<p>Chiranjeevi Singh, former IAS officer and ambassador to Unesco, shares his reflections on art, culture, history and governance in a Kannada book released on Tuesday.</p>.<p>‘Yaava Janmada Maitri,’ with its title inspired by a popular Kuvempu song, one of Singh’s favourite poets, also talks fondly about how he moved from Punjab to Karnataka, nearly five decades ago and made it his home.</p>.<p>The launch marked the 60th anniversary of Navakarnataka Publications, which works from an office in Kumara Park. Singh’s book was published in 2019, but the pandemic delayed the official launch. A panel comprising retired director-general of police Ajay Kumar Singh, poet H S Shivaprakash, former IAS officer I M Vithalamurthy and journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju discussed the book at Nayana Auditorium, Kannada Bhavana.</p>.<p>“Through the book, you see that he has not just accepted the state and Kannada as his own but is also deeply involved in every aspect of it. His speciality is that he often finds importance in what others think is unimportant,” Shivaprakash said.</p>.<p>‘Yaava Janmada Maitri’ which loosely translates to ‘Is this a relationship from another life?’, gives an insight into Singh’s roots in Punjab, his experiences as a diplomat and his warm embrace of Karnataka and its culture. Singh reads, writes and speaks fluent Kannada. Ajay Kumar Singh said Singh’s writing reflected his personal aesthetics. “I got a sense of this right from the first chapter. His sense of beauty is in the background always, and it is not just reserved for nature but also for humans and objects,” he said. Singh was reluctant to put his picture on the cover. “He wanted an abstract picture of Mandya on the cover instead, but I had to veto this to put his photo on the cover,” Sugata Srinivasaraju said. Without any publicity or official launch, the book has already sold 900 copies, according to Sreenivas G Kappanna, theatre stalwart.</p>.<p><span class="italic">‘Yaava Janmada Maitri’ is available on Amazon and Navakarnataka Online for Rs 275.</span></p>.<p><strong>Man of the hour</strong></p>.<p>Hailing from pre-Independence Punjab, now a part of Pakistan, Chiranjeevi Singh, born in 1945, was India’s ambassador to Unesco in Paris.He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1969 and retired in 2005 as development commissioner and additional chief secretary of Karnataka. He worked as joint secretary to chief minister D Devaraj Urs. In 2005, the government honoured him with the Rajyotsava Award.</p>
<p>Chiranjeevi Singh, former IAS officer and ambassador to Unesco, shares his reflections on art, culture, history and governance in a Kannada book released on Tuesday.</p>.<p>‘Yaava Janmada Maitri,’ with its title inspired by a popular Kuvempu song, one of Singh’s favourite poets, also talks fondly about how he moved from Punjab to Karnataka, nearly five decades ago and made it his home.</p>.<p>The launch marked the 60th anniversary of Navakarnataka Publications, which works from an office in Kumara Park. Singh’s book was published in 2019, but the pandemic delayed the official launch. A panel comprising retired director-general of police Ajay Kumar Singh, poet H S Shivaprakash, former IAS officer I M Vithalamurthy and journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju discussed the book at Nayana Auditorium, Kannada Bhavana.</p>.<p>“Through the book, you see that he has not just accepted the state and Kannada as his own but is also deeply involved in every aspect of it. His speciality is that he often finds importance in what others think is unimportant,” Shivaprakash said.</p>.<p>‘Yaava Janmada Maitri’ which loosely translates to ‘Is this a relationship from another life?’, gives an insight into Singh’s roots in Punjab, his experiences as a diplomat and his warm embrace of Karnataka and its culture. Singh reads, writes and speaks fluent Kannada. Ajay Kumar Singh said Singh’s writing reflected his personal aesthetics. “I got a sense of this right from the first chapter. His sense of beauty is in the background always, and it is not just reserved for nature but also for humans and objects,” he said. Singh was reluctant to put his picture on the cover. “He wanted an abstract picture of Mandya on the cover instead, but I had to veto this to put his photo on the cover,” Sugata Srinivasaraju said. Without any publicity or official launch, the book has already sold 900 copies, according to Sreenivas G Kappanna, theatre stalwart.</p>.<p><span class="italic">‘Yaava Janmada Maitri’ is available on Amazon and Navakarnataka Online for Rs 275.</span></p>.<p><strong>Man of the hour</strong></p>.<p>Hailing from pre-Independence Punjab, now a part of Pakistan, Chiranjeevi Singh, born in 1945, was India’s ambassador to Unesco in Paris.He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1969 and retired in 2005 as development commissioner and additional chief secretary of Karnataka. He worked as joint secretary to chief minister D Devaraj Urs. In 2005, the government honoured him with the Rajyotsava Award.</p>