On the final day of Nritya Kinnera’s annual dance festival, the organisation offered warm felicitations to Kuchipudi dance guru Uma Rama Rao on her 75th birthday. It was celebration of ‘Amrutotsavam’ in the presence of her disciples Alekhya Punjala, . Jwala Srikala and her colleagues in Telugu university like Bhagavatula Seturam and Nritya Kinnera’s Usha Gayatri.
The dance event held on the occasion was staging of a mini dance drama ‘Jayaho Srikrishna Devaraya’, written by Vijayababu and choreographed by his daughter Shrutakirti with his son Kaushik portraying principle role of Krishnadevaraya.
The main drama opened with welcome dance by Shritakirti, in praise of Krishnadevaraya. Then the emperor addresses the court. After which poets Peddana, Bhattumurthi, Dhurjati, Nandi Timmana and the extraneous character of poetess Molla first recite verses they composed lauding Krishna Devaraya’s rule and then render select verses from their own ‘kavyas’. The poetic session was dominated by Peddana portrayed by P.M.K. Gandhi. Molla, played by Lakshmi Parvati, coupled with rendition of a verse from her own poetic work. This symposium is presided over by emperor’s minister Timmarusu. His observation how great emperor Krishna Devaraya’s poetic work ‘Amuktamalyada’, a Vaishnavite theme on Godadevi, serves as prologue for commencement of a mini ballet on the theme of ‘Amuktamalyada’, after the court session was closed and the king and his poets retired from the stage.
The ballet is a condensed drama, presented to pre-recorded music, opening with child Goda and her friends dancing for a song in praise of Lord Ranganatha. The narrative continues till Goda grows up and gets married to her Lord. Anushka played the role of Ranganatha. Shritakirti as Godadevi and Venkat as Vishnuchitta, basically ran this drama.
Then the play gets connected to the earlier part and ends with Krishnadevaraya and his two wives Chinnadevi and Tirumalamba spending time watching dances in the palace. Pratyusha and Divya Tejasvini played the roles of Chinnadevi and Tirumalamba respectively.
