A mammoth cultural event has been organised at the Music Academy, Chennai, on March 3, to celebrate the 125th Jayanti (birth anniversary) of Sri Mahaperiyava and the 51st jayanti of Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswati Swami, the 70th pontiff of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam. ‘Chaturvedamum Sangitamum,’ as the title indicates, will combine chanting of the Vedas and rendition of music by a host of artistes, led on the vocals by the veteran duo Bombay Sisters, Saroja and Lalitha. The four-hour programme — 8.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m. — will be a tribute to the Acharyas through vocal and instrumental music rendered by 125 vidwans, both senior and up-and-coming.
The music extravaganza is the offering of Sri Sankarapuram Mahaperiyava Agnihotrigal Gurukula Gramam (SSMAGG), a unit of Sri Vaishnavi Trust. Sankarapuram, incidentally, is a village in Kadiramangalam, which is coming up as a place for those performing Agnihotram daily (the fire ritual). A common practice once upon a time, it has now reached a stage, where a few hundreds might be doing it. The aim is to encourage the practice, a vital arm of Sanatana Dharma, by housing 108 Agnihotris in the Vedic village, which will have all the features including yagasala, garden, gosala, etc. The residents’ needs will be taken care of and each agnihotri will train two students of the Patasala.
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Spearheaded by K. Venkatasubramaniam, managing trustee, Sri Vaishnavi Trust, work is in full swing to complete the project by 2020. Cottages are being built for the practitioners to live. Some of them are already occupied. More are coming up. Veda Patasalas are functioning with young vidyartis and the gosalas are well-maintained with cows of native breed. A temple for Mahaperiyava and Sri Kamakshi are on the anvil.
For details contact 9841032959 and email sankarapuram.events@outlook.com website www.srisankara puram.com