A Rebuttal to T M Krishna

[sankark]

Let me say this as bluntly as I can: non-Brahmins do not have the dedication, the tenacity, the determination to succeed, etc., to the same degree as Brahmins do.

That is not just my opinion.

Let me relate an anecdote.

About 5 years ago, in his Carnatic Music concert at Narada Gana Sabha, Sri Yesudas said that if there is a next birth for him, he would like to be born a Brahmin.

The audience, full of clueless Brahmins and a few High Society non-Brahmins, was stunned. The violinist on stage himself said later that this comment on a sensitive topic by Yesudas should not have been made.

Yesudas then continued and said he didn't want to be born a Brahmin because it offered special privileges -- in fact, it didn't, he said -- but because only Brahmins have the determination to work hard at whatever job they undertake to do.

Both of you are wrong - on determination and hard work part.

Special privileges - right on dot; anecdotally, I haven't been offered any special privileges and to my knowledge neither my family. And my family is as much is interested in CM as any others; almost zilch.

[RSR]

just curious..! Any brahmin nagaswaram player? from the days of the Trinity?

[RSR]

While the crusade against imaginary Brahmin domination of CM by design is balderdash and political, the contention that only Brahmins are capable of dedicated work is untrue, to put it mildly. Brahmins had a headstart because of centuries of being in the field of education and that legacy was helpful. I do not think we should go communal in the group that is devoted to music. TMK's worst sin is that he did it. Our naivete is that we swallow it. Everyone is doing something important. It is not that only those in some plump positions are doing. In fact some of the dirty work being done by some is more precious than what the software and other professionals do or even what TMK does in music or his rants. I feel we should edit out all communal references.

Occupation determined by the accident of birth, is almost a thing of the past, atleast in the southern states of India. This has been possible due to reservation policy in education and jobs for the non-brahmin sections of society. There has been a radical change for the good in the social environment since the 1950's.
It is not true that dedication, discipline , IQ and such things are monopoly of the brahmin community. Bright things are found in all the communities, given the opportunity and exposure.
Confining ourselves to CM, how many of the brahmin youngsters and their parents opt to choose CM as a career, out of love for it? CM like the software field has opened up chances of going abroad , if not as performers , atleast as tutors for the children of the financially well-placed diaspora in the States.
And then there is the glamorous film industry too.
TN govt has allotted a few periods per week for music right from elementary school. Let us hope that lakhs of children from the rural-poor NB sections, hitherto denied the chance of learning from very tender age, get exposure and surely, it will create thousands of talented musicians within a decade.

[vasanthakokilam]

There are a few universal truths and one of them is all TMK threads eventually reach a point of high entropy and no new content emerges. Also we are getting into broad stereo typing which is offensive to a lot of people. Closing the thread. ( RSR, We decided on this before seeing your last two posts. We will have other opportunities to discuss those aspects )

Also, let us take a break from discussing TMK’s non musical output. Thx.