Padma Shri for Harikatha artiste gives new lease of life to dying art

Padma Shri for Harikatha artiste gives new lease of life to dying art

In a first, a Harikatha artiste will be honoured with the fourth-highest civilian award.

GUNTUR: For Bhagavathar Kota Satchidananda Sastry, a renowned Harikatha artiste from Andhra Pradesh, his happiness saw no bounds when he learnt that he will be conferred with the Padma Shri Award.
“I am grateful that Harikatha, an art form that has a great history, is finally being recognised on such a huge platform. This award is not just for me, but for all those who have contributed to this art form without being recognised,’’ Sastry said in a brief interaction with TNIE.

In a first, a Harikatha artiste will be honoured with the fourth-highest civilian award. Bhagavathar is among the 91 people selected for the prestigious award by the Centre.Harikatha artistes in Andhra Pradesh are jubilated with the recognition given to the art as well as the veteran artiste.

Sharing her joy, Bejjanki Nagamani, a Harikatha artiste from Tenali said, “It is a moment of pride for all of us and no one deserves this honour more than Satchidananda Sastry.’’She further added, “It is significant that Harikatha is being recognised on a national platform at a time when the art form is struggling for existence. This may give a new lease of life to the dying art.”

A memorable journey

Born on August 12, 1934 in Addanki village (now in Bapatla district), Bhagavathar was trained in the narrative art of Harikatha at a very young age.Coming from a traditional family, all close relatives of Satchidananda Sastry are artistes. Though he studied only till third grade, Sastry has a very strong command of the language, making him renowned in art.However, Sastry credits cinema for his command over the language and the emotion.

“I used to stand outside the door at theatre as I could not afford to buy a ticket. I used to watch a few scenes of films and hear dialogues carefully,” the 89-year-old said. Sastry became the sole breadwinner of the family at the age of 12 when his father died of a chronic illness. Later, he along with his family shifted to Tenali for better job. With the help of the training given by his late father, Sastry used to conduct poojas, and yagams very efficiently, which slowly earned him fame.

While supporting his family, he also trained himself in Harikatha under the aegis of AR Krishnaiah, Musunuri Suryanarayana Murthy and Bhagavatula Annapurnaiah. Soon, his programmes drew large number of audience, which made him gain popularity. His performances are known for imaginative treatment of the content, be it in prose or poetry.

A top-ranking artist of All India Radio, he has participated in many prestigious music festivals across India and abroad. Sastry has given over 20,000 Harikatha performances so far, narrating various stories and scenes of Hindu epics Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavatam.

For his service to the art of Harikatha, he has been conferred with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2018, Adhibatla Narayana Dasa Puraskaram in 2019, Hamsa Puraskaram in 2014, Ugadi Visista Puraskaram in 1988 and has received several titles, including Harikatha Samrat, Harikatha Chakravarthi. He gave performances till 2015, following which he stopped due to his poor health conditions.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com