Gotu Vadyam By Emani Lalitha Krishna: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR GOTU VADYAM BY EMANI...

Lalitha is the only gottu vadyam player in Andhra Pradesh. It's, then, been lonely at the top for her right since her career started! Fortunately, the crowds compensate for that.

The Andhra Music Academy is organising its 7th Annual Music & Dance Festival from 24th to 29th January. The 6-day festival has some of best music vidhwans and talented artistes among the present and past generation performing, notably O S Thiyagarajan, Dr Yella Venkateshwara Rao, Akella Mallikarjuna Sarma, Garimella Balakrishna Prasad, Dwaram Durga Prasad and Satyanarayana Rao, the Hyderabad Brothers, Poosarla Manorama, Geeta Krishnamurthy, U Nagamani, Emani Lalithakrishna and Kumar Mardur.

Today, the 2nd day, Emani Lalitha Krishna will be performing on a Gotu Vadyam (Vichitra Veena). Lalita Krishna received her training in the veena from her mother Lakshmisuramma Somayajulu initially, and later from veteran violin vidwan Annavarapu Ramaswami. Influenced by Ravi Kiran's vichitra veena, she altered her veena to a vichitra veena, and thereon trained with the instrument under the tutelage of the famous Ravi Kiran in Chennai.

Lalitha today has the distinction of being the only gottu vadyam player in Andhra Pradesh. She is also proficient with the mandolin and she is an A-grade veena artiste of the All India Radio. She has performed at various temples and music sabhas in the state.

The Andhra Music Academy was formed in the year 2001 particularly to sponsor, support and patronise music. For this endeavor, the academy has roped in some very eminent musicians into its advisory panel, including Dr Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna, Dr Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana and Nedunuri Krishna Murthy. The academy organises and conducts various music festivals every year and also plans to organise these every month.

Every year, the prestigious awards of Sangeeta Vidyanidhi and Natya Vidyanidhi are conferred upon music and dancing legends. Dr Balamurali Krishna, Nedunuri, Nookala, M S Gopalakrishna, Annavarapu Ramaswamy, Pt Jasraj and Puranam Purushottama Sastry received the Sangeeta Vidyanidhi, while Vempati Chinna Satyam, Nataraja Ramakrishna and Vendantam Satyanarayana Sarma were the Natya Vidyanidhi awardees during the previous festivals. This year, Dr Padma Subrahmanyam will be awarded the Natya Vidyanidhi, and Malini Rajurkar (a Hindustani vocalist) and V Kamalakara Rao (a mridangam player), the Sangeeta Vidyanidhi.

The concert starts at 9:30am, and the entry is free. For further details, please contact 94401-93582/98480-59020.