The 602nd Sri Tallappaka Annamacharya Jayanthi Celebrations will be held at the Kamakshi Amman Mandir, opposite JNU East Gate, New Delhi on the 16th of May 2010. The Annual Day Celebrations of Annamayya Gana Sudha, started by a small group of music enthusiasts learning Annamayya Sankeerthanams from the revered Guru Smt. Garimella Kalyani, is also being organized on the same day.
The Free Summer Camp sponsored by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam to teach Annamacharya Sankeerthanams to music enthusiasts at Kamakshi Amman Temple in New Delhi last year on 12th May initially started with a small group of students. As the information about the camp spread across all corners of Delhi, the size of the batch quickly grew to forty. The enthusiastic response to the camp inspired Smt. Kalyani to conduct free sessions on Annamyya Sankeerthanams on Fridays at the Kamakshi Amman Temple all round the year. These free classes, handled by the ever smiling, devoted Guru Smt. Garimella Kalyani, regularly attract learners across Delhi on every Friday.
The success of this programme is evident from the fact that even children as young as 5 and 6 years are able to learn and enjoy singing the great compositions of Annamayya in their daily life. Another highlight of this programme is that even people without even basic knowledge and training in music can learn and sing the sankeerthanams with ease. This is due to the ability of the Guru to explain the meaning of the sankeerthanams in an interesting and easy to understand language. In the words of the Guru, “Annamayya never left any mudra or unique style of composition in his songs as many other composers of carnatic music did. The sankeerthanams are composed in simple style which even an amateur can sing and enjoy”. Annamayya’s greatness also becomes apparent in the way he describes Lord Venkateswara. In the song “Muddugare Yesoda”, beautifully compares the Lord to navratnas or the nine precious stones. In another song he describes the feet of the Lord with the words “Bramha Kadigina Padamu” in simple but yet elegant way. The Guru quotes quite often that Annamayya surrendered completely to become one with the Lord. The Lord Venkateswara impressed with his intense devotion gave his glimpse to Annamayya and blessed him with all the good in the world.
The works of Annamayya, inscribed on copper plates and hidden in the pillars in the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Tirumala Tirupathi Temple, were discovered by scholars such as Sri. Veturi Prabhakara Sastry and Sri. Rallapalli Anantha Krishna Sarma and later popularized by famous musicians like Sri.Balamurali Krishna and Smt.M.S. Subbulakshmi. It has become a tradition at the Lord Balaji temple at Tirumala to sing Annamayya’s keerthanas everyday during evening Arthi. Words cannot describe the greatness of Annamayya who has composed close to 35,000 songs. The Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams has started conducting music festival every year on Annamayya’s Jayanthi (birthday) to honor him the way Saint Thyagaraja is honored at Tiruvayyar by conducting gana goshti (group singing). During these celebrations Sapthagiri songs, a collection of seven songs, are sung by hundreds of devotees. Guru Garimella Kalyani has only one aim i.e., “to make as many people to sing Annamayya songs as possible” in her classes. Let Annammaya live long in the minds of people and sing songs in praise of the Lord.
1 comment:
This is a very good initiative both by Guru garimella kalyani and by her students who take the time to learn.
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