Ode to Ghantasala on his death anniversary

Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao is the pride of Telugus and the envy of others in South India. What distinguishes him from contemporary playback singers is his absolute mastery of classical Carnatic and Hindustani music besides his expertise in the use of all sonorous ragas in his renditions.

In his three-decade career, he blended the chaste expression of Mohd Rafi, subtle melancholy of KL Saigal and Mukesh and the sprightly Kishore Kumar to eventually carve out a niche for himself that endeared him to millions of Telugus from across the globe.

Right from 1944, the year of his arrival up to his death on February 11, 1974, he strode South Indian music world like a colossus unchallenged by any other singer. None could dare come anywhere near. Such was his popularity with music composers of every hue.

Ghantasala had the unique ability to empathize with the characters for whom he was rendering playback. His voice would match the actor’s myriad on-screen moods with a full-throated ease that remains one-of-a-kind.

He sang with equal dexterity irrespective of whether the actor was playing the role of an illiterate boatman ‘Moogamanasulu’ or a Mahakavi (Mahakavi Kalidasu).

Discerning audiences of yore are unanimous in opining that a great classic like Devdas would not have earned national acclaim but for Ghantasala’s supremely sonorous and philosophically appealing playback voice for the role of Devdas.

In fact, Ghantasala’s contribution to the immense popularity of an ANR or an NTR as cine heroes is indisputable. It is, indeed, a fact frankly admitted by the two themselves. It was ditto in mythological movies.

Ghantasala’s rendering of the Bhagavadgita was a class apart. The slokas bore chaste intonation. In fact, he succeeded in his mission of popularizing the essence of philosophical wisdom of the classic where several wise men had failed earlier, in terms of reaching out to a larger audience.

In short, he fulfilled the dreams of Swamy Vivekananda in taking the sacred Gita to the doorsteps of the common man. At a time when private songs were not the rage, Ghantasala lent them respectability and brought them on par with the popular filmy numbers.

His rendering of Karuna Sri’s ‘ Pushpa Vilapam’has made it very popular among the lovers of literature and immortalized Jandhyala Papayya Sastry’s name in the history of Telugu Literature. Besides such private songs as ‘ Attaleni kodalu .

Ponnakayavanti Plicenkata sami,Edukondalavaada, Ashtapadis of Jayadeva,Seshadrinivasa, Swatantram Naa janmahakkani etc are enjoyed even now by the old-timers.

Ghantasala had poetic talent too. He authored the song ‘ Bahudoorapu batasari’ and termed it as one that was scripted by a man undaunted by death. Indeed, it was. (The writer is a Kakinada-based research scholar)