Karnataka HC resolves two decades of discord over state anthem, written by Kuvempu

This tune, lasting for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, is the standardised version approved by an expert committee. The HC’s move marks the culmination of a two-decade-long debate over the state anthem’s rendering, which saw disputes between proponents of different composers’ tunes, even as 5.33 crore voters in the state are busy electing 28 representatives to the Lok Sabha in the two-phased polls: on April 26 and May 7.

2024 marks the centenary of the conception of Jaya Bharata..

According to Rahamath Tarikere, noted Kannada writer and cultural and literary critic, “Jaya Bharata…, a poem, was conceptualised exactly 100 years ago by Jnanpith-winning Rashtrakavi Kuvempu; it was written in 1930. “2024 marks the centenary year for the embryo form of the state anthem,” Tarikere says, citing a passage from Kuvempu’s memoir Nenapina Doniyali (1980). “I have a manuscript of Karnataka rashtra geethe (state anthem) for 1924-25. This must be the ancestor of present-day Jayahe Karnataka mate,” he adds.

The manuscript is an embryo state of Karnataka anthem on the lines of Rabindranath Tagore’s Jana Gana Mana. “This manuscript metamorphosed for four years before it got the present form in 1928 and published in the Kolalu collection of my poems”, writes Kuvempu in Nenapina Doniyali. “In the manuscript, the poem starts with Bhuvanavinuta Vara Pavanatara Bharata…” says Tarikere. When Tagore wrote Jana Gana Mana, he was in his fifties. But Kuvempu was only 20 when he wrote Karnataka’s state anthem,

Controversy over inclusion of Madhwacharya’s name

The Congress government, headed by S M Krishna, adopted Jaya Bharata… as the state anthem on December 29, 2003. But from that day itself, the poem had been embroiled in one or the other controversy. A row erupted in early 2004, demanding the inclusion of philosopher and theologian Madhwacharya’s name. Kuvempu’s son and noted writer, Poornachandra Tejaswi, who holds the copyright of Kuvempu’s literary estate, strongly criticised any attempts to change the poem.

Sumatheendra R. Nadig, poet and literary critic, ignited another row by asserting that the state anthem lacks poetic excellence and hence does not deserve the status it enjoys. In response, some writers vehemently suggested that Nadig should be arrested. However, writer and Kannada scholar Ham. Pa. Nagarajaiah came to Nadig’s defense, criticizing the harsh reaction as intolerant. Nagarajaiah underlined that regardless of whether it is the national or state anthem, it must meet the high expectations of the people. He argued that Jaya Bharatha... brilliantly encapsulates Karnataka’s glorious religious harmony, socio-cultural and literary history, and its picturesque landscape across ages.

Two-decade-old controversy over standardisation

It is significant that Kuvempu wrote Jaya Bharata… in 1930 and he termed the land as ‘Karnataka’ even before the state got its official status as Karnataka in 1956. In fact, Karnataka is one of the few states in the country which has its own official state anthem. Jaya Bharata… is an ode to the state — its rich history, tradition, culture, and breathtakingly beautiful topography. For the last two decades, ever since the Karnataka government declared Jaya Bharata... as the state anthem, two factions of sugama sangeetha singers have been engaged in a bitter dispute over the tone and rendition of the anthem. Supporters of Ananthaswamy and C Ashwath, two famous light music composers, have been at loggerheads. While one group advocated for Ananthaswamy’s tune, another insisted on adopting the melody composed by C Ashwath in 2004. Successive governments have failed in resolving the dispute over the standardisation of state anthem and its tune. The fear of offending one faction while standardising the other hindered the government’s efforts to find a resolution.

Three expert committees in two decades

So far, three expert committees, including the one formed to accord official status to Jaya Bharata…, have been formed since 2003. The first committee was formed during the Congress regime of S M Krishna. In view of the objections raised to the interpretations and omissions in the poem, another committee was constituted during the BJP government. The BJP government, however, did not act on the recommendations of its own official panel. Later, another committee was formed under the chairmanship of noted musician Vasanth Kanakapura, retaining the members of the previous committee. With his sudden demise, eminent poet Channaveera Kanavi took over the chairmanship of the committee. This panel suggested trimming the duration of the rendering from four minutes to 90 seconds.

When successive governments failed to take a final call on the recommendations of the three expert committees, Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) stepped in to end the controversy over the length and standardisation of the state anthem and, in November 2019, KSP recommended the government to fix the rendering duration to 2.30-minutes. In September 2022, the BJP government headed by Basavaraj Bommai officialised the original tune composed by Ananthaswamy, based on the recommendation of the expert committee. The then minister for Kannada and Culture, Sunil Kumar, said that the government ended a two-decade-old controversy over the state anthem.

Set to fast-paced music, the theme anthem will not have any repetition of stanzas in between alaaps. It will be sung as it was adopted by the government in 2003. A single-judge bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit observed: “The tune has been followed for about two decades with no complaints from the concerned quarters, thus that the petition is devoid of merit and is liable to be dismissed.” The decision gives a shot in the arm to the Congress government in Karnataka, which has been fighting for federal values and Kannadiga pride.