Umilu Batthundu! KMC Professor brings Awareness on Dengue through Her ‘Umilu’ Song
Umilu Batthundu! (Mosquitoes have Come) Kasturba Medical College (KMC) Associate Professor Dr Nayanatara Arun Kumar brings Awareness on Dengue through Her Umilu (Mosquito) Song “Umilu Batthundu”in Tulu.
Mangaluru : While there has been nearly 9.3 K Dengue cases have been reported in Karnataka until now, and nearly 600 plus Dengue cases and 6-7 deaths due to Dengue reported in Dakshina Kannada/Mangaluru, a physiology associate professor at Kasturba Medical College ( Manipal Academy of Higher Education) in Mangaluru, has come out with a song to spread awareness about mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya. Dr Nayanatara Arun Kumar ( M Sc Ph D), has uploaded the Tulu song ‘Umil Batthundu’ on Facebook and other social media sites to urge people to take measures for protection from mosquitoes.
While the officials of District Administration and Mangaluru City Corporation are doing their best in curbing the spread of these diseases that are spread through larvae/mosquitoes, Dr Nayanatara wanted to spread the message about Dengue, Malaria and other diseases spread by mosquitoes through her maiden song, which she has uploaded on multiple social media sites like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter about the vector-borne diseases. While the Dakshina Kannada district administration has stepped up efforts to curb the spread of dengue and other vector-borne diseases, Dr Kumar’s efforts will indeed help in spreading the message among the masses on these diseases which are on the rise, especially during monsoon time-where rain water gets stagnant which leads to the breeding of larvae/mosquitoes.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean Dr Nayanatara Kumar said, “I have been working as Associate professor KMC Mangalore (Manipal Academy of Higher Education) in the department of Physiology for the last 23 years. Residing in Mulki , I have noticed that this year there has been a rise in Dengue, Malaria and other vector-borne diseases, and not much has been done to eradicate these diseases. This inspired me to create a grasping awareness in Tulu language, and therefore I selected this song to the tune of “Yeka Saka, Yeka Saka” of Tulu movie Koti Chennayya” fame, since it is liked by all Tulunadu people”.
“Prior to creating my song, I used Yeka Saka song through the karaoke mode and I sang with my composed lyrics. First I used star maker, Facebook and whatsApp as audio backup. Later, I myself composed the video from uploading relevant information and photos and did animation and then uploaded in Youtube, and then forwarded the audio and video to my friends and family members and they all liked it very much. I made sure to use the most simple words as possible so that everyone could easily grasp the lyrics/song. After all this was all about my small effort from my side A small to create awareness on these vector-borne diseases”.
Dr. Nayanatara Arun Kumar receiving the ‘VGST Award for Research Publications
(ARP) 2017-18 in the field of Medical and Life Science by the Government of Karnataka, Vision Group on Science and Technology (VGST) from Bharat Ratna Prof. C N R Rao
“Eventually I gave my lyrics and the song tune to Mrs.Devipradha Hegde, a yoga instructor at KMC Navachaitanya, Bejai-Mangaluru and Mrs Usha, who both sang my composed tuned song first time on stage for yoga programme organized by KMC Nava Chaitanya of Attavar, Mangaluru during the Independence Day celebration, and believe it or not, the song performed by the duo ladies was a hit and was liked by all. I was overwhelmed at the result of my first song, which was created in order to bring awareness against mosquitoes and the diseases they spread” added Dr Nayanatara.
She further said, “This is a small step from my side to create an awareness on Dengue, Malaria and other vector-borne which is increasing day by day, and my intention was to let all the people to beware of mosquitoes and take necessary precautions everywhere .As this song suggest ,may all the people join hands to prevent and reduce the risk of mosquito borne diseases, so that no lives are lost due to negligence. I have always enjoyed singing and writing poems. This is my first attempt at something wherein I am seeking public appraisal, moreover in Tulu. After writing the song, and performing it, I first made some of my friends and members of my family listen to it. Their positive response emboldened me to upload it online, and the results have been phenomenon”.
Dr Nayanatara after composing the lyrics of the song and performing it, she worked on the visualization of the song, which aims to inform people about threat posed by mosquitoes, and the need to take precautions such as getting rid mosquito larvae breeding sites, wherever possible. Apart from her maiden Tulu song, Dr Nayanatara has authored 99 research articles to her credit, many of which have been published in international peer-review journals. Besides her varied interests, she has authored papers on neuroscience, medicinal plants and toxicology. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, and is a co-guide for MD theses. She is also involved in carrying out research activities including guiding the students in research projects. Being a Ph D guide of MAHE, she is currently guiding three Ph D candidates.
While Dr Nayanatara Kumar has played a small vital role in bringing awareness on the spread of vector-borne diseases through her maiden tulu song which is appropriate at a time when Dengue, Malaria and other related diseases are on the rise, therefore while appreciating her noble efforts in this regard, we also need to take precautions against these diseases in keeping our surroundings clean.
