Sri S. Abdul Nazeer, Governor of Andhra Pradesh at the Valedictory Session of the 3rd edition of the “Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam 2025” on 7th December, 2025, at Tummalapalli Kshetrayya Kalakshetra, Vijayawada
• Sri Malladi Ravikumar, Renowned Vocalist, Vijayawada;
• Sri Venkatraman Hegde, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India;
• Sri D. Venkatesan, Regional Director, Southern Region, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India;
Eminent Artists who participated in the two-day music festival, Distinguished guests on the dais, off the dais, Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Media, అందరికీ నమస్కారం .
It gives me immense pleasure to participate in the Valedictory session of the 3rd edition of “Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam 2025” organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Textiles, and the Department of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh.
I congratulate the organisers for choosing Vijayawada, the city known for its spiritual and historical significance, as the venue for the 3rd edition of Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam 2025. The two-day programme, showcasing the captivating musical and cultural performances by eminent Artists from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, must have been a feast to the audience, offering an unforgettable experience.
Vijayawada is one of the historically and culturally rich and vibrant cities in the country, and a prominent music destination that is well known for its heritage, devotion, and performing arts.
I am glad to know that the organisers have chosen the theme ‘Celebrating the Richness of Telugu Music Traditions’ for the 3rd edition of Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam 2025. The two-day music festival has not only enhanced the image of the Vijayawada city as a cultural centre of South India, but also brought recognition to the state’s Artists, artisans, hospitality, and tourism sector at national-level. The music festival is truly a neerajanam to the iconic composers-poets, saints, and scholars whose prolific works penned in Telugu shaped the devotional and classical music landscape of South India.
According to Saṅgīta Ratnākara, గీతం నృత్యం తదా సంగీత ముచ్యతే.”
Meaning: The coming together of singing, dancing and instruments is called sangeetam.
According to Natya Shastra: Sangeetah pranah praninam, which means "Music is the life of the soul" and it is also said Sangeetah samskrteh parama dharma which means “Music is the highest of all arts.”
Andhra Pradesh has always been known for its rich culture and heritage. This wonderful state is home to a wide range of performing arts, including dance, drama, and music. Kuchipudi stands among the global audience as the most well-known traditional classical dance form and a gift of Andhra Pradesh to the world. Kuchipudi complements other classical Indian dances that harmoniously unite aesthetic expression with music as it consists of నృత్య and నాట్య. లాస్య, తాండవ and అభినయ are extensively employed by the artists in rendering slokas. గీత గోవిందం of Jayadeva, భామా కలాపం, గొల్ల కలాపం, ఉషా పరిణయం are some of the popular dance-drama performed in Kuchipudi.
Andhras’ contribution to India’s cultural heritage is substantial. Many of southern India’s major composers of classical Indian music have been Andhras, and Telugu has been the language of most of the compositions. Andhra Pradesh has been known since ages for its rich musical heritage and known for being the homeland of Thyagaraja, Shyama Sastri and Muthuswami Dixitar – the three legends of the Carnatic Music Trinity.
In his speech at the prayer meeting held in the then Madras on 14th January 1946, Mahatma Gandhi praised the devotion and musicality of the Telugu compositions of the saint-composer Tyagaraja and commented on the sweetness of his songs.
The earliest musical work produced in Andhra region is said to be a collection of seven hundred verses of Gatha Sapta Sati in Prakrit during King Hala Satavahana’s reign around first century A.D. The work testifies to the existence of music and musical instruments in this region in the ancient times.
Amaravati and Nagarjuna Konda sculptures which are said to be nearly 2000 years old have visual descriptions of musical instruments. Around 12th Century AD, during the Kakatiya period, Jayapa was a well-known musicologist and choreographer and he is credited for composing renowned works -Geeta Ratnavali and Nritya Ratnavali.
Tallapaka Annamacharya, who lived in the 15th Century composed 32,000 devotional verses, Ramadas of Bhadrachalam composed kirtanalu in praise of Lord Sri Rama, and Kshetrayya created new musical structure padams. Music was extensively patronized by Andhra Gajapati kings of Vizianagaram, who established the College of Music, headed by Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu, the violin wizard for a long time.
Folk Art Forms like Butta Bommalu, Kolattam, Veera Natyam, Burra Katha, Dhimsa are also very popular in Andhra Pradesh. The traditional dance performance Butta Bommalu features puppets that resemble divine figures as they relate religious tales at annual religious events. Kolattam refers to stick-dancing which takes place in circular formations. In a symmetric formation, dancers play instruments in the center and dance together in harmony.
Veera Natyam - the Dance of the Brave, stands as an intense forceful dance. The mythological account shows Lord Shiva danced after he became angered by an act of humiliation. Burrakatha is the Art of Storytelling and functions as a traditional storytelling tradition which existed earlier than contemporary media emerged. While the main storyteller narrates the tale, the additional performers provide supplementary background effects, together with echoes to optimize the storytelling experience.
Dhimsa - the Peacock Dance is a tribal dance form of the tribes in Araku hill station. During the peacock dance performers carry bunches of feathers while making zigzag movements similar to serpent dance movements. The bright colour combinations with graceful motions create Dhimsa into an atmospheric dance form that provides visual pleasure together with entertainment.
These amazing dance forms, music, and drama originating from Andhra Pradesh, have enriched the State, known for its rich cultural history and heritage.
I conclude my speech with the popular Sanskrit saying about the beauty of music: पशुर्वेत्ति शिशुर्वेत्ति वेत्ति गानरसं फणी
Meaning: An animal knows, an infant knows, a snake knows the rasa or the aesthetic enjoyment of music.
I thank the organisers for having invited me to be part of this programme.
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