Wordsmiths hold court
Gudipoodi Srihari
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The Avadhanam Saptaham held at Ravindra Bharathi drew enthusiastic response from lovers of the art.
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The literary art of Avadhanam is all about displaying extempore poetic skills and superlative memory through a special form of poetry. This art is special to Telugu language. The Department of Culture, A.P. Government, recently organised Avadhana Saptaham at Ravindra Bharathi, which saw the participation of literary stalwarts. It came as a pleasant surprise that the Avadhanam recorded a huge attendance. The Saptaham was inaugurated by the Governor of Sikkim, V. Ramarao. The Saptaham was dedicated to the Koppurapu Sodara Kavulu, who shook the literary world with their Avadhana excellence. The fest saw a convergence of litterateurs like Madugula Nagaphani Sarma, Garikapati Narasimha Rao, Gandluri Dutatreya Sarma, Rallabandi Kavita Prasad, Ashtakaala Narasimha Sarma, and the poet pair of Kadimella Varaprasad and Kota Lakshmi Narasimham. They were given the company of more than 50 poets, who played the role of pruchakas.
The first day of the event belonged to scholar Nagaphani Sarma. Known for marathon Avadhanas, the ashtavadhanam he presented had eight scholars questioning him or seeking a particular poetic skill to be demonstrated. And each of these queries was answered poetically. The pruchakas were, S.V. Ramarao, Dr J. Bapureddi, Dr Vaddepalli Krishna, Prof. R Vasunandan , Dr. Tenneti Sudha, Dr. J. Chennayya, Rasagjnasri and Prof. Ruknuddin.
Garikapati
Garikipati Narasimha Rao's Avadhanam was marked with abundant humour. His Avadhanam was full of enjoyable repartees. And each of these elements was presented with scholarly explanation. The verses Garikipati rendered eulogising all the "greats" of the past in this art was memorable in their power expression. In response to many questions from the pruchakas, he went a bit satirical and even critical of certain sections of the society. Dr. Tirumala Srinivasacharyulu, Dr. Anantalakshmi, Prof. T. Gouri Sankar, Dr. Velidanda Nityanandarao, Ratna Mahidhar and Dr. D. Muniratnam Naidu were the other pruchakas.
Dattatreya Sarma
WORD PLAY Avadhanis display their skill with the language.
The proceedings of the third day of the Avadhanam was dictated by Gandluri Dattatreya Sarma. He appeared to have an excellent sense of humour. The presence of ace Telugu comedian Brahmanandam as pruchaka accentuated the humour of the show. Others who found place as questioners were Dr. Dwana Sastry (Samasya), Dr. Masana Chennappa (Nishiddhakshari), Dr. V. Jayaramulu (Dattapadi), Narasimhacharya (Aasuvu), Dr. Darla Venkateswara Rao (Varnana), Vadla Subrahmanyam (Kavya Pathanam) and Vadrevu Satyaprasad, besides Brahmanandam. Noted poet and Avadhanam expert, Prof. Bethavolu Ramabrahmam presided over the event. Brahmanandam was able to draw the attention of the audience with his comical remarks and observations and riddles he posed to the Avadhani. M. Satyanarayana Rao, Minister for Culture, promised to keep the art alive. The gathering observed a minute's silence on the opening day as a mark of respect to departed poet Padmabhushan Boyi Bheemanna.
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