VIJAYAWADA: If one waxed eloquent about Telugu, another left the audience spellbound with his excellent command over the language.
The concluding day of the World Telugu Federation’s meet at Vijayawada was spent in a way befitting the name of the Federation. A literary feast was arranged with some of the famous contemporary Telugu poets.
Starting it off in a way reminiscent of kings, who used to hold entertaining conclaves of poets often - called the ` Kavita Goshti ’ -, the Lok Nayak foundation in Visakhapatnam organised one such programme Sunday.
The plot of the play-cum-literary exposition dated back to 1,760 AD, when Raja Vasi Reddy Venkatadri Naidu, ruled over the Krishna district.
The unique aspect of the ` Kavita Goshti’ was that Warren Hastings was attending it, as he was on an inspection of the kingdom and searching for a place to establish the very first Anglo-Indian school, aimed at learning Telugu.
The highlight of the show was Mohana Kumar Gandhi, who, in a rare act of literary excellence, praised the Telugu language nons top for ove r a minu t e inviting a standing ovation from the audience.
“That is the capacity of my language”, an old gentleman was overheard, who was obviously very happy with Mohan Kumar Gandhi’s literary excellence.
Now, before anybody could leave the meet satisfied at that performance, they were treated to yet another literary specialty of the Telugu language wherein, the audience poses a poet with a queer question, responding to which the poet has to render a poem extempore all the while strictly adhering to grammar.
“Praise Saraswati (Goddess of knowledge), using the words Kodi (a cock), Kukka (a dog), Eddu (an ox) and Pandi (a pig)”, was one of those queer questions.
Pat came the answer from the famous poet, Dhulipala Mahadeva Mani, who likened the Goddess Saraswati to being as fair as an Ox (Both Lord Shiva and Goddess Saraswati are considered excessively fair just as an Ox), while he praised her for being the goddess who delivers the world from the darkness of ignorance through the light of knowledge, at the stroke of a cock’s crow. He went on to complete the poem praising the Goddess with similar ingenious comparisions.“I will die a satisfied man”, said Panduranga Rao, who is an octogenarian, who currently stays with his son in Denmark, visibly overwhelmed at the literary feast.
Many among the audience ran towards the stage to congratulate the poets, who were overwhelmed at the response.
The poets participating in the above programme named - Palakariste Padyam meaning “Reply through a poem” - included famous film lyricist Jonnavittula Ramalingeshwara Rao, besides celebrated poet Palaparti Syamalananda Prasad.
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