Amruthi Varshini Cultural Association is giving the annual K Raman Theatre Awards for the year 2007, on 25th August, at Sri Thyagaraya Gana Sabha. The award will be given to three prominent theater personalities:
Natakavatansa Burra Subrahmanya Sastry, winner of NTR Rangasthala Puraskaram
Vachikabhinaya Ratna Uppalapadu Saidulu
Rangasthala Savithri Guduri Savithri, Nandi Award winner
On this occasion, a Telugu play called Chintamani will be staged. Chintamani is a play written by Kalakuri Narayana Rao about the social evil of prostitution in 1920, and it's being used today to spread the message about ...AIDS! In those days of padyanatakas, Chintamani was the first on a social theme. It was about how prostitution was wrecking marraiges, and how women were entering into it just because it was their kulavritthi (family trade).
The characters being played in this play are D S P Rao as Bilvamangalam, Ch Rajanna as Bhavani Shankarudu, V Reddy as Damodarudu, Jr. Relangi Padala Sundaram as Subbisetti, and Dr. Nibhanupudi Subbarao, Guduri Savithri, Surabhi Ramalakshmi and Surabhi Survarna, the other characters.
K Raman was a renowned actor in mythology and social plays who worked effortlessly in reviving the padyanatakas from extinction. A Guntur-based actor, he has featured in more than 1,000 padyanatakas. He was a writer and a composer, too. He expired on 19th June, 2004, leaving behind a legacy of disciples who continue to spread this art.
Amrutha Varshini was established in 2002, by V Babu Rao, a theater actor, influenced and encouraged by late K Raman. Babu Rao has been organising a mythology drama every month during this year at different venues, in memory of late K Raman. An association dedicated to the theater, Amrutha Varshini won the silver Nandi at the Nandi Natakotsavams in 2004.
Please contact V Babu Rao at 98480-57656 for further details.