After years of debate, the State government finally passed an order on Friday declaring that the ‘Naada Geete’ (State anthem) should be sung in the tune composed by the late Mysore Anantaswamy, in keeping with the recommendation of the H.R. Leelavathi Committee. The order also says that the anthem should be sung within the time limit of two minutes and 30 seconds without any repetitions or aalapas.
“The anthem Jaya Bharatha Jananiya Thanujaathe, which was penned by Rashtra Kavi Kuvempu, will be sung without omitting a single letter in the way it was composed by Mysore Anantaswamy,” said Sunil Kumar, Minister of Kannada and Culture. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also confirmed the same in a tweet. The move has been lauded by several Kannada activists as well as those in the musical fraternity.
The style and the time limit to sing the anthem had been a matter of contention since 2005 as there were no proper guidelines around it. With no prescribed style, varied compositions were being sung on different occasions. With many taking seven to eight minutes to sing it, several physically challenged people and those with weaker physical strength had said that it was inconvenient to stand for so long.
The 18-member H.R. Leelavathi committee had concluded that the anthem could be sung within the prescribed time limit in the tune composed by Mysore Ananthaswamy.
