KARNATIK MUSIC’S LANGUAGE & OWNERSHIP

A music lecture series with T.M Krishna In the early 20th century when India was with imbued with the spirit of liberty and freedom, in the land of the Tamils other socio-cultural questions were being raised. Caste discrimination and linguistic sovereignty became contentious subjects. Caught in the vortex of these debates was also the world of Karnatik music. The suitability of Tamil as a language to express a sophisticated musical form such as Karnatik music was being challenged. A form, that’s presentation was presided over by three 17th-18th century composers Tyagaraja, Muttusvami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri who composed in Sanskrit and Telugu was forced to contend with Tamil assertion. This led to the formation of new organizations dedicated to Tamil music. Despite an history of innumerable compositions having been composed in the language, within India and across the palk strait, this tension between Tamil and Karnatik music remains, but spoken off only within private circles. This discussion is as much about the ownership Karnatik music. Does it belong only to the sanskritised brahmanical world, a world that will also determine what kind of Tamil is acceptable. While language is the site for this debate, it also opens up questions whose voice Karnatik music chooses to amplify. Does the common person, and the realities of their every life, have space within Karnatik music?