Hyderabad, April 2023: Mahati Music Academy, a prestigious music institution founded by renowned musician and composer Sri Ushakant over two decades ago, launched its new YouTube Channel, “Naadam Naatyam,” and released its latest video album, “Aalwar Vaibhavam,” today at Park Hyatt in Hyderabad. The event was graced by several distinguished guests, including Srimaan Dr. Samudrala Ranga Ramanuja Charya, Director of Research and Publications at JIVA; Sri J. Rameswara Rao, Chairman of the My Home Group and Sri C. Sriniraju, Chairman of the i-Labs Group.
The Naadam Naatyam YouTube Channel aims to showcase traditional Indian music and dance forms to a wider audience and promote the rich cultural heritage of India. The Aalwar Vaibhavam video album features devotional music composed by Sri Ushakant and performed by the students and faculty of Mahati Music Academy.
“We are excited to launch our new YouTube Channel, Naadam Naatyam, which will provide a platform for showcasing performing arts of India to the world,” said Dr J. Sreekanth, Secretary, Mahati Music Academy. “We are also delighted to release our latest video album, Aalwar Vaibhavam, which is a tribute to the great saints and poets of South India and thank all our distinguished guests for their gracious presence and support,” he added.
The Aalwars, who lived between the 6th and 9th centuries CE, were poet-saints from Tamil Nadu, South India. They are highly regarded for their devotional poetry that exalts Lord Vishnu, and their literary works constitute a significant portion of Nalayira Divya Prabandham. They belonged to different castes. Aandal alias “Godai” was the only female amongst the twelve. Bhagavat Ramanuja had also mentioned about these “Aalwars” during his time. “Aalwar Vaibhavam” refers to the splendour and grandeur of the Aalwars and their devotional poetry, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The lyrics of “Aalwar Vaibhavam” are penned by Dr Tirumala Srinivasacharya, music is composed by Sri Ushakanth and songs are rendered by Dr J. Sreekanth.
Sri J. Rameswara Rao speaking on the occasion said, despite their busy schedules Sri Ushakant garu and Dr Sreekanth continue to dedicate and devote themselves and their entire family to our rich traditions and the melodious classical music. The launch of the YouTube Channel Naadam Naatyam and release of the video album Aalwar Vaibhavam, is their contribution to the continuation of this rich tradition for the benefit of future generations. Being a disciple of Chinna Jeeyar Swami, I greatly cherish the Aalwars devotional poetry and appreciate the efforts of Sri Ushakant garu and Dr Sreekanth in this direction.
Sri C. Sriniraju said, I am an admirer of Indian culture and traditions, appreciate the initiative of Dr Sreekanth to continue these traditions.
Sri Y. Subramaniam, Regional CEO, Apollo Hospitals, said, Dr Sreekanth is a great doctor who touched several lives, apart from that his interest in music is immense. I am happy that he created a platform not only for our generation to be enthralled with, but for the future generations and that is something which is his way of giving back to the society and our culture.
The founder of Mahati, Sri Ushakanth was inspired by the ‘Statue of Equality’ conceptualized by HH Tridandi Ramanuja Chinnajeeyar Swamy. He took a leaf from it and desired to make a humble contribution in the form of Aalwar Vaibhavam. Though the idea sprouted in 2017, due to some personal loss and COVID, completion took more time. “We are delighted to see the fruition of the idea and many talented professionals who are behind the success of this album.”, said Dr J. Sreekanth.
Mahati Music Academy is a leading music institution in Hyderabad that offers training in vocal and instrumental music, as well as dance and arts. With a focus on preserving and promoting Indian classical music and dance forms, the academy has produced several notable musicians and performers over the years.
The You Tube channel can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYWOMa97g3X7NY91KBvzjEw
