Two-day cultural spectacle concludes

Vijayawada: The golden jubilee celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Natya Mandali unfolded as a vibrant two-day cultural spectacle, held at Sri Velidandla Hanumantharaya Grandhalayam Hall and Kowtha Purnananda Kala Vedika, bringing together theatre, competitions, and tributes to stalwarts of Telugu drama. The festivities began with a mythological presentation of ‘Upaplavya’ from Pandavodyogam, penned by the illustrious Tirupati Venkata Kavulu. The episode depicts the Pandavas seeking the counsel of Sri Krishna before his historic Rayabaram (peace mission) to the Kauravas.

The cast brought the scene to life with great dignity and emotional depth. BV Katamraju embodied the divine aura of Sri Krishna, while Jonnalagadda Jaganmohana Rao as Dharmaraju, Putta Sambasiva Reddy as Bhima, K Ganesh Kumar as Arjuna, Borra Naren as Nakula, Donti Jangayya Goud as Sahadeva, and Tirumalabi as Draupadi delivered powerful portrayals. Tirumalabi’s emotive performance, in particular, drew widespread appreciation. Behind the scenes, equal dedication was evident. B Venkata Swamy and K Parabrahmachari perfected the makeup and costumes, while DV Srinivas and Sravankumar enriched the drama with stirring background music. Lighting and stage design by DV Raju, Satish, and Y Rajendra Prasad created a visual spectacle that enhanced the grandeur of the production.

The second day of celebrations was dedicated to mono action competitions, featuring mythological, historical, and social themes. Conducted in both senior and junior categories, the event witnessed enthusiastic participation from 75 contestants.

Winners of Historical/Social Segment (Seniors):

Best Prize – V Ramu, Second Prize – B Roopaasri, Third Prize – Gopaluni Venkata Srinivasa Rao, Consolation – Sangani Edukondalu, B Anjaneya Raju.

Winners Historical/Social (Juniors): First Prize – K Chanakya, Second Prize – Ch Lokesh, Third Prize – Ch Aradhya, Consolation – P Tanush.

Winners of Mythological Category:

First Prize – K Nageswara Rao, Second Prize – GND Kusuma Sai, Third Prize – SAMS Hameed, Consolation – Singara Kondayya Chowdari, M Arjuna Rao, Bonam Gurumurthy, Akondi Krishna Priya, A Lakkireddy.

Judges for the contests included Vemuri Nageswara Sarma and LN Sarma (Mythological), while Nandagiri Narasimha Rao and HVRS Prasad evaluated the Historical and Social categories.

A special highlight of the jubilee was the felicitation of eminent theatre personalities for their lifelong contributions. Those honoured included Dr Meegada Ramalingaswamy, Dr GV Purnachand, Popuri Gowrinath, Gummadi Vimalakumari, Pushpala Ranga Rao, Gummadi Jeevan Kumar, P Chandrasekharan, S Venkata Ramaraju, B Suryanarayana, and B Ananta Sricharan.

The grand occasion was graced by dignitaries including Mandali Buddha Prasad, MLA, PVN Krishna, Kopparapu Narayanamurthy, Achanta Balaji Naidu, GVV Satyanarayana, Kasturi Ramarao, V Satyanarayanam, Vemuri Nageswara Sarma, Chinta Venkatesarlu, and B Gowri Sankar, whose presence elevated the celebrations.

The meeting sessions were presided over by Jonnalagadda Jangamohan Rao, while Jonnalagadda Sravan Kumar, General Secretary, skilfully coordinated the entire two-day programme.