Gopalakrishna Gandhi talks to TMK

[kvchellappa]

This is from TMK's twitter:
I enjoyed reading it. Hope a few others do too.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi and TM Krishna in conversation made for a truly interesting Sunday morning! Laughter, honesty and answers to a question that everyone here wanted to ask about one kutcheri in particular:

GG talks about his illustrious grandfathers and asks humorously, "Gandhiji-kum Rajaji-kum paatu paththi enna theriyum?" (What do Gandhiji and Rajaji know about music?)

Gandhiji, Nehruji and Rajaji loved M S Subbulakshmi's music.

TMK stepped aside from being a performer, not from being a musician or an artiste, while writing his book, A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story. He also talks about what prompted him to write it: "There is a difference between the two. Was looking out to see why I am singing and what I am singing."

"I think what comes with a word is not an etymology, it comes with a context," says TMK explaining why he dislikes labelling. "Would you consider the possibility that your desire to free yourself from labels itself becomes a label?," asks GG. TMK says he is "not looking for a utopian label-less existence."

GG to TMK: "People are in love with your unexpectedness. But how is it that you are able to maintain an extraordinary grip over the grammar of carnatic music and yet tell everybody that it's not all about the grammar?"

TMK replies: "Grammar is not a technical process, it's part of that experience. Do I need grammar? Yes. To experience music or sing it, I need grammar; it has to be inside my heart."

TMK treats the audience to a small performance to demonstrate his point, splitting words into their syllabic form and melodic form to show us the difference in aesthetics.

GG to TMK: "We are in love with your music but we are bewildered by your music. We are also bewildered by our love for your music!"

"Why it is that you have not given us a concert that has only alapanas," asks GG. "Most people think it is (alapana) is shock value, it is boring if it is shock value," replies TMK.

On the controversial concert that he ended abruptly, TMK clarifies: "A lot of people think I terminated the concert. I didn't. For me, the concert had ended. When does a concert end? That is something I need to ask myself and everyone else here. Was I right to the audience? I don't have an answer to that question. Was I wrong to them? That, I don't think so. Will it happen again? It may...

GG brings up how TMK refers to Music as 'she' and 'her', instead of 'it'. "When we hear you render an alapana, we really see soul," marvels GG. "I think when art is happening, only art is happening. When you write, you are just writing," says TMK.

GG asks whether Krishna, the writer and Krishna, the singer are two different people. "I don't think they are very different. They're both part of the same journey," replies TMK.

TMK on his new book: "When I wrote my book, I was completely impervious to as to how somebody would react to it. I was fascinated as to how something is completely different on paper from how it was in your head. Once it's on paper, it's no longer yours. You look at it as a third person."

"What is it that you first felt was music?": GG to TMK.

"One specific experience with music that has always stayed with me is a morning concert with DK Pattamaal. I left the concert in absolute tears, bawling. Was I sad? No. Was I depressed? No. But that's the moment something clicked in me; that is what music is."

TMK to GG: "I have to ask you about the book, not about the music but the ideas. Being Gandhiji’s grandson, as a person from the outside, what did you take away from the book? And how do you view it from the outside? I don’t want you to talk about the music.”

GG replies: "My reaction to your book was similar to the expression that my granddaughter has when she listens to your music: "Aahaa..!"

"Are you endangering your fan base?" asks a member of the audience. TMK: "Professionally yes, but artistically no."

To end the session, GG on TMK: "A dazzling enigma, one who can't be ignored and certainly cannot be explained. In short, he is simply a musical phenomenon."

[Rsachi]

Can't believe the interview ending in such handsome praise was actually tweeted by the subject of the praise, TMK, himself.

I wish GG paraphrased all his inspirations and ancestry and told TMK, "Talk less, sing more."

[rupavathi]

Two bags of hot air, made for each other... if he devotes at least 10% of the self promotion time to improving sruti alignment, the music would be tolerable. And then the talking will carry some weight :-Q

[vasanthakokilam]

I thought TMK is known for his sruthi alignment and suddham. At least relatively speaking. Not true?

TMK himself concedes that he may be losing his audience professionally, so what is the point of calling all this self promotion. Self destruction professionally? That is more like it.

[kvchellappa]

TMK likes to tread an uncharted path and is unmindful of the outcome. He has that urge of a child to 'just be' what he is. Some read it as petulance to draw attention. He has endeared himself by his music already to many (arguably he draws the largest crowd even after some in this forum and outside felt disenchanted and wanted to boycott him). He does not have to indulge in antics to be in limelight.
As a forumite put it succinctly, he sticks to CM as the cognoscenti identify it. He has delved deep into SSP and brought out the ragas as defined in it. He has taken several innovative steps for spreading CM. He has offered his concerts free for two seasons as an average CM rasika may not be able to afford the ticket. He has taken CM (with other prominent artists) to the war-ravaged Jafna with a missionary zeal. His commitment to CM is unquestionable.
He hails from a business family. He must have the business instincts and must be applying it. He certainly promotes his brand(?), his products (twitter, TV, conferences). What is wrong? He must be doing it more professionally than others who may lack his background.
When he praised his wife in twitter, I felt it was being honest. She is a good singer and if she sang well, it was good of him to hail it. Of course one forumite felt her singing was not good that day. I would not know, but I would not question TMK's honesty about what he wrote.
In the twitter above, there are some very good points that I felt could be brought to the view of the eminent rasikas of this forum.

[venkatakailasam]

Recording of the conversation between T.M. Krishna and Gopalkrishna Gandhi - The Hindu Lit for Life 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Worii58xiJo

Published on Jan 27, 2014

Carnatic musician T.M. Krishna was in conversation with author Gopalkrishna Gandhi on the former's book 'A Southern Music: The Karnatic Story' at the Lit for Life 2014.