Pride of Telugu s showcased

Poets dressed as ‘Ashtadiggajas’ take part in a procession organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Sri Krishnadevaraya’s coronation in Tirupati on Friday. Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar.

The Telugu Poets dressed as ‘Ashtadiggajas’ take part in a procession organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Sri Krishnadevaraya’s coronation in Tirupati on Friday. Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar.

As part of the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Sri Krishnasevaraya's coronation ceremony, the literary programme organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Tirupati Kendra began on a colourful note here on Friday. The seven days of the week-long event will synchronise with the emperor's seven visits to Tirumala after expanding his kingdom in various directions.

The programme formally began with an impressive procession from Alipiri, the foot of Tirumala hills, to Thyagaraja Mandapam, where the event was held. Dressed as ‘Ashtadiggajas', the legendary eightsome in Sri Krishnadevaraya's court, eight renowned poets namely Kompella Rama Suryanarayana (Allasani Peddana), R.A. Padmanabha Rao (Tenali Ramakrishna), Amudala Murali (Dhoorjati), Mannava Bhaskara Naidu (Nandi Thimmana), K.J. Krishnamurthi (Madayyagari Mallanna), Samudrala Lakshmanaiah (Ayyalaraju Ramabhadrudu), Mudhivarthi Kondamacharyulu (Pingali Surana) and G.S.R. Krishnamurthy (Ramarajabhushanudu), took part in the procession and later enacted the magnum opus ‘Bhuvana Vijayam'. Noted “Sahasravadhani” and Annamacharya Project Director Medasani Mohan adorned the throne as Srikrishna Devaraya.

Stepping into the shoes of the poets and donning their robes and traditional headgear, the participants regaled the audience with their flowery quotes drawn from their respective literary works like ‘Parijathapaharanam', ‘Rajasekhara Charithamu', ‘Manu Charitramu', ‘Kalahasti Mahatmyam' etc. Former Attorney General of India K. Parasaran, who took part as the chief guest, expressed his liking for the Telugu language for its mellifluous note and rhythm. Recalling Subramanya Bharati's reference to Telugu as “Sundara Telungu”, he noted that drawing laurels from a neighbouring linguist was a pointer to the greatness of Telugu.

Bhavan's vice-president P.V. Krishna Reddy, Honorary Director N. Satyanarayana Raju and member P. Sudarsanam Raju were among the participants.

Source: The Hindu