CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby seeks Bharat Ratna for percussion artists

CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby, a connoisseur of Carnatic music, made a strong case for awarding the Bharat Ratna to percussionists in India, stating that percussion music had reached “Himalayan heights” in the country.

CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby in conversation with Mridangam maestro Umayalpuram Sivaraman at The Hindu office on July 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
S. Shivaraj

“There is not only Umayalpuram Sivaraman. There were Kishan Maharaj, Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, and Samta Prasad. But the highest honour, like the Bharat Ratna, has gone only to Bhimsen Joshi, Bismillah Khan, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Ravi Shankar, and Lata Mangeshkar,” he said during a conversation with Mr. Sivaraman at The Hindu office in Chennai on Sunday (July 13, 2025).

Mr. Baby’s friendship with Mr. Sivaraman dates back to several decades. He has organised many concerts and even persuaded Mr. Sivaraman to perform for Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj. He added that the Music Academy and The Hindu should play a role in advocating Bharat Ratna recognition for percussion artists.

“This is the most appropriate platform to raise the question: why has a percussion artist never been given the Bharat Ratna? No one deserves it more than Umayalpuram Sivaraman. He is already a Padma Vibhushan awardee. The music fraternity should raise its voice for the recognition that is long overdue. Why is the government not listening to such a sane voice in the field of music and culture?” he asked.

He also recalled an incident in which tabla maestro Kishan Maharaj criticised the Centre for its miserly attitude toward conferring awards on musicians.

“Unless we live for 80 or 85 years, no national honour will come to us,” Mr. Baby quoted Kishan Maharaj as saying at an event in Delhi attended by Union Ministers.

The CPI(M) leader further pointed out inadequacies and partialities in the selection of awardees. “Of course, there are genuine North Indian artists, but genuine South Indian artists have not been sufficiently considered,” he said.

Mr. Sivaraman said that long ago, he had suggested to the Sangeet Natak Akademi that it institute an award in memory of the legendary nagaswaram player T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai.

“There is the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. Institute a similar award in the name of Rajarathinam Pillai,” he said. Mr. Baby supported this demand, saying Rajarathinam Pillai was equal in stature to Bismillah Khan.

Mr. Sivaraman, who has performed with four generations of musicians, said he was ready to accompany the next generation as well. He also described the specific playing styles required for accompanying great musicians such as Mudikondan Venkatrama Iyer, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, G.N. Balasubramanian, Madurai Mani Iyer, T.R. Mahalingam, and M.D. Ramanathan.

Speaking on the subject of creativity, Mr. Sivaraman cited poet Kalidasa to explain his philosophy: “Don’t think everything old is good; don’t criticise everything new as bad. People with wisdom will always select the best from the old and the best from the new. That is my motto,” he said.

N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, who introduced the two, said the event was meant to highlight and celebrate an unusual association and a relationship that blossomed into enduring friendship.

He said that Mr. Baby first encountered Mr. Sivaraman’s music during the Emergency, when he was semi-underground and courted arrest. “His elder brother advised him to visit a temple and listen to concerts. That is how he first discovered the great music of Mr. Sivaraman,” he said.