PB Sreenivas,The Golden Voice Stilled.Tribute

The mellifluous voice that enthralled the music lovers of Tamil,Kannada,and Telugu people is no more.

A simple man who could sing effortlessly in all the  languages of India with perfect local accent and linguist  passed away in Chennai on 14 , the Tamil New Year‘s Day yesterday .

I met him in Hotel Woodlands Drive in Restaurant, Chennai,which is his favorite haunt, when I was studying my Degree between 1967-70.

He used to sit in the Drive in , with a cloth shoulder bag, about a dozen pens, and a thick ruled note book-with a plate of Rava Kitchdi in front of him.

I approached him and started talking to him as if I knew him about his various songs.

I asked him why he had so many pens with him(can you think of any thing more silly to ask of a legend? )

He replied that he could write well in about 12 languages, including Sanskrit , pen poems and lyrics and used a different pen for each language.

He added that he had written about one lakh poems, this he expressed as a matter of fact, no airs!

He was so humble that he spent nearly 20 minutes with a green horn with out any airs.

PBS would pronounce words as he is afraid that he might hurt the words.

Effortless unique voice, totally of a different timbre, say like a Mukesh, his voice suited a vastly underrated actor of yore, who stood tall against the giants like Sivaji and MGR,Gemini Ganesan.

Initially SP Balasubramanian‘s voice reminded one of PBS, though SPB‘s voice a little bit thick to the years.

Later SPB has chartered a course for himself.

Some of his songs in Tamil and Kannada are simply great and can never be matched.

PB.Sreenivas.

He was the voice was of the a Kannada legend Dr.Rajkumar, till he started singing himself.

Rajkumar observed  PBS’s Voice suited him more than his own voice.

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The late actor Rajkumar once described P.B. Sreenivas as his shaareera (voice) while he himself was a mere shareera (body), summing up how some of the best-known films of the thespian are unthinkable without the legendary singer lending his voice.

Sreenivas, who passed away in Chennai on Sunday, ruled the Kannada film industry for over two decades as a playback singer and was the voice of many stars, including Rajkumar, Uday Kumar and Kalyan Kumar.

Evergreen numbers

Songs such as Aadisi nodu, Olave jeevana sakshatkara, Panchama veda premada nada, Vittala Vittala, Ivalu yaaru balleyanu, Aakashave beelali mele, Baare baare, Ravivarmana kunchada kaleand Maanava dehavu moole mamsada tadike are still loved by thousands of people in Karnataka. Songs he sang in praise of Kannada language, including the famous Naavaaduva nudiye Kannada nudifrom Gandhada Gudi, are among the most popular.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/pb-sreenivas-was-the-voice-of-rajkumar/article4617526.ece

Kannada,English -Medium of Instruction.Speak Kannada First

Mr.Javare Gowda‘s demand to tax English Medium schools and use the proceeds to promote Kannada is misplaced.

People join English Medium schools on their volition and not by force.

English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If people want their children study in Kannada, parents must have the children enrolled in Kannada Medium schools.

How many of us at home encourage children speak in our mother tongue?

We are happy if they call ‘Thai/Amma’ and ‘ThantheAppaji’ as ‘Mummy and ‘Daddy’ and get vicarious pleasure in making children recite inane rhymes like’Jack and Jil’ and’ Rain, Rain go away’.

These rhymes are fine for UK where it rains throughout the year and it makes sense to ask rain to away.

But in India?

How many of us deign to speak in our mother tongue when English is not warranted?

I recall an incident when Dr.RajKumar spear-headed an agitation for the supremacy of Kannada in Karnataka, I think in late 80′s.

I was staying in Chamarajpet,Bangalore,which in those days was considered to be a bastion of Kannada language.

Kannada speaking people came to me and asked me if it would correct in joining the agitation of Dr.Rajkumar.

I recall my words to them.

‘Do you have any sense?Some one is fighting for your language and you are asking me whether to join the agitation, me from Tamil Nadu.It is your duty ‘

And I joined the agitation.( Of course My Kannada is not that good even to-day)

When you have people with this mind-set how do you expect Kannada to prosper,whatever the Government does?

Let people respect and their Mother tongue and it is not beneath your dignity to speak in your language.

In fact I have written on the fact that to-day in Bangalore, you hardly find any security men /Restaurant workers speaking Kannada.

What hurts one more is the fact even Kannadigas speak only Hindi, thinking that it enhances their social status.

Such being the case,what can the Government do?

Yes, It is essential that people learn English but at the same time Kanndigas must speak Kannada and non Kannadigas must learn Kannada.

The Chief Minister is Right in stating that most( Kannada activists/Politicians (in fact all of them) send their children/grand children to English Medium schools.

I am curious to know where the children/grand children of Mr Javare Gowda studied are studying

To sum up, be true to your mother tongue: other wise your culture will be swamped.

Government effort is needed but real progress can be achieved only by the involvement of the people.

“ Chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Sunday reaffirmed the Karnataka government‘s stand on the medium-of-instruction controversy by stating that English is a tool that helps today’s children to tackle the challenges of tomorrow in an increasingly globalized world. He trashed suggestions that Kannada is being relegated to the fringes.

The chief minister was reacting to writer D Javare Gowda‘s observations that the government was keen on promoting the English language and that it wasn’t eliciting the opinions of Kannada writers on developing the native language.

The CM said writers like Javare Gowda must introspect on their stand. He said, “I’m getting a list of some of these Kannada activists whose children have studied in English-medium schools. I’ll make the list public soon.”

CM: Opposition to English is baseless

Chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Sunday reiterated that the government hasn’t changed the template of the language policy ever since it was introduced in 1990s. The opposition by Kannada activists and writers to the teaching of English in Kannada schools is baseless and will, in fact, hamper youths from competing in a globalized world, he said.

The government, on its part, has done its best to promote Kannada , the CM said, citing the example of Vishwa Kannada Sammelan in Belgaum.

At a function on Saturday , writer Javare Gowda had suggested that English-medium schools be taxed and the proceeds must be used to better the facilities in Kannada-medium schools.

Observing that the medium-of-instruction issue is pending before the Supreme Court, the chief minister said the Karnataka government will never make a decision that undermines the cause of Kannada.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/CM-dares-activists-over-language-row/articleshow/14009533.cms