Tallapaaka: Annamacharya’s 600th birth anniversary celebrated

MUSICAL TRIBUTE: Eminent cultural artists performing during the 600th birth anniversary celebrations of saint-composer Annamacharya at his birth place of Tallapaka village in Kadapa district on Monday. The event was organised by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams.

తాళ్ళపాక (Tallapaka) (Kadapa district): తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య (Tallapaka Annamacharya), the first ‘vaggeyakara’ (singer-composer) who scripted 32,000 keerthanas in praise of Lord Venkateswara more than five centuries ago, was accorded a glorious tribute on his 600th jayanthi celebrations at his birth place, Tallapaka.

About 1,000 eminent singers, who volunteered from various parts of Andhra Pradesh and the country, rendered Annamacharya keerthanas in a సప్తగిరి సంగీత గోష్టి గానం (Sapthagiri Sangeetha Goshti Ganam) to mark the birth anniversary of the first lyrical poet of Telugu who dedicated his life to the worship of Lord Balaji of Tirupati.

Rich contribution

Coupled with his works whose contribution to Telugu literature is considered immeasurable, the saint poet is reputed for his opposition to the economic and social inequalities as well as superstitions prevalent during his time (1408-1503).

The air was rent with the praise of Lord Venkateswara as a large number of violinists, mridangam and tabla artistes and hundreds of singers rendered keerthanas in the presence of a galaxy of peethadhipathis, film personalities, officials and devotees on a dais decorated with the temple of Tirumala as its backdrop. Artistes and members of Annamacharya Seva Samithis and Dasa Sahitya Project from various districts rendered devotional songs in praise of the ‘Lord of Seven Hills’ and his ardent disciple, Annamacharya, in mikes fitted to vehicles during a six-km ‘sankeertana yatra’ flagged off by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams chairman B. Karunakar Reddy.

The 12th descendent of Annamacharya, Harinarayanacharyulu, showered flowers on the 108-foot statue of the saint poet, slated for inauguration by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on May 22, and the ‘utsava vigrahas’ of Lord Venkateswara from a helicopter.

Annamacharya keerthanas — భావములోన భాగ్యములందు (Bhavamulona Bhagyamulandu), బ్రహ్మ కడిగిన పాదము (Brahma Kadigina Paadamu), ఎంతమంత్రమున ఎవ్వరు తలచిన (Enthamathramunna evvaru thalachina), కొడగంటినయ్య పురుషోత్తమ (Kodagantinayya Purushothama), కొండలలో నెలకొన కోనేటి రాయుడు (Kondalalo Nelakonna Konetirayudu), నారాయణతె నమో నమో (Narayanate namo namo) and ముద్దుగారె యషోద (Muddaugare Yashoda) — were rendered with great precision enthralling the audience.

Eminent singers P.B. Srinivas, Shobha Raju, K. Jyothirmayee, mridangam exponent Yella Venkateswara Rao and others were among the 1,000 artistes who rendered the keerthans and Annamacharya Trust Director Medasani Mohan presided over the function. Later, Mr. Harinarayanacharyulu felicitated the peethadhipathis.

Courtesy: The Hindu

A.P. Languages Commission disagrees on inscription finding

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Official Languages Commission has stated that it was stunned by the “false picture” presented by Iravatham Mahadeven of the Indus Research Centre and Roja Muthiah Research Library, Chennai, about the earliest Telugu inscriptions.

In a rejoinder to Mr. Mahadevan’s statement published in The Hindu on April 30 under the heading ‘Andhra and the Indus civilisation,’ the Commission Chairman A. B. K. Prasad stated in a release here that litterateurs as well as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) experts knew that both Tamil and Telugu languages were ancient with a culture of their own as leading members of the Dravidian family of languages, spread over a period of 2400 years and beyond.

‘Blatant distortion’

“But, Mahadevan’s contention that the earliest Telugu inscription is dated only in the 6th century A.D., in the post-Christian era, and also that the earliest Telugu literature in the 11th century C.E. is not only far from truth but also blatant distortion of the recorded facts.”

“It is regrettable that he [Mr. Mahadevan] should conveniently avoid mentioning of the most unassailable evidence of the earliest Bhattiprolu (Guntur district) inscriptions of 3rd century B.C. which contained several Telugu roots or words even a century before the Emperor Ashoka of 300 B.C. All the three inscriptions of Bhattiprolu dated back to 400 B.C. i.e. 2400 years ago! Likewise, the Telugu language found at Kantamanenivarigudem, Guntupalli in West Godavari district and Gummadidurru and Ghantasala in Krishna district, all dated back to 2nd century A.D.,” Mr. Prasad said.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Swaralaya award for P.Susheela

The recipient of this year"s Swaralaya-KPAC Sulochana Award will be playback singer P. Susheela.

This award, with a purse of Rs. 50,000, established in memory of K.P.A.C. Sulochana, the great theatre playback artist, is given to female playback artists of exemplary talent. P. Susheela is receiving this award for her great contribution to the growth of South Indian film music.

Recognized as a legend in the world of South Indian cinema, పులపాక సుశీల (Pulapaka Susheela), born in 1935 at Vijaynagaram, Andhra Pradesh, has recorded many songs in most of the Indian languages, predominantly Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada.

In a career that covers over four decades, she has received the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer five times in 1969, 1972, 1978, 1983 and 1984.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh honoured her with the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for lifetime achievement to Telugu Cinema in 2001. Four years later, she received the Special Jury Swaralaya Yesudas Award for outstanding performance in music.

She is also a recent recipient of the prestigious Padmabhushan award.

Courtesy: OneIndia