Mysuru: “Folk songs that once gave us bread to address hunger pangs has now  got us a life,” said noted folk singer Dr. Malavalli Mahadevaswamy.

He was addressing the gathering after rendering folk songs during 52nd Reorientation Camp organised by Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre at University of Mysore (UoM) recently.

“The lines of folk songs have transformed to film lyrics that calls for having a responsibility towards protecting the originality of folk songs,” said Dr. Mahadevaswamy.

“Earlier, we had a penchant to sing folk songs albeit without any patronage; nowadays there is a patronage, but none has a voice to sing. There has been a sea change as the life undergoes changes, akin to what Lord Manteswamy had predicted about the transformation Kaliyuga shall bring,” said Dr. Mahadevaswamy.

Like how one is hooked to the cellphone with his or her head down, one shall be hanging his head down throughout the life. But it is the books and the lesson taught by the teachers, which help us raise our head. The dana (donation) and dharma (courteous) are considered as saviours. One has to understand, after death nobody can take along whatever he has earned in his lifetime. Also, the directions of sun rise and sun set can never be changed. But it is we human beings who change at our will, he regretted.

Dr. Mahadevaswamy made a mention of lending his voice for a song titled  ‘Jeeva Hedari Banthu…’ in Vinod Prabhakar-starrer film  ‘Maadeva’ and another for a song in Vinay Rajkumar-starrer film ‘City Lights’ being helmed by actor Duniya Vijay as a director.

The folk singer also bemoaned about how some of them raked in a moolah by uploading a folk song ‘Anyayakari Brahma E Sundarana Nodabahude…’ sung by him, on social media network.

UoM Prasaranga Director Dr. Nanjaiah Honganur, who was also the Camp Coordinator, Malaviya Mission Teachers Training Centre Director Prof. H.P. Jyothi, Asst. Prof. L. Nanjunda Swamy, Prof. R. Ramakrishna, Devanur Shankar couple and researcher H.S. Shankar were present.