Southern States - Karnataka   

Confusion over Govt.'s plan on `Nada Geethe'

By K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

Bangalore Nov. 21. Can a State Government adopt a popular patriotic poem written by a distinguished poet as its "Nada Geethe" and give it a status equal to the National Anthem without attracting Constitutional queries?

If yes, the poet laureate, Kuvempu's 44-line poem, "Jaya Bharatha Jananiya Tanujaathe", which is sung in different tunes, will be the Nada Geethe from December 29, the day the Government is scheduled to launch the "Vishwamanva Varsha" to commemorate the birth centenary of the late poet.

Although the Government has announced its willingness to adopt the poem as the State song, it restrained itself from issuing the official order to the effect owing to "confusion" within the high-powered committee constituted for the purpose and the "questionable validity" of its subcommittee in extending its suggestion to the Government.

The Government constituted a high-powered committee comprising the Chief Minister, the Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, bureaucrats, writers, legal luminaries, and others to deliberate the details of the "Vishwamanava Varsha".

The first meeting, which was chaired by the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, constituted a subcommittee to go into the details of norms for adopting the poem as Nada Geete taking into account its tune, time consumed for reciting it in full, the underlying Constitutional obligation, and the governing federal values in the Centre-State relationship.

It also expected the subcommittee to examine the issue whether the governing principles of the National Flag Code were applicable to it in the absence of "a song code", according to sources.

The high-powered committee held its second meeting on November 12 in the absence of the Chief Minister. It finalised the entire programme and announced the agenda for "Vishwamanava Varsha" with an emphasis on the decision to institute a national award named after Kuvempu with a cash component of Rs. 5 lakh and the adoption of the Nada Geethe.

This has reportedly triggered differences in the high-powered committee and in the circles concerned.

It was also felt that announcing the decision on adopting the poem even before the subcommittee had offered its suggestion was premature. Besides, the "propriety" of nominating the Chairman of the Legislative Council to head the subcommittee while ignoring the Minister concerned had also raised a serious question. However, the Government has now included the Minister, Rani Satish as the deputy chairperson in the subcommittee, sources said.

When contacted, Ms. Satish told The Hindu that it was true that "there were some initial hiccups in considering the issue from different points of view. It is left purely to the discretion of learned persons in the Government and the high-powered committee to decide on the adoption of the great song of a great poet as Nada Geete with due respect to the law of the land. I only hope that the Government and the people are not disappointed."

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