RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: For the third year in a row, Covid-19 has dampened the Aradhana Utsavalu, the cultural festival, of the saint-composer Thyagaraja held annually at the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple in Vemulawada.
The 69th edition of the festival began on 22 and will continue till January 26. While the festival is celebrated on a grand note every year, with cultural programmes and fitting tributes paid to the saint-composer, the pandemic has played spoilsport in the last three editions.
Due to Covid guidelines, devotees and classical music enthusiasts are not being allowed to attend. Normally, artistes from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana take part in the festival, but the number of participants has decreased. An ardent devotee and classical music lover, late Chavutu Sambaiah Shastri of Vemulawada had continued the musical legacy of saint composer Sri Thyagaraja Swamy Aradhana Utsavalu at Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple.
Sambaiah Shastri went to Tiruvaiyur in Tanjavur and attended the Thyagaraja Swamy Aradhana Utsavalu in 1951. Since then, he has been organising Thyagaraja Swamy Aradhana Utsavalu in Vemulawada.Taking inspiration from Chavutu Sambaiah Shastri, the Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple authorities have been conducting the Thyagaraja Swamy Aradhana Utsavalu for the last 69 years from 1961.
Classical singer late Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna and playback singers like Ghantasala and Susheela and Kuchipudi dance master Vedantham Satyanarayana, Radheshyam and actors Jamuna and playback singer Janaki have participated in the musical concerts organised on the occasion of Aradhana Utsavalu at Vemulawada and enthralled listeners in the past.
A subdued affair
Due to prevailing Covid-19 guidelines, devotees and classical music enthusiasts are not being allowed to attend. Normally, artistes from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana take part in the festival, but the number of participants has decreased.