ADILABAD: While the subject of language has been subjected to much discussion and fights on social media in recent times, Gondi, which is fighting for survival, has found its newest popstar: one who is a schoolgirl by the day, effecting change in the community in the evening and a YouTube star in whatever time she has left in a day.
A resident of New Chinchugat in Adilabad Rural mandal, Anima Kathle has fused Hindustani classical rigour and tribal lyricism to her channel, whose ad revenue also aids the education of several others. Even at the tender age of 7, Anima isn’t just preserving her culture; she’s rewriting its future.
Belonging to the Thoti community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), Anima is also touted to be the first singer from her tribe to sing and record songs in the Gondi language. Every morning she practises classical singing for an hour before school and for two more hours in the evening. Every Sunday, she attends formal Hindustani classical music classes under the guidance of her teacher, Ganeshwar Guruji.
She has been learning classical music since Class 1 and is currently in the second year of a four-year diploma course in Hindustani classical music. She is currently a Class 3 student of the Government Disha Model School in New Chinchugat.
While Anima’s mornings begin with ragas, her evenings are sprinkled with social work. This prodigy has turned her inherited devotion to music into a weapon against oblivion. While her peers grapple with alphabets, Anima pens Gondi lyrics that rally her community against social ills. Her Gondi-language song Nowkoti Dhagiri gained attention in a short span and helped establish her as a promising young voice in tribal music. Her repertoire also includes devotional songs, socially relevant pieces and motivational tracks.
So far, she has released nine songs, all in the Gondi language, each receiving encouraging response from the community and beyond. At a recent Women’s Day programme, she was recognised with the ‘Best Singer’ award.
Anima launched her own YouTube channel, where she publishes her songs, and now has a following in the lakhs. All her earnings go towards tribal welfare, especially for children’s education. In the last three months alone, she used her income to appoint a tutor and provide special coaching for 16 Class 5 students preparing for entrance exams to Navodaya, Gurukulam and Ekalavya schools. Of them, eight have already secured admission.
Her goal is to use her income to support tribal students by providing books, computers, tutoring and coaching classes. Her father, Maruthi Kathle, a social worker who received an award from the Prime Minister on January 26, 2022, tells TNIE that Anima is following in his footsteps. “Her dream is to become a big singer in the Gondi language because no one else has ventured into this field yet,” he says.