.jpg)
___
BOOK IN FOCUS
THE SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY
31 May 2021
The Spirit of Enquiry: Dissent as an Art Form draws from his rich body of work, thematically divided into five key sections: art and artistes; the nation state; the theatre of secularism; savage inequalities; and in memoriam. Revised and expanded, and with marvellous new additional materials and powerful new introductions, this is a collection that reflects the critical and cultural engagement of one of our finest thinkers, public intellectuals and practitioners of art.
___
OTHER BOOKS
SEBASTIAN & SONS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MRDANGAM MAKERS
20 January 2020
The mrdangam is an integral part of the Karnatik stage, its primary percussion instrument. Yet - startling as this is— the instrument as we know is only a century old. TM Krishna investigates the history of the invisible keepers of a tradition: the mrdangam makers. The making process is an intellectually, aesthetically and physically taxing one. From acquiring the skins for the circular membranes and straps to the wood for the drum, from curing the material to the final construction, and at the end of it all, making sure that it has the tone that the mrdangam player wants, mrdangam-making is also a highly nuanced operation at every stage.
KANNADA TRANSLATION OF SEBASTIAN & SONS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MRDANGAM MAKERS
3 April 2022
The mrdangam is an integral part of the Karnatik stage, its primary percussion instrument. Yet - startling as this is— the instrument as we know is only a century old. TM Krishna investigates the history of the invisible keepers of a tradition: the mrdangam makers. The making process is an intellectually, aesthetically and physically taxing one.
The book was translated by Sumangala and published by Harivu Books.
​
MALAYALAM TRANSLATION OF SEBASTIAN & SONS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MRDANGAM MAKERS
1 January 2023
The mrdangam is an integral part of the Karnatik stage, its primary percussion instrument. Yet - startling as this is— the instrument as we know is only a century old. TM Krishna investigates the history of the invisible keepers of a tradition: the mrdangam makers. The making process is an intellectually, aesthetically and physically taxing one.
The book was translated by Johny ML and published by Mathrubhumi Books.
​
.png)
TAMIL TRANSLATION OF SEBASTIAN & SONS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MRDANGAM MAKERS
3 April 2022
The mrdangam is an integral part of the Karnatik stage, its primary percussion instrument. Yet - startling as this is— the instrument as we know is only a century old. TM Krishna investigates the history of the invisible keepers of a tradition: the mrdangam makers. The making process is an intellectually, aesthetically and physically taxing one.
The book was translated by D.I.Aravindan and published by Kalachuvadu Publications.
​
.png)
TAMIL TRANSLATION OF
A SOUTHERN MUSIC
THE KARNATIK STORY
3 April 2022
TM Krishna, one of the foremost Karnatik vocalists today, begins his panoramic exploration of that tradition with a fundamental question: what is music? Taking nothing for granted and addressing diverse readers from Karnatik music's rich spectrum and beyond it, Krishna provides a path-breaking overview of south Indian classical music.
​
The book was translated by D.I.Aravindan and published by Kalachuvadu Publications.
RESHAPING ART
20 April 2018
In Reshaping Art, TM Krishna examines what art is and how we can harness its power to make ourselves and our communities open and sensitive. Well known for his attempts to break Karnatik music out of its high-caste confines, the author takes us through a journey of understanding what art means to different groups of people and the ways in which we all create and enjoy it. He then asks important questions about how art is made, performed and disseminated, and addresses crucial issues of caste, class and gender within society while exploring the contours of democracy, culture and learning.
A SOUTHERN MUSIC
THE KARNATIK STORY
1 March 2016
TM Krishna, one of the foremost Karnatik vocalists today, begins his panoramic exploration of that tradition with a fundamental question: what is music? Taking nothing for granted and addressing diverse readers from Karnatik music's rich spectrum and beyond it, Krishna provides a path-breaking overview of south Indian classical music. He advances provocative ideas about various aspects of its practice. Central to his thinking is the concept of 'art music', the ability to achieve abstraction, as the foundational character of Karnatik music.