Thodur Madabusi Krishna is one of the pre-eminent vocalists in the rigorous Karnatik tradition of India’s classical music. His training in this form, which originated in the southern peninsula of the subcontinent nearly five hundred years ago, has been under the distinguished gurus B. Seetharama Sarma, Chengalpet Ranganathan, and Semmangudi Srinivasier, placing him among the highest reaches of this time-honored system. At the same time, he has come to occupy a markedly distinct place in the Karnatik universe, known for the stunning individuality of his renditions, characterized by an inner luminosity and passionate intensity that are uniquely his own.
Krishna belongs to a tradition but is not owned by it. His concert stage, whether in his hometown of Chennai or anywhere else in the world, remains wholly classical, yet his concert practice is uncompromisingly his own.
As a public intellectual, Krishna speaks and writes about issues affecting the human condition and matters of culture. His path-breaking book, A Southern Music – The Karnatik Story, published by HarperCollins in 2013, was the first of its kind—a philosophical, aesthetic, and socio-political exploration of Karnatik music. For this work, he was awarded the 2014 Tata Literature Award for Best First Book in the non-fiction category. His latest book, Sebastian and Sons, published by Context in 2020, traces the history of the mridangam-maker and the mridangam over the past century, receiving the Tata Lit Live Award for the Best Non-Fiction book of 2020.
Krishna has participated in inspiring musical productions and collaborations, such as the Chennai Poromboke Paadal with environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman, performances with the Jogappas (transgender musicians), and co-conceptualizing and performing Karnatik Kattaikuttu, an unusual aesthetic conversation between art forms and communities that belong to two ends of the social spectrum. His musico-poetic partnership with India’s leading contemporary Tamil writer, Perumal Murugan, is unprecedented; rarely have a poet and musician, who are contemporaries, collaborated to create works of art on the ‘classical’ stage.
He has also pioneered bringing the poetry of the social reformer and philosopher Sree Narayana Guru into the Karnatik fold. In collaboration with Ashoka University, T.M. Krishna is currently involved in The Edict Project, an attempt to reimagine Ashoka’s edicts in musical form. This project aims to create vibrant aesthetic, socio-political, and academic conversations around the edicts. He is the driving force behind the Chennai Kalai Theru Vizha (formerly Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha) and the Svanubhava initiatives. Krishna has been recognized for both his musical contributions and socio-cultural work.
In 2016, he received international recognition for his forceful commitment as an artist and advocate for art’s power to heal India’s deep social divisions when he was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 2017, he received the Indira Gandhi National Integration Award for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in India, as well as the revered Isai Perarignar Award from the Tamil Isai Sangam for his contributions to Tamil music. In 2019, he received the Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram, the highest honor for musicians instituted by the Kerala State Government. In 2021, he was awarded the Pasumai Award in memory of Dr. Jeevanandam, a well-respected Gandhian and social worker.
