Swarajhari Sabha of Vijayawada conducted a programme this month at Sri Sivaramakrishna Kshetram marking the jayanthi of Thyagaraja. The impressive programme, arranged with the cooperation of Sama Gana Lahari, was attended by a large crowd despite the stormy weather. T.S. Ramachandra Rao, president of Swarajhari, inaugurated the proceedings and explained the greatness of the musical trinity: Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. The musical session which followed presented a feast of keertanas composed by Thyagaraja. The programme began with the ghanaraga pancharatnas namely Jagadanandakaraka (Nattai , followed by Dudukugala (Gowla), Sadhinchene (Arabhi), Kanakana Ruchira (Varali) and Endaro Mahanubhavulu (Sri) all rendered superbly by a group of senior musicians with devotional fervour.
The group singing was followed by solo performances by Nivedita of U.S.A, Malladi brothers Sriram Prasad and Ravikumar, Pemmaraju, Modumudi Sudhakar, C.V.P. Sastri and D. Ravikant. Each of them sang three selected keertanas impressively. The highlight of the evening was the group rendition of Thyagaraja's Kovur Pancharatnas namely Ee vasudha (sahana), Kori sevimpa (kharaharapriya), Sambho Mahadeva (pantuvarali), Nammi vachina (kalyani) and Sundareswaruni (sankarabharanam). The group sang the keertanas with perfect understanding and presented a sumptuous treat to the listeners.