Take essence of Annamacharya’s compositions to masses, say speakers

Speakers at the literary conference conducted on the occasion of the 52nd death anniversary of saint-poet Tallapaka Annamacharya laid emphasis on reaching the essence of his compositions to the masses by making interventions such as translation and simplification.

G. Damodara Naidu, a retired professor of Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), spoke on ‘Annamayya – Sri Venkateswara Satakam’ and Ravi Krishna of Lemallapadu YTS School in Guntur district gave a lecture on ‘Sri Venkateswara Padalalo Viseshamshamulu’, where they recalled the nuances in Annamayya’s compositions that highlighted the glory of the Lord Venkateswara.

K. Suhasini, a teacher at SVU campus High School, pointed out that Annamacharya himself had penned many ‘Sankeertans’ in simple Sanskrit so that Telugu people could easily understand them. During her talk on ‘Annamayya’s Sankirtans – Music’, she recalled that the saint-poet had authored about 80 compositions in Sanskrit. “Annamayya created his literature by combining the essence of Saranagati, Lokanithi and Vedas. He has a special place in devotional literature,” she said.

Artistes of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Annamacharya Project led by Madhusudhana Rao made a presentation of the compositions.