Subbanna foundation to promote sugama sangeeta

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated the foundation, called the ‘Shivamogga Subbanna Pratishthana’, on Thursday. Special Arrangement

Shivamogga Subbanna, the National Award-winning singer known for his immense contribution to sugama sangeeta, passed away at 83, after a heart attack, this August. Well-known singer Archana Udupa, who is also his daughter-in-law, launched a foundation, with the help of his family members, to carry forward Subbanna’s legacy.

Subbanna was the first Kannadiga to win the National Award for playback singing, for the song ‘Kaadu kudure odi banditta’ from the film Kaadu Kudure, in 1978. The movie was directed by Chandrashekhara Kambara, a Jnanpith award winner.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated the foundation, called the ‘Shivamogga Subbanna Pratishthana’, on Thursday. “We are planning to build an open-air museum dedicated to legendary poets and singers from Karnataka. It will be for all those who worked to improve the state’s cultural ethos. Shivamogga Subbanna will have a special place in that,” Bommai said.

In a conversation with Showtime, Archana, who made a name for herself with classical and devotional singing, spoke about the plans of the foundation and its objectives. Excerpts:

Who is going to run this foundation?

It’s a family-run trust. But as we progress, we are planning to include writers, poets, composers, and many other literary figures. As of now, it is only my husband, his elder sister, Subbanna’s son-in-law and me, who will run the activities at the foundation.

What are the objectives of the foundation?

Our aim is to encourage people to learn and practice sugama sangeeta. My father-in-law has sung most of Kuvempu’s songs and poems. He has sung Dr Lakshmi
Narayana Bhat’s poems as well. He has also sung many popular Santha Shishunala Shareefa’s songs.

So, we now want the younger generation to listen to these songs. We want to organise music competitions in different states to promote sugama sangeeta among youngsters. Somewhere, I feel sugama sangeeta is losing its charm. So the foundation will look to revive the art form. We have plans of giving awards in the name of Shivamogga Subbanna to young achievers. We plan to host many musical shows as well.

How are you going to raise funds for conducting these programmes?

As of now, Subbanna’s family will invest money and resources to increase the scope of the foundation’s growth. Very soon, we will facilitate a platform where anyone interested can donate to the foundation. We want to seek government’s help also.

How would you describe Shivamogga Subbanna’s style? How can it be propagated to the future generations?

He had an unusually powerful voice, which is very hard to find these days. He didn’t need a microphone. He just stood up and sang, and his voice could be heard till the last benches of the hall. And he gave a lot of emphasis on lyrics. He understood the insights of the poet who wrote it, and the essence of the words in the songs.