Programs by the Department of Culture

It's a commendable resolution that the state's Department of Culture has taken 
to dedicate the last four days of every month, i.e. the 27th to the 30th, to the 
performing arts, especially to bringing to the fore the not-so-famous/popular 
artists of the state. This will be an excellent boost to artists who were finding 
hardly any patronage. These programs at the Ravindra Bharathi will highlight folk, 
classical and theater arts in a series. The very first venture was a great success, 
and saw many chief guests and audiences appreciating the effort, as artists from 
different regions of Andhra flocked with much enthusiasm. 



Day 1, 27th Oct

The festival commenced on the 27th with light music - 'Lalitha Sangeetam' - staged 
by Gangadhar from Chittoor and M.Govinda Swamy. And the music was indeed light, 
fleeting and euphoric, and striking a chord of the rural landscape, of temple 
bells, riverbeds and simple celebrations. 



An invigorating "Veera Natyam" from the East Godavari district was staged by Vellaralapally 
Chinta Nageswara Rao. This dance is one of the oldest art forms of Andhra, and 
was practiced by the Veera Shaivaites who would dance in a frenzied manner to 
invigorate the soldiers to fight against the enemy in a ruthless manner before 
entering the battlefield. The dance form derived from the Rudra Tandava of the 
Lord Shiva, and has hardly any performers left now. The few practicing artists 
need great encouragement lest it should die soon. 



Then followed a mono-rhythmic folk dance, "Tappetadugulu", which gradually seemed 
to draw the audience into its recurring and entrancing tempo. Here a group of 
folk artists wearing small dhotis and bells round their upper arms, thighs and 
ankles dance in circles playing a rustic percussion. Sanyasi Rao and group from 
Kilampudi staged this dance. 



After these brief throbbing dances, Harikatha Bhagavatar Veeraghandham Venkata 
Subha Rao staged a noble and traditional solo narrative performance. The maestro 
choose to render the powerful and poetic tale of 'Maha Kavi Kalidasa'. The narrative 
was embellished with Kalidasa's immortal poetry, apart from drawing on his life 
story. 



Day 2, 28th Oct

Declaring pensions for aged artists from November 1st onwards, the second evening's 
program on the 28th saw the chief guests, including Dr. C.Narayana Reddy and Boyana 
Venkateswara Rao, Director, Cultural Department, debating having the Nandi Awards 
in the field of classical dance too. The awards are currently given only for theater, 
and dance has never been included. All those present agreed that dance, being 
an element of theater, should come within the brackets of the Nandi Awards. 



Kuchipudi dancer M Venkateswara Rao's disciples performed a brief recital in the 
evening, with numbers like "Marakata Mani Maya Chela", set in the mode of Tarangam, 
an expressional Annamacharya Keertana titled "Allaralu Kuriyaga", and a swift 
Hindola Tillana. Vocalist Srivalli Sarma and a group of orchestra supported the 
dancers from the wings. 



Another young dancer, N V Kanaka Durga, followed with her Bharatanatyam recital 
comprising numbers like 'Mahisasura Mardhini', 'Vinayaka Kutam' and also some 
Annamacharya Keertanas. Basically a Kuchipudi dancer, Kanaka Durga could not perform 
the pure and strict Bharatanatyam, and badly mixed up the both forms. Nirmala 
Prabhakar and Sarada Bhaskar supported the artist on nattuvangam and vocal. 



Day 3, 30th Oct

 29th was the grand finale of the month-end programs, and they concluded 
with a lot of talk on the theater activity in the state. Directed by Senagala 
Kabir Das and scripted by Uma Maheswari Rao, the play titled "Baboi Pamu" was 
humorous, and saw the actors thoroughly elated in enacting the comical roles. 
Yet another play directed and scripted by K G Ram Prasad, titled "Dharmo Rakshati 
Rakshaha", had a comtemplative theme having to do with an individual's culture 
and doctrines.