Chennai: The Madras High Court has restrained the Madras Music Academy from presenting the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi M. S. Subbulakshmi Award to musician T. M. Krishna. This decision came on Tuesday after a lawsuit was filed by Shrinivasan, the grandson of legendary Carnatic singer M. S. Subbulakshmi.

T. M. Krishna was selected for this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi Award in recognition of his long and successful career in Carnatic music. However, Justice Jayachandran issued an interim ruling that, while the award can be presented to Krishna, it cannot be done in the name of M. S. Subbulakshmi.

In his order, Justice Jayachandran observed: “The best way to honour a departed soul is to honour and respect her wishes, not to disrespect them. If any person truly reveres and regards M.S. Subbulakshmi, after knowing her desires and mandate, they should not continue to present an award in her name.”

Legal challenge by M. S. Subbulakshmi’s grandson

The court’s decision followed a lawsuit filed by Shrinivasan, who argued that presenting the award in M. S. Subbulakshmi's name was against her wishes. He contended that Krishna’s past comments about Subbulakshmi, which he described as disrespectful, disqualified him from receiving an award named after her.

Shrinivasan pointed to previous statements made by T. M. Krishna, including calling M. S. Subbulakshmi “the greatest hoax of the twentieth century” and a “saintly Barbie doll.” According to Shrinivasan, these comments caused distress to Subbulakshmi’s family, and he likened the situation to awarding a “Bhakti” prize to an atheist. He argued that Krishna’s critical views on her legacy made it inappropriate to confer the award upon him.

The Madras Music Academy, which confers the Sangita Kalanidhi Award annually, clarified that the award selection is made transparently, with no objections from Subbulakshmi’s family until now. The academy stated that the award had been presented to numerous recipients in the past without issue.

While the Music Academy plans to present the award to Krishna, the court has adjourned further hearings on the case. 

Agency