Carnatic Vocal By P Vijayalakshmi: Events in Hyderabad

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The Sadguru Thyagaraja Sampradaya Seva Samithi is presenting the Sri Thyagaraja Music Festival from 31st January to 2nd February, at Kala Subbarao Kala Vedika, the mini-hall of Sri Thyagaraya Gana Sabha in Chikkadpally. Today, the second day, P Vijayalakshmi will sing some Thyagaraja kritis. Giving her instrumental support are N C Ramanujam on the violin and P Durga Kumar on the mridangam.

Vijayalakshmi started learning music after her marriage in a music-loving family, where her father-in-law and husband are a classical singer and a mridangam player respectively. It's the atmosphere at her new house that tempted her to learn music. Initially under Lata and Anuradha Desai in Vizianagaram, she is at present learning from Seshulata Vishwanath in Hyderabad. She has given vocal performances at various temples in Yadgirigutta, Bhadrachalam, Simhachalam and Srisailam, Chennai and Srikakulam.

The Sadguru Thyagaraja Sampradaya Seva Samithi was established about a decade ago by Puranam Purushothama Sastry. Sastry is a senior vocalist, born in 1925. He completed the Sangeeta Vidhwan Certification course from the Central College Of Carnatic Music, Chennai. In Chennai, he also trained under Sangeeta Kalanidhi Musri Subrahmanya Iyer for ten years, and in the process became the 6th generation disciple of the Saint Thyagaraja line.

Now 83 years of age, he has more than six decades of singing experience, and has toured many countries. Musicians take it as a privilege to accompany him, and legends like Lalgudi Jayaraman, Palghat Raghu, Akella Mallikarjuna Sarma, Dr M Bala Muralikrishna, Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, T V Gopalakrishnan, Dwaram Durgaprasad, Komunduri Seshadri and the like have accompanied him. He has been conferred upon many awards and titles, with the Hamsa Award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh ranking foremost.

Please contact Puranam Purushothama Sastry at 98494-19946 for further details.