Kakinada-based Sangitha Vidwath Sabha hosted the annual ‘Sankranthi Music and Dance Festival’ for the 71st consecutive year at Suryakala Mandiram auditorium for 10 days and ensured the performances were a blend of budding and established artistes.
The grand festival began with the vocal concert by Anahita and Apoorva from Chennai, while B.V. Durga Bhavani, M. Yedukondalu and B.D.Srinivasa Sarma rendered support on violin, mridangam and ghatam respectively. Vasudev Namboothiri’s vocal with support from K.R. Rahul (violin), G. Raghavendra (mridangam) and S. Hanumantha Rao (ghatam) formed part of the second day’s event, while Bharathy Rama Subban’s vocal was the event on day three. M. Satyanarayana Sarma (violin), Mandapaka Ravi (mridangam) and B.D. Srinivasa Sarma (ghatam) accompanied her on instruments.
The lone dance performance for the year’s festival was by the students of city-based Saranya School of Fine Arts under the tutelage of Guru Rukmaji Rao. The Kuchipudi ballet ‘ Sri Seetha Raghaveeyam ’ enthralled the audience of the packed auditorium. It was a narration of the story of Rama, from his birth to his pattabhishekam , with the kirtanas of Thyagaraja incorporated into the ballet intermittently.
A sitar and violin jugalbandi of B. Sivarama Krishna Rao and B.V. Raghavendra Rao received acclaim from connoisseurs of classical music as being ‘one of the best concerts’ of the season. K. Sai Giridhar on mridangam and B. Ganesh Rao on tabla accompanied the duo.
The vocal concert by Maharajapuram S.G.Viswanathan with instrumental support from B.V. Raghavendra Rao (violin), K. Yogeesh (mridangam) and K.V. Ramakrishna (ghatam) received applause from the audience, while Sriranjani Santhanagopalan’s command over the musical notes held music lovers spellbound. Tani avartanam by K.V. Krishna (violin), Trivandrum Balaji (mridangam) and S. Hanumantha Rao (ghatam) was the special attraction of her show.
A seventh generation disciple and mentor from the Thyagaraja parampara O.S. Thyagarajan rendered the kritis of the saint composer with reverence. K.V. Krishna (violin), V.V. Ramana Murthy (mridangam) and M. Hari Babu (ghatam) rendered support to the septuagenarian. Vivek Sadasivam rendered kirtanas of different composers on a high pitch, for whom M. Satyanarayana Sarma (violin), K. Sadgurucharan (mridangam) and K.V.V.S.N. Murthy (kanjira) lent their support.
The annual event closed with the soul stirring performance of mandolin duo U.P. Raju and U. Nagamani with support from V.V. Ramana Murthy (mridangam) and from M. Hari Babu (ghatam). President and secretary of the Sabha Narayanam Murali and Vakkalanka Ramakrishna respectively, felicitated the artistes.
