■ Krishna, Murugan celebrate Ambedkar through Kavadi Chindu
Kavadi Chindus are potri padal which means to sing in praise and extol. Acclaimed author Perumal Murugan wrote a ‘Kavadi Chindu on Babasaheb Ambedkar’ and musician TM Krishna has composed and sung the song. “This song was written by Perumal Murugan a few months ago. I had not worked on it for some time and Murugan reminded me. I was to perform a live concert in Namakkal on April 13 and we had planned this song for that concert. Due to the rising corona cases, we cancelled the concert. That is when I suggested that we release the song online,” TM Krishna tells us.
There are many kinds of chindus and kavadi chindu is associated with the kavadi ritual. But this poetic/musical format has been used by many poets to convey various ideas and faiths. “There are Islamic kavadi chindus and there are chindus that are patriotic in flavour written by poets such as Nammakal Kavingyar and Subramania Bharati. ,” the singer adds.
Krishna points out that within the upper-caste environment, Ambedkar has rarely been an important figure and his name appears in passing, once in a while. “We need him to become a part of the culture. Carnatic music, which belongs to the very same environment, has disconnected from the crucial conversations Ambedkar triggered and enabled. This song allows for that to change. Today, the song is being discussed and debated, and it is a sign that it has already made an impact. Even it makes people uncomfortable for various reasons, so be it. The discussion has just begun. I had originally tuned this song as a ragamalika in the ragas Kamboji, Lathangi and Madhyamavati with svaras in-between. When I informed Murugan, he told me that he had written and imagined it as a kavadi chindu, and hence I changed the tune to suit that form,” shares Krishna.
In this ‘Kavadi Chindu on Ambedkar’, Ambedkar has been brought into this form for the first time. This is an important intervention because Ambedkar needs to be celebrated in multiple art forms by allTM Krishna