Renowned poet Chandala Kesava Dasu, widely regarded as Telugu cinema’s first lyricist, was remembered at separate functions held in connection with his birth anniversary in the town as well as at his native place, Jakkepalli in Kusumanchi mandal, on Monday.

The event was observed for the first time, with the district administration organising meetings in honour of the legendary poet at the Collectorate office here and also at Nayakangudem, where Kesava Dasu spent the last days of his life.

Kusumanchi mandal parishad president Venkat Reddy, ZPTC member Ramachandra Naik, and tehsildar Kishore Kumar, among others, paid floral tributes at the ‘samadhi’ of the great poet at Nayakangudem in the morning.

Kesava Dasu’s daughter, Andalamma, and son-in-law, Narsaiah, were among those who attended the programme.

Family members and relatives of the renowned poet were felicitated at a meeting held in the town later in the day.

Speakers hailed Kesava Dasu’s pioneering contribution to Telugu literature, theatre and film industry as a poet, dialogue writer, and a theatre personality. Terming him a “multifaceted personality”, they said Kesava Dasu earned the unique distinction of being the first lyricist in Telugu film industry by writing lyrics for the first Telugu film ‘Bhakta Prahlada’.

Stating that the gifted poet made invaluable contribution to Telugu theatre, they emphasised the need for promoting his literary works for posterity.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Staff Reporter / Khammam – June 21st, 2016

Hyderabad :

Guda Anjaiah, noted lyricist of Telangana, who contributed to the Telangana statehood movement, died of heart ailment on Tuesday. He was 61.

Guda Anjaiah, fondly called as Anjanna, was born in Lingapuram in Dandepalli mandal in Adilabad district in 1955. Anjanna’s parents were Lakshmaiah and Lakshmamma.

He had more than 300 songs to his credit. ‘Ee Vooru Mandaira’ song was translated into more than 16 Indian languages.

Anjanna actively participated in 1969 Telangana movement. “Raaji gaa Vori Raaji gaa” song moved the masses and elite equally during the Telangana movement. Anjanna breathed his last at his residence in Raganna Gudem in Rangareddy district on Tuesday. The final rites will take place here on Wednesday. Anjanna was selected for Suddala Hanumanthu-Janakamma National award for this year.

Meanwhile, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock over the sudden demise of Anjanna and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / June 22nd, 2016

Hyderabad :

U Sai Krishna, aka Nani Krish, is an example of how genes play a major role in one’s talent. Children inherit not just physical resemblances from their parents but also some passion, talent and skill, which buried in the plasma of the blood. Born to late maestro Mandolin Srinivas, Krish is innately blessed with a few skills, which is uncommon among his peer group.

At eight, he played with graphics. At 16, he made a spoof of Eega; at 19, he could come up with a documentary on his dad and now he has come up with VFX sci-fi mythological short drama Oppera. Krish’s mom is equally accomplished. Rajashri is a painter and a sculptor.

According to Krish, he is a keen observant. He always watched his mom closely when she used to work on flash animation.

“I was just eight when I had developed an interest in animation and graphics. I started working on it slowly. I used a few tools to get a hang on the subject. I had decided my profession when I was hardly nine,” he smiles.

Krish was an active kid. To channelise his restlessness, and focused on animations and other Youtube sensations. “I am interested in making short films with subtle social messages, using graphics and animations to harness my skills and in the process I have tried doing a remake of a song from a popular Telugu movie Athadu. I post my work on Youtube and it effortlessly goes viral. It’s a kind of motivation,” he adds.

Krish became a overnight star with the path changing spoof on Eega. “I was 16, when Rajamouli’s Eega had released. I was inspired by the movie and the VFX work in it. I started my first short film by taking Rajamouli sir as my inspiration and I made a spoof on it called Eega Spoof by Kids. I did not expect that to go viral. I couldn’t believe when people were all praise for it,” he exclaims.

How he stands out from others is that he has no godfather nor does he have a mentor. He is his own trainer. He is looking forward to take up specialised training to polish his innate talent.

Though he got separated from his famous dad at a tender age, Krish wanted to pay a tribute to him. “Being a son of a man, who is one of the rulers of music, I thought I would do something for him. I have no memories with him and hence I thought I would document videos of those legends, who share unforgettable moments with him. I made a documentary which not just had bytes of famous musicians and directors but also my dad’s videos. I had released that documentary last October,” he informs with a sense of pride.

Krish feels blessed to share genes with people like his dad and down -to-earth mom. He is attached to his grandparents who are also equally inclined towards carnatic music. He has unconditional support from his grand mother. He says his entire family supports him in every step. Funds in his projects and also bought him numerous gadgets. His idols? Steven Spelberg, Shankar and SS Rajamouli.

This St Mary’s commerce student is currently working on a sci-fi mythological epic drama The Oppera. “I’m making this short film with great determination and focus under my own channel SSK ARTS. When I had narrated the story to my friends, they were instantly in love with the script. It involves dragons and robotics and it is slated to release on the channel in a couple of months,” he concludes.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / Purnima Sriram / June 21st, 2016