Sir,

It is a matter of great pride that B.M. Manjunath of Kollegal has been invited along with his wife Pushpalatha to witness the Republic Day Parade at New Delhi (SOM dated Jan. 19).

This is in honour of his Kannada poem ‘Malagu Kanda…’ winning the first prize in the national-level competition of lullaby composition.

I had the privilege of being the Jury Member representing Kannada language in the final selection which took place at New Delhi under the  aegis of Sahitya Akademi and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

I nostalgically recall the beautiful morning of the meeting in which I was chosen first to recite the Kannada lullaby. I did not merely read the poem, but I sang it injecting all the melody I was able to command invoking my singing prowess. After listening to my singing, most of the representatives of other languages gave their approval and after my English rendering of the lullaby, they placed it at the top.

I thought I should place on record my little contribution in the selection of the Kannada lullaby. Had I sung it badly or given a below par English translation, probably, the result would have been different.

But I’m also a believer in the observation that “when somebody’s time has come, no one can stop him.” Thus, Manjunath emerged victorious.

– Prof. C. Naganna, Mysuru, 20.1.2024

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