Ramabhakti to the fore
Rendition of Bhadrachala Ramadasu’s kirtans and a skit on the composer marked the Sravana Sangeetha Lahari.
A.D Rangarajan
Sravana masam is considered a holy month and is normally dedicated to events and programmes on the divine. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Tirupati Kendra conducted its annual Sravana Sangeetha Lahari event at Sri Venkateswara Vidyalaya campus last week. The tenth edition conducted this year focused on the Kirtanas of Bhakta Ramadasu. Bhadrachala Ramadasa’s kirtans are rich in Bhakti Bhava, which saint Thyagaraja himself acknowledged in Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam. The spellbinding lyrics, mellifluous rendition and the high devotional quotient make his compositions stand above par. There is little doubt therefore that the kirtans have found a deserving place in every Telugu household and are as well spread through Bhajana Sampradaya in temples. The students enacted a skit ‘Sri Ramadasu Navarathna Keerthana Sumamala’ on the composer’s Bhakti Bhava, which was gripping in its narration.
The skit was interspersed with the numbers Adigo Bhadradri, Sri Rama Namame, Paluke Bangaramaye, Sri Ramula Divyanama, Ramajogi Mandu, Tharaka Mantramu, Hari Hari Rama, Thakkuvemi and Kantinedu. Noted Veena maestro ‘Veena Gana Gandharva’ Pudukkottai R. Krishnamurthy and Padma Krishnamurthy inaugurated the event, while Bhavan’s honorary Director and treasurer N. Satyanarayana Raju and executive member P.Murali also lighted the lamp. Mr. Krishnamurthy appealed to students to learn Sanatana instruments like Veena and flute, while Dr. Raju explained the latest ‘Kala Kendra’ initiative in the school that makes students learn fine arts and get multi-talented. Principal S.Indira welcomed the guests. SVIMS Director B. Vengamma, Bhavan’s members P.Sudhakara Reddy, Alladi Mohan, C.Kailash, A.Srikumar, Alok Sachan were among the participants.
Students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Sri Venkateswara Vidyalaya perform a skit at the ‘Sravana Sangeetha Lahari’ conducted in Tirupati last week.
