The Telangana state government’s decision to appoint Academy Award-winning musician M M Keeravaani to compose the state anthem has not gone down with a section of artists in the state. Telangana, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 is the youngest state in the country and is celebrating its 10th year on June 2.
Ahead of the celebrations, the state government led by Chief Minister Ravanth Reddy, had decided to officially select an anthem for the state. The song composed by M M Keeravaani, who received global acclaim after ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’, with lyrics by acclaimed Indian poet and lyricist Ande Sri was selected as the state’s official anthem.
The Telangana Cine Musicians Association wrote to the chief minister stating their reasons on why Keeravaani, though an accomplished musician, was not the right choice to compose the song celebrating the formation of the state.
According to reports, the musicians claimed that Keeravaani did not have Telangana roots, as he hails from Kovvur near Rajamahendravaram, popularly known as Rajahmundry, in Andhra Pradesh. “The anthem is our right. We endured many struggles and fought for the state. We have personally witnessed this journey. It will be difficult for a musician who isn’t from Telangana to truly understand this,” read a statement by Ballepalli Mohan, president of Telangana Cine Musicians Association as reported by Times of India.
