South Indian Nightingale. That is how music connoisseurs describe KS Chithra, the ace playback singer. Six national film awards, Padma Bhushan (2021), and a host of international honours have made Chithra a musician belonging to the global league. Interestingly, it is difficult to find another singer of her genre who has enriched Christian devotional songs with her melodious voice, for which the Church itself has honored her.
After singing more than 25,000 songs in a career spanning nearly four decades, the musician is being termed as communal, fascist, and a fake mynah by a section of Kerala society.
What is the provocation behind the cyber attack against the singer led by a group of greenhorn musicians and an upstart author? Chithra pleaded with the people of Kerala, especially the believers, to observe the Prana Prathista of the Bhavya Lord Ram Temple at Ayodhya on January 22 by lighting diya and reciting hymns in praise of Lord Ram. She posted a video message on social media, and this provoked the State’s pseudo-secularists and intellectuals recognised by the State Government.
Chithra, who is respected by one and all for her loving nature, may not have heard such terms in her life. “She is not a cuckoo, but a fake cuckoo. Chithra cannot wash away the taints of genocide even if she recites Lord Ram’s names millions of times,” said Indu Menon, Malayalam’s pulp queen.
Rama Chandran, author and veteran editor, said pseudo-intellectuals and fake secularists are attempting a pre-emptive strike against Chithra. “But it has the potential to boomerang and cause a lot of damage to them,” said Rama Chandran. He expressed his desire to listen to Chithra singing the age-old hymn “Pibare Ramarasam…” penned by Sadashiva Brahmendra, a monk who lived during the 15th/16th century in Tamil Nadu.
“This hymn requests devotees to dedicate everything to Lord Ram. The recitation of Pibare Ramarasam would liberate you from sins and sorrow. But to understand the depth of the hymn, one should have freedom of thinking and expression. That is possible only if you walk freely and stay away from the shadows of individuals like Perumal Murugan,” said Chandran.
Parappanangadi Unnikrishnan Panicker, who never misses a concert by Chithra, described the cyberattack on the musician as a mission to ridicule, degenerate, and humiliate Sanatana Dharma.
“This has been going on for quite some time now. Critics feel that by making fun of the customs and traditions of Sanatana Dharma, it would deter followers from embracing it. Those who sport Vibhuti or bindis on their foreheads are termed as fanatics by these people, and it is part of their mission to destroy Sanatana Dharma,” said Panicker. Rachana Narayanankutty, a popular face in TV and cinema, has also come out openly to highlight her grievances.
“People belonging to a particular community have insulted and made fun of me for no mistakes of mine. Their actions have resulted in me losing many opportunities in films and TV programmes,” said Rachana, an exponent of dance forms like Mohiniyattam and Bharatanatyam. May God Save God’s Own Country!
