Ahead of the 72nd Republic Day, the Union government has announced the Padma Awards, which are among the highest civilian awards in the country. While there are 119 awardees in the list, four people from the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have made it to the list. Rama Swamy Annavarapu, Prakasarao Asavadi and Nidumolu Sumathi hail from Andhra Pradesh while Kanaka Raju hails from Telangana. While three of the recipients have been named under the Arts category, Prakasarao Asavadi has been named under the arts and literature category.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Sri YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has congratulated the recipients of the prestigious Padma Awards. He said, “The Awardees had made Andhra Pradesh proud by their immense contribution in their chosen field and the recognition is an acknowledgement for their accomplishment.”
Rama Swamy, who is a famous classical Indian violinist from Andhra Pradesh, has been named as a Padma Shri awardee under the Arts category. Born in 1926 in Eluru’s Somavarappadu, he began learning music at a very early age under music maestros such as Maganti Jagannadham Chowdary and later from ‘Gayaka Sarvabhowma’ Sri Parupalli Ramakrishnayya Pantulu of Vijayawada. Rama Swamy received several felicitations as well as national and international awards for his contributions in the field of Carnatic music. Being a well-known violinist, Rama Swamy is proficient both as solo performer and accompanist. He has performed widely, and has accompanied most of the eminent artists of his time. He worked as a Staff Artiste with the All India Radio (AIR) for nearly 40 years before retiring in 1986.
The 96-year-old first generation musician has trained many students in various music instruments such as violin, flute and the veena. He is believed to have trained several students completely free of cost. He is known to have invented new Ragas and Talas such as Vandana Raga, Sri Durga Raga and Tinetradi Tala and Vedadi Tala. Among other honours, he received the Fellowship of Andhra Pradesh Sangeet Akademi in 1983.
Dr Asavadi Prakasarao, who hails from Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, is a Dalit Hindu author known for his poetry and prose works. He has been bestowed the Padma Shri honour in the Arts and Literature category. He has authored around 50 books in various genres which include prose, poetry, anthologies and commentaries. He has been widely commended and recognised for his contribution to the literary world. He has been honoured with more than 75 state level awards. The author set up a free library which consists of a wide range of books on various subjects, in Penukonda, which is his hometown.
Nidumolu Sumathi is known for being the first woman in the country to storm the male-dominated field of professional mridangam players. She is the daughter of Nidumolu Raghavayya, who was an expert at playing the mridangam. Her father had a great fascination for Dadamudi Ramamohan Rao’s style of playing the percussion and admitted Sumathi under his tutelage.
Sumathi had a strong passion for the percussion instrument and practiced for hours to master the art. She later went on to marry Dandamudi. Even today, Sumathi recollects him as a treasure house of knowledge and as an expert percussionist. They had performed together at several katcheris.
She went on to set up Laya Vedika, now named in memory of her husband Dandamudi Ramamohana Rao.
Kanaka Raju(63) who was given the Padma Shri award in the Arts category, is the only recipient of the Padma awards from the state of Telangana. He hails from Marlavai of Jainoor mandal in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
Kanaka Raju is a master of Gusadi, a tribal dance form. Raju has trained hundreds of adivasi teenagers and youth in Gusadi for over four decades. Raju had led a Gusadi cultural troupe to Delhi and performed before then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zail Singh. Soon after the announcement of the award by the government of India, tribal communities began the celebrations and termed the honour as recognition for both the tribal art form and the dance master.