T M Krishna to perform at AAP govt's event in Delhi tomorrow

Carnatic music vocalist TM Krishna, whose concert in the city was scrapped by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), will perform at the Garden of Five Senses on Saturday evening on an invitation of the AAP government, an official said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has invited the people of Delhi to attend the event.

"All are cordially invited. If u believe in an inclusive India, an India which belongs to all religions, faiths and castes, ur presence tomo will be a statement against those forces who r trying to divide and destroy our beloved India (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

Entry to attend the event is free of cost, the government said.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced Delhi government's invitation to Krishna, saying no artist should be denied an opportunity to perform.

After Krishna's November 17 concert to be held at Nehru Park was cancelled by AAI, the AAP government had on Thursday stepped in to organise another performance by Krishna, who often finds himself in the cross-hairs of controversy over his outspoken views.

According to the government, the event is being organised under its Awam Ki Awaz' initiative, to give space to dissenting voices through the medium of art and culture.

Sisodia said on Twitter, "No artist should ever be denied an opportunity to perform. I have invited @tmkrishna to perform on November 17 for the people of Delhi It's important to maintain the dignity of the Art and Artists".

"The elected Delhi government has been organising an event each quarter to support art that promotes communal harmony and creates space for voices of protest to be heard, and it is a matter of pride that TM Krishna will be gracing the event," the government said in a statement.

Krishna's concert organised by the AAI was allegedly cancelled following a troll campaign against it for hosting the vocalist, a Magsaysay award winner who has been called an "urban Naxal" and "a converted bigot" among other epithets.

The AAI and cultural organisation Spic Macay, which were organising Krishna's concert jointly, said the event was not cancelled but "postponed".

The AAI was the major sponsor, said Rashmi Mallik from Spic Macay. They were informed by AAI that the event had to be postponed due to "some internal challenges within AAI", she said.

"It has not been cancelled. It has been postponed. We will be working out the new dates and share them," she had said.

Krishna, considered one of the finest proponents of Carnatic music, has often been the subject of hate trolls for his critical views on Hindutva and the establishment.

The artist, who is credited for being one of those taking the 600-year-old Carnatic musical tradition forward, is also an activist who has worked on creating egalitarian spaces for music and breaking down caste barriers.