spokesperson, with his campaign branding us ‘bigoted, casteist coterie’,” they added.

“We immensely respect this hallowed establishment and it is going to be the happiest day for us and for tens of millions of individuals to see star performers emerge from underprivileged communities and dominate this stage. We need to see the day when the TTK auditorium is stuffed up with a various inclusive crowd from all communities and non secular minorities,” they mentioned.

“This transformation should begin at the top. Kindly start with the entrenched Executive Committee consisting of only brahmins and royalty you have been heading for 2 decades. Unlike serious hardwork and the long journey it takes for artists to excel, this transformation is achievable instantly with a simple resolution and a bunch of resignations. Please consider leading by example, lest the world call it mere lip service and start branding you as a ‘bigoted, casteist coterie’,” Ranjani and Gayatari wrote.

How The Row Erupted

The row erupted within the Madras Music Academy after it honoured TM Krishna with Sangita Kalanidhi award earlier this month. Protesting towards the award, Ranjani-Gayatri and Harikatha exponent Dushyanth Sridhar had withdrawn from the Music Academy Conference 2024.

Carnatic vocalist Vidushi sisters Ranjani and Gayatri had mentioned that they won’t be acting at their live performance on December 25 and gained’t take part within the convention to be held from December 15 to January 1.

They accused TM Krishna of inflicting “immense harm to the Carnatic music world” and “willfully and happily” stomping over the feelings of the music neighborhood. They additionally alleged that TM Krishna insulted most revered icons like Tyagaraja and MS Subbulakshmi.

“His actions have tried to unfold a way of disgrace in being a Carnatic musician and have been exhibited by way of his constant denigration of spirituality in music,” Ranjani Gayatri wrote in a social media post.

Accusing TM Krishna of vilifying the Carnatic music fraternity, they said, “It is dangerous to overlook Mr TM Krishna’s glorification of a figure like EVR.”

Dushyanth Sridhar, too, refused to carry out on January 1, 2025. “I’ve conveyed to the Madras Music Academy that I can’t be acting on the first January 2025 (after the sadas). Below is a replica of the letter drafted to them,” he posted on X.

However, singer Chinmayi Sripada had come out in support of TM Krishna. Congratulating him on getting the award, Sripada questioned Ranjani and Gayatri on X and wrote, “I have not seen such an impassioned thread when scores of Carnatic Music students spoke about sexual abuse and harassment by multiple Carnatic Musicians in 2018.”

TM Krishna was honoured with the Sangita Kalanidhi award earlier this week. On March 18, he had posted a thank-you message on social media. He may even preside over the Music Conference 2024.