Bringing maestros together
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
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Pt Jasraj and Puranam Purushothama Sastry were felicitated at the Andhra Music Academy fest recently.
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LEGEND HONOURED Pandit Jasraj being feted.
The sixthth annual music festival of Andhra Music Academy reserved its last day to felicitate Pt. Jasraj and Puranam Purushothama Sastry with their prestigious Sangeetha Vidyanadhi.
All seats at the venue, Harihara Kala Bhavan, Secunderabad, were taken. . The title also carried a cash award of Rs.32,032 each, a shawl and a citation. The wives of the two awardees were also traditionally honoured. The Chief Justice of A.P. High Court, G. S. Singhvi, was the chief guest, while the other attendees included the chairman of the State Cultural Council, Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam, SBI Chief General Manager, K. Sitaram and former DGP, R Prabhakara Rao, who is also president of the Music Academy.. Two suggestions by Sitaram and Justice Singhvi gained significance. K Sitaram, suggested financial aid to music institutions and music teachers, while Justice Singhvi went one step ahead and suggested that the Andhra Music Academy extend its activities to other parts of the country.
He made this suggestion after watching the vocalists, who were being felicitated; perform in two different Indian styles - Carnatic and Hindustani.. Moved by the warmth with which the Academy feted him, Pt Jasraj said that Hyderabad had always been his Mecca or Varanasi and he felt honoured whenever the visited it. He wiped away tears while listening to a citation read out by the organiser, as it carried memories of some of his achievements that even he had forgotten .Pasumarthi Ramalinga Sastry and his two dozen students performed a dance ballet Rama Kathasaram, a story of Sri Rama. The ballet was a visual treat all right, but not a literary one, for some of the lyrics sounded alien to Kuchipudi idiom. This was the final programme of the festival. Sadguru Charan's demonstration lecture on Panchamukhi taala and Modumudi Sudhakar's rendition of devotionals were other noted events in the latter part of the day. Like the Academy's usual practice, an exhibition of pictures, drawings and maps with captivating captions, was held in the premises of the Harihara Kala Bhavan, depicting the past of Telugus and their land and the way the language and its script had changed over the centuries.
Not a case of one too many
B. V. Balasai on the flute, B. Raghavendra Rao on violin and B Sivaramakrishna Rao on sitar looked a queer combination in the company of percussionists.
DOING THE DUET Bala Sai (flute) and Sivaramakrishna during a performance
It is even more queer when the tabla is accompanied by the flute, violin, mridangam and followed by the sitar. But this combination is what can be rightly defined as an amalgamation of Indian music and more so since all the artistes involved are brothers. The bothers have been promoting this combination of music since the last four years and have also been giving regular recitals. Balasai, the principal artiste says their music has been received well. "It is a kind of integration by itself," he says. Along with the others, he gave this show on the fourth day of the Andhra Music Academy's annual cultural festival. Together, they played Carnatic Ragas, Vasantha (Sitamma Maayamma) and Bahudari (Brova Bharama) on the flute and violin, with the sitar joining them. There was a solo of Madhuvanti on the sitar. . However, the real show of the experiment was the play of Keeravani pallavi by three instruments in Adi Thala. Vijayawada based percussionist Satish Kumar and Chennai based Ganesh Rao brought a rhythmic thrill on the tabla. The tani between them was a wonderful event.
Young vocalist R. Gita showed great promise with easy flowing style, especially in essaying the raga Latangi for Marivere Dikkevvaru and then Mohana for Nanupalimpa with neraval and swaras. She was well supported by Dinakar on the violin and Kapa Srinivasa Rao on the mridangam..
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