When TM Krishna, a famous Carnatic musician, sat in his Chennai studio years ago, he decided to set the words of a great thinker to music. This thinker was Sree Narayana Guru, a social reformer who fought against caste discrimination in southern India during the late 1800s. Krishna, known for his activism, wanted to show the beauty and deep meaning in Guru’s writing, something nobody had really done before him.
Krishna’s work came from a group called the Backwaters Collective, which focuses on making knowledge accessible. They collected Guru’s texts that discuss caste and fairness so that Krishna could transform them into music. Just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Krishna started performing concerts based on Guru’s poems across the country.
In an interview ahead of his concert titled “The Prosody of an Emerging New,” Krishna talked about how he found inspiration in Guru’s works. He admitted that until then, he didn’t know much about Guru, even though he was a social reformer and spiritual figure. After discussing Guru with the Backwaters Collective, he realized there was much more to explore—like how Guru combined faith and social change.
Krishna noticed that Guru wrote in several languages: Tamil, Malayalam, and Sanskrit. While many musicians use various poets’ verses, Guru’s work hadn’t been widely incorporated into Carnatic music. So, Krishna set out to change that, creating new compositions that had never been made before.
Making music from Guru’s texts involved choosing specific verses to focus on. While traditional compositions often use the entire piece, Krishna picked only parts, which was a fresh take on this process.
The verses themselves were special because they naturally had a musical quality, making it easier to set them to music. For example, Guru’s lines play beautifully with sounds, making them perfect for singing.
Even though Guru passed away nearly a century ago, his ideas are still very important today. He didn’t just fight against caste discrimination; he also rethought what faith means. He believed that personal self-discovery and social action can go hand in hand. Krishna feels that singing Guru’s verses helps him and his audience reflect on important issues together.
Krishna also discussed how caste is not just a social issue but also affects how people see themselves and access resources. He recognizes his own privileges in society and aims to challenge ideas surrounding caste through his music. He believes that real change comes from understanding our culture and connections.
His concert series is called “The Prosody of an Emerging New,” and he is hopeful about how the younger generation will engage with Guru’s words. He feels they are more aware and thoughtful than past generations, which makes him optimistic about the future.
As for visiting Varkala, the place where Guru lived, Krishna hasn’t been there yet but hopes to perform a concert there soon.
