What’s your favourite Krishna song?

In Janmashtami season, prominent Bengaluru citizens talk about melodies they love most

SONU GOWDA
‘Krishna nee begane baaro’
For actor Sonu Gowda, it is the Vyasaraya composition ‘Krishna nee begane baaro’ and ‘Jaya Janaardana.’ "As a kid, I remember singing them whenever my parents asked me to perform in front of the guests or at pujas,” she says.

BHASKAR RAO
‘Preenayamo Vasudevam’
Bhaskar Rao, additional director-general of police, railways, loves the Sanskrit shloka 'Preenayamo Vasudevam.' “I first heard it from my grandmother when I was barely 10. The composition inspires fearlessness. Listening to this gives me confidence and inner strength," he says.

MANGALA RAVI
‘Krishna enabaarade’
Mangala Ravi, film and bhavageete singer, loves NS Lakshminarayana Bhatta's 'Nee sigade baalondu baale Krishna' and Purandaradasa’s 'Krishna enabarade.’ "The first song throws light on Meera's emotions towards Krishna. It talks about her desperation to see Krishna, and her inability to eat, sleep or do her daily chores," she says.

“The second is about the significance of the word 'Krishna' and how you should utter it at least once in your lifetime. The tune is composed by my mentor Raju Ananthaswamy,” she says.

RAGHU DIXIT

‘Jagadoddharana’

Singer and guitarist Raghu Dixit says songs on Krishna remind him of his younger days as a Bharatanatyam dancer.

“One of my favourite songs is ‘Jagadodharana’. It is innocent, emotional and has the most beautiful melody. It is perhaps Purandaradasa’s best composition on Krishna. It has stayed with me for four decades and takes me back to my days when I used to dance to it,” he says.

MADHU NATARAJ
‘Niratath dhang’
Kathak dancer Madhu Nataraj gets her love for Krishna from her mother, the legendary choreographer Maya Rao. “As a child, I used to hold an idol of Nathdwara Shrinathji while sleeping,” she recalls. Her favourite Krishna-theme composition is a thumri by Bindadin Maharaj, a Kathak doyen. “It is called 'Niratath dhang' and describes how he personifies the various gaits and pirouettes of Kathak,” she says. Madhu has danced to this thumri many times with her mother’s choreography.