Umil batthundu umil batthundu, ooruda matha janakulu jagrathe manpodu ye
Alpa mulpa neeru unthulaka manporchi ye ooru keri porlu deedhu nama matha upoduye
The above lines translate to “The mosquito has come, the mosquito has come, everyone take caution / Don’t allow water to remain stagnant, maintain cleanliness.” While this information is generally issued by health officials to prevent mosquito-borne diseases every year, imagine this being sung to the tune of the popular Tulu song Yekka Sakka. It would be quite the earworm!
That was precisely the approach taken by one doctor from Mangaluru, to spread awareness about mosquito-borne diseases.
“There have been a lot of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria being seen of late. In order to help spread information about taking precautions against these diseases, I had the idea of writing the song,” says physiologist Dr Nayanatara Arun Kumar from Kasturba Medical College in Mangaluru to TNM.
She has written and composed the song, called Umili Batthundu, in Tulu, and has circulated the same on various online platforms like YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp.
“Many people are suffering from malaria and dengue. Spreading information about these diseases will help tackle the rise of the diseases. This gave me the idea to write the song in a local language, to help people in society come together and take the necessary measures to prevent these diseases,” she adds.
The song has presented to the tune of the popular Tulu song Yekka Sakka from the film Kotti Channaya which is very well known among people of Tulunadu.
“The language is very simple and straightforward, but the song carries a lot of meaning. Essentially it is saying that people should come together and figure out the means to tackle rising numbers of mosquito population. I’ve approached officials asking if we can have garbage vans play the song, so that awareness and preventive measures spread,” says Dr Nayanatara.
As of Wednesday, there have been over 9,300 cases of dengue reported in Karnataka in 2019, with over 5,000 cases being reported from the capital city of Bengaluru alone. Health officials have cautioned people. Precautions such as removing stagnant water, using larvicides in water containers, and also wearing clothing that covers the arms and legs to prevent against mosquito bites.
You can watch the song here.
Here are the lyrics to the song:
Umil batthundu umil batthundu
(Mosquito has come, mosquito has come)
Ooruda matha janakulu jagrathe manpodu ye
(Everyone please take care)
Ohhhh kenle
(Please listen)
Umil matha jinjidhu oorudu seeku baidunduye.nana nama matha baree jagrathe manpodu ye
(Mosquito population has been increasing and the diseases spread by mosquitoes are also rising, so we should take care, and be very cautious)
Prathi onji oora janathe ottugadu serodu umil.nasha manpere kai kai koododu
(Everyone should join hands and try their best to destroy mosquitoes)
Ohhhh kenle
(Please listen)
Alpa mulpa neeru unthulaka manporchi ye ooru keri porlu deedhu nama matha upoduye
(Don’t allow water to remain stagnant, maintain cleanliness)
Dengue malaria roga baradilaka tookaye ooru matha arogya eppulaka deekaye
(We will all work together to prevent dengue, malaria and other diseases to ensure that good health is maintained)