Singer TM Krishna has proven once again that he is not one to bow down to communal forces. Following an unexpected cancellation of his music concert in the country’s capital, the Delhi government reached out to the Carnatic singer on Thursday, offering to host him on November 17.
Speaking to TNM, TM Krishna confirms that the office of Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, has been in touch with him.
“We will know more details by tomorrow morning,” he said.
On Tuesday evening, the singer’s concert at the country capital on November 17, organised by Airports Authority of India in collaboration with SPIC MACAY, was cancelled all of a sudden. This action was allegedly sparked off by a volley of hate messages from the Hindu right wing, asking AAI to cancel the concert.
You should be ashamed of associating with a guy who's notorious for insulting & degrading the sacred art that feeds him. He's also known for bad-mouthing the organisations that patronize him. In a way, he fits the definition of #UrbanNaxal. Think!
— Raghavan R : राघवन आर (@mayfair1958) November 12, 2018
He's insulted not only Indians but also the historic Legends & Bharat Ratnas of India.
— Narayan (@MosurAnna) November 12, 2018
We Condemn this and request to cancel this event.
We will Not Attend
— saraswati shetty (@fouress) November 12, 2018
He has insulted CarnaticMusic by changing ageold Lyrics
Looks like anyone who hurts Hindu Religious Sentiments bcoms a hero in India.@nandaji1958 @Savitritvs @ShefVaidya @Kuvalayamala @mahendra3 @truevirathindu @girishalva @PMOIndia @HMOIndia @vivekagnihotri
What is this nonsense . This joker @tmkrishna is earning by learning Hindu Carnatic music and now acting like he is secular . Don't allow him in any concert
— Avinash (@avinashrama) November 12, 2018
He wants to sing for Jesus and Allah by tweaking great composition of saints like Thyagaraja and annamayya. If he is so keen why not he himself writes songs in praise of Jesus and Allah
— ಕರ್ನಾಟಾ (@VinayMysuru) November 12, 2018
Cc: @narendramodi You were talking about danger from “UrbanMaoist” just few days back? Here is one being provided a platform by AAI under your Govt. This means only either your have no control over orgs under your Govt. or you dont care.
— rajeev kumar (@rkbpillai) November 12, 2018
However, AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra denied that the decision was taken under pressure to The Indian Express.
“I received a message from them (AAI) on Tuesday evening that the concert was being cancelled due to some “exigencies of work”. No further explanations have been offered so far. When The Indian Express had asked the Chairman, he has said that they were not free on that day. What does it mean when you say you're not free for an event that you’ve organised? The whole thing looks murky,” says TM Krishna.
Following news that his concert was called off, writer and historian Ramachandra Guha wrote an opinion piece in TIE in which he said, “To prevent a great musician from performing in the national capital is not mere intolerance — it is barbarism.”
This, however, is not the first time that TM Krishna’s concerts have run into trouble. In August this year, a temple in Maryland had called off his concert scheduled to take place in September, following which a group of music enthusiasts helped organise his concert on that same date in Georgetown University, Washington.