The Madras High Court has issued an interim order restraining a popular newspaper from conferring the Sangita Kalanidhi Award in the name of legendary Carnatic musician M S Subbulakshmi to musician T M Krishna. While the court allowed the award to be given to Krishna, it ruled that the recognition should not carry Subbulakshmi's name.
According to LiveLaw, Justice G. Jayachandran passed the order in response to a suit filed by Subbulakshmi’s grandson, V Shrinivasan. He argued that the conferment of the award violated the late singer's wishes, as outlined in her will. The court agreed with Shrinivasan, stating that "the best way to honour a departed soul is to honour and respect her wish and not to disrespect her." The judge further remarked, “If any person is really having reverence and regard to MS Subbulakshmi, after knowing her desire and mandate, should not continue to give the award in her name.”
The Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award was introduced by The Hindu group as an annual accolade to honour Subbulakshmi's contributions to Carnatic music. It is presented to the recipient chosen for the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi title by The Music Academy. This year, T M Krishna received both the Sangita Kalanidhi title and the award for his sustained musical excellence.
However, Shrinivasan, in his petition, claimed that Krishna's social media posts and comments had been disparaging towards Subbulakshmi's legacy. He accused Krishna of making “vile, vituperative, and scandalous attacks” on the late singer, which he argued amounted to defaming Subbulakshmi’s reputation. Shrinivasan stated that Krishna had trivialised Subbulakshmi's achievements, suggesting that she was rewarded for embracing "Brahmanism," a view that, according to Shrinivasan, was incompatible with the values Subbulakshmi stood for.
Shrinivasan also pointed to Subbulakshmi’s last will, executed on October 30, 1997, which explicitly stated that no trust, foundation, or memorial should be created in her name or for her memory. He argued that the conferring of the award in Subbulakshmi’s name violated her expressed wishes and mandate.
The Music Academy had filed an application to dismiss Shrinivasan’s suit, arguing that he did not have the legal standing or “locus” to challenge the conferment of the award. However, the court rejected this argument and allowed the case to proceed.