ADILABAD: At an age when many children spend hours glued to mobile phones and electronic gadgets, 14-year-old B Vajraamshu is immersed in an ancient musical tradition — playing veena. The young prodigy from Basara has carved a unique place for himself as the youngest asthana vainika (resident court musician) at the Gnana Saraswati temple, where he has been offering Naada Archana every Friday evening for the past three years.
Having recently completed Class 9, Vajraamshu holds the rare distinction of serving as the youngest resident veena player at the historic temple.
His biggest achievement came when he secured first prize in the Instrumental Music–Solo (Melodic) category at the prestigious National Kala Utsav 2025, organised by the Ministry of Education and NCERT. After winning the Nizamabad district-level competition on September 4, 2025, he went on to secure the Telangana state title at TGIRD, Hyderabad, on November 7, 2025. He later represented Telangana at the national finale held at YASHADA, Pune, from December 20 to 23, 2025, where he impressed judges with his artistic maturity.
Roots in heritage
Vajraamshu’s passion for music is deeply rooted in his family tradition. His grandfather, the late Bolli Pochanna, was a well-known folk artiste who performed ‘Veedhi Bhagavatham’ and led devotional bhajan programmes. As a three-year-old child, Vajraamshu would sit beside his grandfather during performances, unconsciously absorbing the fundamentals of rhythm (laya) and melody (swara).
Recognising his growing interest, his parents — Dr B Balakrishna, assistant professor of Telugu at RGUKT Basara (IIIT), and homemaker Kasturi — encouraged him to pursue classical music. The family’s move from Hyderabad’s Osmania University area to the temple town of Basara proved transformative for the young musician, he shares.
There, he came under the guidance of renowned veena exponent and university faculty member Sri Mallela Venkata Ramana Govinda Murthy. Under the guru’s mentorship, Vajraamshu honed his skills through years of rigorous daily practice.
Vajraamshu gave his first public performance at school in 2022, drawing appreciation from teachers and fellow students. By 2023, he was performing at the Tyagaraja Swamy Aradhanotsavam and the Sri Sharadiya Navaratri Utsavams at the Basara temple.
Impressed by his talent, former temple executive officer V Vijayaramarao and the temple administration took the step of inviting him to serve as an official musician during the sacred Devi Chathushashti Upachara Puja, performed every Friday evening.
Since then, Vajraamshu has been offering Naada Archana through veena recitals before the deity. At a temple where Goddess Saraswati herself is depicted holding a veena, devotees regard his role as a rare blessing.
“Performing at the lotus feet of Saraswati Mata every Friday evening is not a duty for me. It is the ultimate source of my inner peace, strength and joy,” Vajraamshu says.