When Karnataka musician TM Krishna Sitting in his studio in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to establish a special lesson for music for more than half a decade ago, it has a new twist for classical music and India’s rich in search of society without social, economic and caste discrimination Re -started history. , The lesson was of Shri Narayana Guru, philosopher and social reformer, whose universal and human views shook the raids of caste in Travancore, Kochi and Malabar regions in the late 19th century. Prior to Krishna, anyone, known for his activism against caste discrimination, tried to find a poetic and aesthetic value hidden in the works of Narayan Guru. (Also read. TM Krishna should not be recognized as Ms. Sabbalakshmi Award recipient: Controversy explained,
The change of Narayan Guru’s texts originates in the work of backwater collective, addressing the lack of access to materials to re -introduce knowledge in the country. Many philosophical texts of Narayan Guru, directly dealt with the equitable distribution of caste and resources, were collected by collective to Krishna to start discovering truth and knowledge through classical music.
The result was a series of concerts based on philosopher’s poetic texts across the country just before the Covid-19 epidemic. His first TM Krishna sings, sings Guru concerts, titled The Processor of a Emerging New, at National Capital on February 28 this year, classical music Mestro talked about creating music from reformist texts to The Hindustan Times and How history will do the next guidance in creating a just society.
How were you prepared for Shri Narayan Guru, and his darshan and actions?
The truth is that I did not know much about him. I knew that he was a social reformer and spiritualist. In the backwater collective (co-established among others by social theorist Ashis Nandi and historian Vinay Lal) where I spoke for some time, we have talked about Shri Narayan Guru. I later tried to understand the big scenario of his philosophical idea. One element of his philosophical idea was that there is a clear anti -ethnic struggle. I realized the fact that there is a lot for him compared to an anti-cap warrior. He had a re -imagination of faith, religion and internal realization. I found that it is a very powerful way with faith and social action. In this way I was ready for his works.
Did you bring close to their philosophical texts?
Sri Narayan Guru is also a linguist, written in Tamil, Malayalam and Sanskrit. Although we have used verses of many poets beyond Karnataka music musicians in Karnataka music, it has also been tuned, in any way Sri Narayana Guru has never painted it. Of course, I know that I have some recording of some musicians in Kerala who have used Guru’s verses. However, we were making a list of a demonstrations with blue color. This has never been done before.
What was the process of making music from their reformist texts?
Initially, we had 14 pieces of Shri Narayan Guru’s texts, and we used five or six in terms of form for composition and tuning. There were 10–15 verses, and we chose three or four. We never took a full piece for composition. It is also a departure that is traditionally performed where all the verses of a piece are tuned.
What are the poetic aspects of his texts?
The most elegant fact is that the Guru’s text is always musical. There are usually different types of poems: some poems can be sung easily and some poems are read better, but when you put it in music it does not actually work. This is just the nature of poet and poetry. In the case of Shri Narayana Guru, who is the most beautiful, all his texts are naturally musical. It was very easy to keep it in music. People feel that this is a question of meter. This is not. It is also a question of the type of words you use. One of those things that you need a lot of music, this is how vowels and dishes interact. Vowel music has a very important emotional coefficient that allows both expansion of dishes and contraction of dishes, and expansion of raga. And in Sri Narayan Guru, you find this entire drama between the consonant and the voice.
Will you give some examples of his texts that reflect this music?
Purushotri Ponda Daivamo Nardivyakruti Parmesh Pavithra Puthano Karuvan Nabi Muthu Rathnamo? (If he is a God in human form or is the rule of religion in the shape of human God or if he is the holy son of the Lord or the kind Prophet Nabi Pashpati, Moti Ratna?) Najangalam creationjalavum, Niyalao Daivam Srishtikulla Samagari Samagari Ayathum.
Viewed from inside, we are like the ocean, and the maya is like a wave. The wind is your glory and depth, you yourself. You are in fact, creation and creator, and also the magical web of beings. Are you not, O God, a lot of stuff. Which is the creation? (Translation: Vinaya Chaitanya)
As I say, music is automatically for this. This is the whole poem and the reason for this. It is easy to set it in music. It is naturally musical.
How relevant are the works of Shri Narayan Guru for contemporary society after almost a century of his death?
Guru is not only important because he is a social warrior, but because he is a person who has rebuilt faith. Therefore it is important. Guru was able to bring all the sensation and morality of social co-existence together, as well as reflection to see a deep arrival on faith, self-interview on God, not to compete with each other, and they have some It is not believed that Don ‘T comes together. They did it through inner strength and through public action. For example, he rebuilt the temple. A temple is a physical place. The one who is called a modern constitutional justice, is very rare, with the depth of attainment, it is very rare. While singing my verses in a concert, I think I am having a communication with myself and the public.
What about the teachings of Shri Narayan Guru on caste system?
This is also a very strong part of my social discourse, combating the entire issue of caste, combating the spirit of caste, because caste is also a sense of identity. This brings control of resources, refusal of resources, superiority and power. I think my public discourse has been very firm about this. I think I come with the privilege of the caste with gender privilege. My discourse is from the state of privilege. When I am making a discourse on caste, I know it completely about it. So for me to engage in a strong way, where I am constantly challenging the privilege of challenging caste, it is very important. I think it is very important to reflect issues of resources, access and equal distribution of beauty and cultural changes in today’s world. Shri Narayan Guru speaks. He is a cultural person, a beauty person who is also making an economic and social discourse. Two sermons are no different. I think that finally we have to feel that until this cultural change occurs, no amount of quality policy decisions or economic decisions or public action is going to change the society. This is to change from the place that we are in the form of a person and cultural, aesthetics. This is the place where the poetry of Shri Narayan Guru is important, his songs are important. It is talking to today’s struggles.
Your concert series is titled, The Processors of a Emerging New. How are you redefined for future generations?
I am optimistic about the next generation. I am optimistic that they are thinking of people. I am optimistic at 20, 25, 30, they are thinking of things that I never thought of at his age. I am optimistic that he will go through the words of Shri Narayan Guru. They will understand the discourse and they will participate in their own way. I am completely optimistic about the future. Whatever we do, we are participating. The present is always about the future. The past is always about the future. The question is why we are looking for this past. This is what we should ask ourselves. So we are having a conversation that is currently but it is also about the future. I believe that the next generation is more awake than any of us.
Have you visited Workla in Kerala where Shri Narayan Guru came to stay in the early 20th century?
No, I have to go to workla. We are hoping that we can do a concert there.
