Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Tuneful start to Thyagaraja festival

TIRUPATI: Veena Sikri, Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs said that in no other society and civilization music was so much integrated with the life and lifestyle of people as in India. India alone had that distinct and unique feature. She was addressing after declaring open the 66th Sri Thyagaraja Festival of Music and Dance at Tirupati on Wednesday.

She said that the compositions of the saint-poet Sri Thyagaraja, soaked as they were in the concept of bhakti and gnana, had transcended the Indian territorial barriers and helped in unifying people living off the Indian shores. She recalled in this connection the enthralling vocal concert given at the Moscow Music Festival by late Mani Krishnaswamy, wife of Krishnaswamy, Chairman of the Sri Thyagaraja Trust, Tirupati which is hosting the current fete in collaboration with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

Veena Sikri said music was the only elixir to seek peace and solace to the tormented minds in the contemporary society. M. Krishnaswamy traced the hoary past of the Tirupati Thyagaraja Trust and sought the help of the government and the TTD in having a permanent auditorium at the trust premises.

TTD’s Chief Security Officer, Ramanakumar spoke and K.V. Ranganathan, Committee secretary, spoke. The inaugural concert was a scintillating programme by the violin maestro T.N. Krishnan.

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