Eminent vocalists pay tribute to Parupalli

26th year of Parupalli music festival underway to mark the birth anniversary of the legendary singer

A five-day music festival began at the Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao Government Music and Dance College on Monday to mark the 132nd birth anniversary of Gayaka Sarvabhauma Parupalli Ramakrishnayya Pantulu. The festival is being organised by the Gayaka Sarvabhauma Sangeeta Parishad, in association with the cultural department of the Andhra Pradesh government.

In his welcome address, founder-secretary of the Parishad Modumudi Sudhakar said that the annual music festival is being organised for the past 26 years as a tribute to the legendary singer.

Vocalist Annavarapu Ramaswamy, who attended the inaugural programme as the chief guest, lauded the devotion of the Parishad to the legendary singer and its endeavour to uphold his music tradition by organising the festival every year.

TS Ramachandra Rao, president of the festival organising committee, paid glowing tributes to Parupalli for his rich contribution to vocal music. Eminent vocalists Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, Annavarapu Ramaswamy, Rama Sarma, KS Govindarajan, B Ramgopal Reddy and Upadrasta Ramaswamy Sastry are the some of the disciples of Parupalli.

Vocalist Sattiraju Venumadhav of Hyderabad presented a vocal concert on the first day of the festival. The concert began with `Ninnukori’ Keerthana in Vasanta Raga and Adithalam. It was followed by other Thyagaraja Swamy Keerthanas like “Endaro Mahanubhavulu” (Sri Ragam, Adithalam), “Pakkala Nilabadi” (Kharaharapriya Raga), and Annamacharya keerthana “Kandarpajanaka” (Valaji Raga, Adithalam). The main item of the concert was ragam tanam pallavi in Kamavardhini (Adithalam) “Sri Ramakrishnam Bhajeham… Guruvaram Bhavaharam”. Venumadhav, who recited the keerthanas with alacrity applying innovative skills, regaled the audience. The vocalist was accompanied by P Nanda Kumar on violin, BVS Prasad on mridangam and KV Ramakrishna on ghatam.