WHEN KANNADA RESONATED IN THE UNITED NATIONS

By C T Joshi
Senior Journalist,
Bengaluru
Mobile #: 9886608081

Do you know that our language Kannada once rang resonantly in the world-renowned forum, United Nations (UN)!

No less world-renowned, our "Bharata Ratna" M S Subbulakshmi sang in the UN General Assembly the famous Kannada devotional song, "jagadoddhaaranaa aadisidalu yashodaa..."(ಜಗದೋದ್ಧಾರನಾ ಆಡಿಸಿದಳು ಯಶೋದಾ...").

Occasion: UN Day celebration.

Composed by Purandara Daasa, revered doyen of Karnatak music nearly six decades ago, it means mother Yashodaa fondled none else than World's Succour Himself. It is sung with gusto even today.

Subbulakshmi, MS affectionately, also sang Sanskrit bhajana "maitreem bhajata.Yuddham tyajata. ("मैत्रीम् भजत। युद्धम् त्यजत ")--  cultivate brotherhood, eschew enmity, written by  Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha. Most relevant during these critical times from most appropriate forum.

Kannada and Sanskrit are only  two Indian languages to receive this rare honour at UN to date.

 Regrettably many Kannadigas are themselves unaware of this.

UN Secretary-General rightly exclaimed music knows no geographihcal boundaries. As borne out by loud, spontaneous clapping from audience, alien to our languages.

How MS mastered "Jagadoddhaaranaa..." makes  an interesting reading, narrated to me by my close friend and well-known music critic B V K Sastry.

MS used to sing regularly at popular Rama Navami music concerts at Fort High School, Chamarajapete, Bengaluru.

Towards end of one concert, Sastry requested her to render Jagadoddhaaranaa... He was supported enthusiastically by others. She pleaded that she had not learnt it.

MS again came for next year's concert. She took entire audience by pleasant surprise by beginning her session with Jagadoddhaaranaa...

In deference to wishes of her listeners, she had learnt the immortal song and offered it to them. That was the hallmark of our great MS

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Opinion

[14/08, 06:39] R Sudarshan: This is  hollow pride. At UN, lots of famous singers are called and they sing. What they sing is immaterial. Singer is honored.

All this 'resonated' etc is blind love delusion about a language. In a closed hall any sound resonates. We need to live in a real world instead of living in some imagination, that our mother tongue became something.

[14/08, 06:42] B S Ranganath: Your thought deserves continued discussion. Hope C T Joshi will react.

[14/08, 06:59] R Sudarshan: AR Rahman sang Dil Se, Shakira sang Waka Waka, Psy went and sang Gangnam style..

It is a Court...Rajashraya.. The UN invitation to come and sing is quite attractive. Singers add a feather in their cap and UN people entertain themselves. Just another stage and another artist.

Giving a colour of language supremacy is juvenile. Actually, at UN, nobody understands what you sing or say, unless a translation service helps you. And who knows what is Kannada or who is Jagadoddhara or Yashoda.

The takeaway is 'some famous singer from India or Korea is singing tonight', and diplomats get a free pass and come in a dress code. One evening happy hour of Champagne after the concert..

And we keep writing it is history, glory etc. 

[14/08, 07:03] B S Ranganath: Interesting. Blogging community keeps waiting to know these.

[14/08, 07:45] R Prakash: I would take this as this comes from someone who has been part of the UN and seen things first hand.

[14/08, 08:33] B S Ranganath: Certainly.