A strong case exists to give official status to C Ashwath’s tune for the Karnataka state anthem, according to a prominent associate of the singer-composer.
Kikkeri Krishnamurthy, president of Adarsha Sugama Sangeeta Academy, believes Ashwath’s tune is best suited for singing Bharata jananiya tanujaate, Kuvempu’s much-loved song in praise of Karnataka and India.
The government is on the verge of deciding whose tune to make official: Ashwath’s or Mysore Ananthaswamy’s. A committee of 17 members constituted last month has unanimously recommended Ananthaswamy’s tune.
The controversy dates back to 2003, when the government accorded state anthem status to the poem, and had to choose between two contending tunes that made it to the shortlist.
Krishnamurthy says confusion has crept in, with many claiming that two earlier committees, headed by poet G S Shivarudrappa and music composer Vasanth Kanakapure, had decided in favour of Ananthaswamy’s tune.
The Shivarudrappa committee report says Ananthaswamy’s tune should be made official if just two verses are sung, and Ashwath’s if a longer version is mandated.
Krishnamurthy dismissed the contention that singing more than two verses will make the anthem too long and make it difficult for elderly governors and dignitaries to keep standing while it is played.
He played a recording that compresses four verses into two minutes and 20 seconds, sung by Ashwath and a chorus. “No recording exists of Ananthaswamy singing all verses,” he told Showtime.
Ananthaswamy (1935-95) and Ashwath (1939-2009) were contemporaries, and have composed original tunes for hundreds of Kannada poems written during their time. In some cases, they had picked up the same contemporary classics, and composed different tunes. Thus, many poems, such as those in K S Narasimha Swamy’s timeless compilation Mysuru Mallige, are sung in tunes made by the two composers.
“If only two verses are sung, we are fine with Ananthaswamy’s tune. But if more are sung, Ashwath’s tune is the best choice,” he says.