Chennai: February 2 would have been the launch date for singer and writer T.M. Krishna’s book, Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mridangam Makers, at Kalakshetra in Chennai.
The official invitation said the book was going to be launched by Rajmohan Gandhi and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol Thirumavalavan. The launch event would have been preceded by a performance of several mridangam artists – a sort of musical offering to the makers of the mridangam.
Yet on January 30, Kalakshtra’s director Revathi Ramachandran sent a mail ‘withdrawing the permission to hold the book launch’ after an article on the book appeared in The Hindu.
In the letter, Ramachandran says: “The book review which has appeared today in the Newspaper contains certain statements relating to the book which touch controversial issues and certainly have a lot of political overtones”.
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He also adds that the institute came under Central government and thus could not allow any programme that may instigate ‘political, social and cultural disharmony.’
TM Krishna book release stopped. pic.twitter.com/rncdccxKBS
— E P Unny (@unnycartoonist) January 30, 2020
The piece in The Hindu captures the essence of the book – of the internal conflict of maestros like Palghat Mani Iyer in handling an instrument made with cow skin.
Sebastian and Sons is chiefly an account on the life of mridangam makers – most of whom are Dalit Christians.
Krishna follows them closely across generations to unravel deep secrets and bitter truths on the lives of the mridangam makers, as well as on oppression and discrimination faced by them. The book also raises the question about the way the mridangam makers are looked at.
“The event was essentially to celebrate mridangam makers. It speaks of their reality,” said Krishna. The event will now be held at Asian College of Journalism in Chennai.