Three days before Carnatic singer TM Krishna was scheduled to perform at an event sponsored by Airport Authority of India, the organisers have called off the performance, allegedly after he was trolled on social media.
"We would like to inform that due to some urgent engagements, 'Dance and Music in the Park' programme jointly organized by #AAI and @spicmacay, scheduled for 17th & 18th November, 2018 has been postponed and new dates would be shared shortly. Inconvenience caused is regretted," AAI said on Twitter on Wednesday.
This came after AAI was targeted by right wing trolls on social media for inviting the singer, a known critic of the Narendra Modi government.
The programme was announced by the aviation body on Saturday on Twitter. "AAI cordially invites you to a Carnatic vocal performance by @tmkrishna who will be accompanied by R.K. Shriramkumar on violin, Praveen Sparsh on Mridangam & Anirudh Athreya on Kanjira - on 17th November in the 2nd edition of 'Dance & Music in the Park' at Nehru Park, Delhi."
Here are some of the comments on social media after AAI made the invitation public:
Besides Krishna, Sonal Mansingh, Priyadarsini Govind, and Shahid Parvez Khan were also invited to perform at the event.
The Tamilian has often been targeted by right wing groups for his secular stance. In August he was allegedly threatened by a group in Tamil Nadu for singing songs on Allah and Jesus.
The singer, who won the Ramon Magsaysay award for bringing “social inclusiveness in culture” in 2016, was conferred with the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration last year. He was presented with the award by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congres president Rahul Gandhi on October 31, on the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi.
Krishna, one of the prominent vocalists in the rigorous Carnatic tradition of Indian classical music, is also an outspoken activist and columnist who has written on a wide range of socio-political issues, including women’s rights, children’s needs and the dangers of the mentality of war and narrow nationalism.
In an interview to DNA last year, Krishna had said that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was going through a very delicate, dangerous phase.
"I don't belong to any political party. In my writings I've been critical of all political parties including the Congress. Neither do I necessarily agree with all decisions made by the late PM Indira Gandhi, especially not her imposition of Emergency (1975)," he had said when asked why he accepted the award from the Congress leader.
"But there is no doubt in my mind that under the present dispensation, India is going through a very delicate, dangerous phase. It is in this context that national integration becomes a very important thought. We've forgotten its spirit and this award brings that back into focus. At a time we're being deliberately divided by religion and caste, reiterating this idea is essential. By accepting the award, I'm only playing the role of a catalyst."
