The grandparents and parents of the programme "ghanTasAla gAnahEla"

Rajasekhar Velamuri (inside94@classic.msn.com)
Wed, 8 Oct 97 22:35:27 UT 

namaste!

	I think it is time for me to pitch in. I could not resist :-) Well, I was 
hoping for the weekend to come along, to jot down from the memory lane. I will 
post couple of articles on this topic. In this first article, I will just 
chronologize various programmes on ghanTasAla both by AIR artistes and many 
film personalities. During the first few years after ghanTasAla's death, when 
my age told my brain that people are inside the big vacuum tube radio's 
singing songs, a number of programmes were presented by AIR artistes, on G's 
birthday and on ghanTasAla's death anniversary. Popular among them are the 
ones presented by Srii aTlUri venkaTrav choudari (my apologies if I did not do 
the RIT correctly) of AIR Hyderabad. aTluri has presented atleast two 1 hour  
(without advertisements) programmes. These programmes were rebroadcast several 
times over the years with edits by AIR Vijayawada and Hyderabad, mainly on 
vividhbharati's. The programmes go by the name ghanTasAla gAnamAdhuri and 
ghanTasAla swaramAdhuri. Almost each and every AIR artiste of that time frame 
had atleast an half hour programme on G. The two programmes that I remember 
are from AIR Vijayawada one by Sri V.S. nArAyaNa mUrti and the other by Sri 
mallAdi suribAbu. I remember very clearly the programme by VS because he read 
through the biography of ghanTasAla in that programme. In both mallAdi's and 
VSN's programmes primarily private songs were played.

	Coming to the commercial programmes (sponsored, nirAjana kAryakramAlu) on AIR 
on ghanTasAla, the first programme that I am aware of is sponsored by who 
else, but priya foods, on the occasion of ghanTasAla's 58th birth anniversary 
in 1980, on December 3rd. The programme is called priya giitAnjali and was 
presented by S. P. Balasubramanyam. SPB did a good job in this programme. He 
played the following songs 

kalayidani nijamidani teliyadule bratukintEnule (dEvadAs)
payanamE priyatama nanu marachi pOkumA (laila majnu)
chikilinta chiguru sampangi guburu chinadani manasu (with leela, 
chiranjeevulu)
okka kshNam okka kshNam nannu palakarinchaku (with susiila, kalasina manasulu)
rAvOyi bangAri mAmA niitOTi rAhasyamokaTunnadOyi (private song)
some slOkAs from bhagwadgeeta 
parugulu tiiyAli o' gittalu vurakalu veyyAli (with bhanumati, malliswari)
kuDi yeDamaitE porabATu lEdOy (dEvadAs).

	The next  series that I can remember of is a series of 13 programmes by 
various cini artistes on every Friday from the week of ghanTasAla's 59th 
birthday on Dec. 4th 1981 to the week of ghanTasAla's death anniversary Feb. 
11th 1982. The series of programmes called "ghanTasAla giitamAla", are 
presented (in order), Dr. C. nArayaNa reDDi; P.B. Sreenivas; sAluri rAjESwara 
ravu; P. Adi nArayaNa ravu; dASarathi; anjalii dEvi; ANR (3 programmes); 
kamalAkara kAmESwara ravu; pi. susiila; Ti. calapatiravu; and pendyAla.

	The next series named "ghanTasAla gAnahEla" started on the Friday in the week 
of Dec. 4th '82, and was intended to last a year (the 60th birth year of G) 
but continued until the week of Feb. 11th '84. (I do not remember all of them, 
or how many each one of them presented, I am writing the number only if I am 
sure)
The artistes who conducted the programmes include, SPB(2 programmes) samudrAla 
rAmAnujAchari(7 programmes); ANR (3; repeat of the earlier programme); 
kAntAraVu, dASarathi (I do not remember how many because he also had atleast 
two programmes with Sri Sri's songs); punDariikAkshaiah(2); C. nArayaNa reDDi 
(not a repeat); PBS (3(?)), G. K. Venkatesh; J. V. rAghavulu, V. rAmakrishNa 
(2?) jaggaiah; 

	Both ghanTasAla giitamAla and gAnahEla are sponsored by bhAgyalaxmi, Andhra 
pradesh state lotteries. In addition the programme that I remember very much 
is a special janaranjani by karunasri jandhyAla pApayya SAstri on Feb 11th 
'1983.

I hope some of this information is new for some of the list members. More on 
the actual programmes in the coming months.

Regards,
-rAja
--
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