Saptaswara Samskritika Samstha and Thyagaraya Gana Sabha joined hands in celebrating Palagummi Viswanatham’s 97th birth anniversary at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha’s mini hall. It was a day where a few of his disciples gathered and rendered some of Palagummi’s popular songs. M. Chittaranjan — Palagummi’s prime disciple who was mostly famous for popularising light-music, paid tribute toPalagummi by rendering and conducting the concert.
The audience went on a nostalgic trip listening to the songs like Amma Donga and Mavooru Okkasari Velli Raavaali , Nee padamule Chalu Rama and many more.
Well-known light-music singers Vedavati Prabhakar, M.P. Vandanadevi, Amrutavalli Janaki Sanjeeva Rao, Ramanamurthy, K. Balaji and a few others rendered Palagummi’s compositions. Chittaranjan narrated some of the memorable moments they shared at the Radio station with Palagummi and Devulapalli Krishna Shastri.
Palagummi’s daughter Sita was present and also spoke of how their house used to be busy with musical activity with singers and poets sitting along with her father. V. Uday Shankar, Dy. Director General, AIR, Hyderabad promised that he would make an album of Palagummi’s composed and written songs and preserve them for posterity.
Towards the end of the session, Vedavathi one of the senior most singers of AIR and who made the song Amma Donga Ninnu Choodakunte penned and taught to sing by Palagummi rendered the song once again to the delight of the audience and speakers on the stage. Performances by Brahmanandam on keyboard and P.V. Ramanamurthy on tabla was praiseworthy.
