Voleti Sangeetha Vaibhavam-Part 3

“He was a disciple of mine all right, but what a genius! You can describe him as one of the best musicians of Andhra ever. I wonder whether we will ever get another musician like that!"
- Dr. Sripada Pinakapani Garu (on Voleti garu)
Art possesses an ethereal beauty to the minds of its perceivers, and for an entity to qualify as art it must demonstrate the potentiality to curate abstract experiences. Carnatic music is an ancient form of art that has undergone a series of organic changes to develop into the structure we know it as today. However, among its practitioners, there are very few who not only excel at it but also redefine an entire niche for themselves, leveraging their skill and aesthetic sense to raise their music onto a new plane altogether.
Voleti garu was one such artiste; a vidwan beyond compare who viewed music as a canvas to create and not a finished painting to be displayed. He was well-versed in both the southern and the northern paddhati of Indian classical music, and was able to marry Carnatic and Hindustani into a unique style that celebrated the grandeur of both forms without detracting from the value of either. An alapana for him was not a sketch of what a raga is but rather a foray into what it could be. His neravals were measured and sensitive, his swarakalpana simultaneously emotive and electrifying. Even as his creative mind flourished and his voice became a mere servant to his abstract genius, his diction and respect for sahitya-bhavam never took a backseat.
Voleti garu was born during a time when India was brimming with great musicians, and had the privilege of coming under the tutelage of Dr. Pinakapani - The Singing Doctor of Kurnool. However, throughout his life, he never got the respect he deserved. His performances were few and far between and his accolades sparse. He gained fame and recognition in Andhra Pradesh by virtue of Bhakti Ranjani, but remained largely unsung everywhere else. He passed away in 1989 at the age of 61, and perhaps he looks upon us now entrancing the devas themselves with his divine music.
On his 93rd birth anniversary, we would like to pay tribute to the Nada Yogi by remembering and revering the incomparable contribution he made to the Carnatic sphere.

[@cmusicdude]

An outstanding tribute to a musical giant - gratitude to Malladi Garus for this wonderful three part series! Heartwarming to see that Voleti's influence has permeated multiple generations. Ramana Balachandran's intensity is always a treat but his Kabir bhajan as tuned by Voleti was particularly pleasing. Malladi Suri Babu's comment that we have many "performers" but few "musicians" was a fitting tribute to this unassuming musical colossus, Shri Voleti Garu.🙏🙏

[@ramanikrishnamurthy5847]

I am a Voleti devotee . My humble pranams to the NADHA YOGI,!!

[@susmithanair3643]

The pandi who sung in the last how one can tolerate such performance

[@venkat6260]

🙄