10 years on, Nada Geethe has no official tune

BENGALURU: Ten years after Karnataka got its Nada Geethe (state anthem), efforts to give it an official tune and shorten its duration have gone nowhere.
The government’s silence on the issue even during the recent Rajyotsava celebrations, deemed a prime time for key announcements, has surprised many.
At present, people sing the song in whatever tune they feel fit. The length of the anthem, running up to a minimum four minutes, also means maintaining decorum during its rendition is a challenge.
In sporadic efforts, the government had formed a committee, under the chairmanship of late Kannada poet G S Shivarudrappa, to finalize the tune and shorten its duration. A year ago, another panel headed by poet Chennaveera Kanavi, and comprising former bureaucrat and singer Y K Muddukrishna, poets Siddalingaiah, Doddarange Gowda, Muddu Mohan and Gangamma Keshavamurthy, was set up. This committee submitted its report in May, fixing a tune and removing a few lines from the song, crunching it to less than two minutes.
“We submitted 2 CDs to the government. In one, we edited some of the lines which are repetitive in meaning, retaining the original text. This comes to around 2.5 minutes. In another CD, we edited many lines to trim the duration to 1.26 minutes. I have sung in both the CDs to the tune set by C Ashwath,’’ said Muddukrishna.
The panel suggested that the anthem be sung like the national anthem without any instrumental support. However, Muddukrishna wondered why the government hasn’t taken a decision on the matter yet. “It’s a burning issue. Why should we prepare this report if the government doesn’t take a decision?’’ asked Doddarange Gowda.
Added national award-winning Sugama Sangeetha singer Shimoga Subbanna: “It’s a huge lapse on the government’s part to have kept the issue hanging like this.’’
K A Dayanand, director, Kannada and culture department, said the report was submitted to the government a few months ago. The secretariat has to take a decision.
KNOW YOUR ANTHEM
Jaya Bharata Jananiya Thanu Jaathe … Kuvempu’s 44-line poem was officially declared the Nada Geethe in 2004. It’s an ode to Karnataka, with references to the state’s illustrious icons and rivers, among other things. It’s compulsorily sung in all state schools and at official functions. The government issued an order that people stand up during its rendition.