Every year the State Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation and District Cultural Council conducts the Telugu Naataka Ranga Dinostavam on April 16 to mark the birth anniversary of Kandukuri Veeresalingam to give a boost to the Telugu theatre but the turnout at the VUDA Children's Theatre was most disappointing.
Less than 50 people were present, and more than half of them were press corps. The programme began very late and the Collector and Chairman of the District Cultural Council J. Syamala Rao or other top officials could not attend as the Revenue Minster was holding a video conference from Hyderabad on Prajapadham programme.
District Revenue Officer D. Venkata Reddy who was chief guest, felt the need to give a fillip to the theatre. People were interested in theatre but the cinema and television was having its effect on the stage, he said. He hoped that the Telugu theatre would prosper and appreciated the fact that in spite of the theatre not providing them any wealth and fame there were still amateur artistes struggling to make the stage survive.
Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations Department B. Nookaraju presided.
Mr. Venkata Reddy felicitated senior artistes K.G.R. Gandhi, Kothapalli Bangarraju, P. Raja Rao (Vasu) and Gollapudi Venkatadasu Pantulu. A cash award of Rs. 10,000 was presented to each of them. Later some scenes from Maya Sabha were presented by artistes under the direction of B.A. Naidu while Matrusri Kalaniketan of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant presented a humours play Brain For Sale, under the direction of Sangameswara Rao.
District Cultural Council members Kosana, Sekharamantri Prabhakara Rao, S. Narayana Rao, Kumara Varma, Nagaraju Patnaik, Saraswati Devi and others were present.
