Tuneful tribute to Annamacharya - Singers set Guinness Record

For one and a half hours, more than one and a half lakh professional singers and amateurs sang the Annamacharya Kirthanas in one voice in Hyderabad on 10th May to mark the Telugu saint-poet Thallapaka Annamacharya's 602 birth anniversary. It is not lakhs of people who attended the programme that alone enjoyed the evening but also several lakhs of TV viewers including me. When I went to the venue to register my name and collect a book & CD of all seven sankirtans, I could see from the afternoon itself, people started pouring into the Parade grounds, the venue of this mega event. A festive atmosphere prevailed in and around the venue with many children and youngsters with traditional costume and some are seen dressed up as composer-singer Annamayya and Lord Sri Venkateswara. The stage was decked up beautifully to suit the occasion and Vedic pandits from Tirumala Tirupathi Devastanam also participated in this programme named as Laksha Gala Sankirthanarchana (one lakh voices singing Annamacharya Sankirtanas).
At about 6-20 pm all the participants seen reciting the sankeertanas simultaneously along with noted singer Garimella Balakrishna Prasad, who rendered the sankeertanas from the podium. The participants followed suit by clapping their hands and thighs. Starting with the noted Bhaavamulona, Bahyamunandunu Govinda, the musicians and singers rendered Brahma Kadigina Padamu, Entamatramuna Evvaru Thalachina, Podugantimayya mimmu, Kondalalo Nelakonna Koneti Rayudu Vaadu , Narayante Namo Namo and concluded the extravagnaza with Muddugare yashoda. In the process of reciting these sankeertanas, the participants set a new Guinness Book of World record surpassing a 72-year-old record set in Germany by a choir of 60,000 in 1937. The record was announced and a Certificate was presented by Guinness Book of World Records representative and adjudicator for the programme, Mr.Raymond Marshall amidst huge roar of applause from the audience. Mr. Raymond Marshal admitted that he had not seen such a performance, which he said was a treat to the eye and the ears.
The programme was organised by SiliconAndhra, a voluntary organisation in association with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the Andhra Pradesh state cultural council. Silicon Andhra is a non-profit, non-political, cultural and community organization based in the Silicon Valley (Bay Area), California, USA started its preparations in December last year for this spiritual musical event involving mass recital. This is second time Silicon Andhara entered Guinness Book of World records. The first record was in June 2008, when it has organized a Largest Kuchipudi Dance performed in California by 328 Kuchipudi dancers came from all over the world. SiliconAndhra's President Mr. Kuchibotla Anand and his band of volunteers must be congratulated for selecting Hyderabad as its venue and all their efforts to make a well structured mega event successful right in the Capital of Andhra Pradesh. The photos of this event and kirteenas in MP3 are available on http://www.siliconandhra.org What best I found in this event was that people came on their own, maintained utter discipline and participated enthusiastically. For several weeks they had been practicing the seven sankirtans prior to their lending voice. More than creating a record, participants sheer passion for Annamacharya brought the them to the venue who enjoyed the evening in a devotional bliss. It was indeed a exceptional experience for every one of us. Annamacharya Anniversary is being observed year after year and a postal stamp was released in his honor in 2004. But this Annamacharya Lakshagala Sankirtana has proved that Sisurvetti, Pasurvetti, Vetti Gaanarasam Phanihi (From children to animals to snakes, music enthralls all).
I admire any event of this sort with innovative ideas as it would certainly help in propagation of Telugu culture across the world.