BENGALURU: It was Karnataka’s Rashtrakavi Kuvempu’s 119th birthday on Dec 29, and singer MD Pallavi could not have thought of a better tribute. The singer’s latest song 'O Nanna Chetana', an adaptation of the poem of the same name by one of Kannada’s foremost modern lyric poets’ Kuvempu was her humble way of celebrating his birthday.
The song is composed by Pallavi and arranged by Apoorva Krishna, violinist and composer. “This poem is a favourite of mine. I have always wanted to give it my flavour and my interpretation. I have been working on a series of songs like this, which I composed. I’m trying to collaborate with artists who I liked, who I want to work with,” says Pallavi, about the song translated by Maithreyi Karnoor.
'O Nanna Chetana' is a call for freedom from everything that binds the mind and body. The poem urges the spirit to go beyond forms, identities, and philosophies and transcend all boundaries. One of the reasons why people go back to Kuvempu’s poems or writing is because of his relevance.
“I think they are relevant in today’s world. The kind of frenzy that the world is going into with so much unrest, discrimination and inequality...and then you look at the lyrics that he has given and its meaning and the direction one can be on,” says Pallavi.
This is the second song in a series of Bhavageethe that Pallavi has composed for. “Apoorva and I worked together on a project two years ago. I immediately wanted to work with her on a project that I was doing. She readily accepted it,” she says.