Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam,today, at TummalapalliKalakshetram, Vijayawada in the presence of Smt R K Roja, Minister for Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Shri BugganaRajendranath, Minister for Finance, Government of Andhra PradeshSmt V Vidyavathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs recalled the glorious legacy of Telugu culture and notable contributions of Telugu language to classical traditions in creating a remarkable repertoire of timeless compositions.

Expressing her appreciation for the remarkable efforts taken to organize the first of its kind grand music festival in Andhra Pradesh, she remarked, “I started to learn and understand the beauty of Telugu on listening to Tyagaraja and Shyama SastriKritis. The beauty of Telugu language is something which is to be cherished. The towns and samsthanams of the region have immensely contributed to classical music. It is time that we bring those glorious traditions alive and to the younger generation.” She suggested that this should become an annual feature and also held in other prominent towns like Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam etc.

Smt R K Roja, Minister for Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture, Government of India for bringing the inaugural edition of Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam to Vijayawada and Andhra Pradesh and stressed on importance of music and urged the youth to pursue classical music. She also highlighted the contribution of Andhra Pradesh and Telugu language towards promotion of carnatic music.

Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in her welcome address remarked that the event endeavours to commemorate the contributions of Telugu language in promoting classical music and emphasized that the festival aims to establish a cultural identity for the region by showcasing the local traditions and promoting local artisans, crafts and cuisine.

This three-day classical music extravaganza will host a variety of activities, including classical music performances by renowned musicians of the country and an exhibition and sale of regional cuisine, local handicrafts and handlooms.

The event provides an enchanting glimpse into the glorious Indian classical music heritage and featured a diverse array of performances by accomplished musicians. On the first day, during the morning session, the audience was enlightened by soul-stirring melodies of Nagaswaram by Gonuguntala Brothers, Shri G Nagaraju and Shri Saibabu hailing from Andhra Pradesh, a soulful rendition of Veda Parayanam by the renowned duo of Andhra Pradesh, DendukuriSadasivaGhanapati and Dendukuri Kasi Vishwanatha Sharma followed by a captivating Taal Vaadya Kacheri by Shri Umayalpuram K Sivaraman from Tamil Nadu and captivating carnatic vocal music performance by Shri N Vijay Siva from Tamil Nadu.

 Musical performances in the afternoon session enthralled the audience with insightful lecture demonstrations on Kritis focussing on their form and content in Sri Thyagaraja’s Telugu compositions by renowned artist Radha Bhaskar from Chennai, followed by a group rendering of DivyaNamasankeerthanas of Thyagaraja Swamy by students of Colleges and Universities from Kerala led by Dr. Aswathy and Sajana Sudheer and a captivating Harikatha performance by MuppavarapuSimhachala Sastry from Tirupati.

The carnatic vocal music performances in the evening session enthralled the audience with performances by leading musicians including Garimella Balakrishna Prasad, Panthula Rama and Rama Krishna Murthy. The day concluded with a captivating ensemble of Veena Venuvu Violin led by Shri Peri Tyagaraju and artists.

Another unique attraction of the event is an Ancient Musical Instruments Exhibition at TummalapalliKalakshetram showcasing a collection of meticulously preserved and restored musical instruments, sourced from a unique initiative by a music scholar. This is focused on rebuilding and restoring ancient musical instruments of antiquity.

Shri Malladi Vishnu, Vice Chairman, AP Planning Commission and MLA, Vijayawada Central, Smt. Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi, Mayor of Vijayawada, Smt Sandhya Purecha, Chairman, Sangeet NatakAkademi and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

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BeenaYadav/SushilKumar