President Droupadi Murmu addressed the nation Sunday as India geared up to celebrate its 75th Independence Day. In speech Murmu - who this month became the first tribal community leader and second woman to hold the country's highest post - remembered Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, better known by his pen name Kuvempu, and quoted the famous Kannada poet.
From his poem 'nade munde, nade munde (let’s move ahead, let’s move ahead), Murmu recited the line 'naanu alive, neenu alive, namma elubugal mele, mooduvudu mooduvudu, navabharatda leele', which means 'I will pass, so will you. But on our bones, we will arise the great tale of a new India'.
In her first Independence Day address as president of India, Murmu said, "Great nationalist poet Kuvempu enriched Indian literature through Kannada language... written these inspiring lines. This is a clarion call by the nationalist poet to sacrifice for the mother land and work for the upliftment of fellow citizens. I appeal the youngsters to follow these lines on this Independence Day."
{{/usCountry}}In her first Independence Day address as president of India, Murmu said, "Great nationalist poet Kuvempu enriched Indian literature through Kannada language... written these inspiring lines. This is a clarion call by the nationalist poet to sacrifice for the mother land and work for the upliftment of fellow citizens. I appeal the youngsters to follow these lines on this Independence Day."
{{/usCountry}}Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai shared a video of the president reciting the Kannada poet and wrote, "... President has called for the building of a grand India by quoting the Panchajanya poem of Kannada's proud national poet Kuvempu 'naanu alive, neenu alive, namma elubugal mele, mooduvudu mooduvudu, navabharatda Leele."
Kuvempu is widely seen as one of the greatest of the Kannada poets and the state government had honored him with the title 'Rastrakavi'. Sadly, Kuvempu died in 1994 at the age of 90.