Hyderabad:
To celebrate the Telugu New Year, Navya Sahiti Samiti and Navya Nataka Samiti held a cultural event called Vasantotsavam 2025. The event took place at the NTR Auditorium in Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University. It was held just after Ugadi, a festival that marks new beginnings in the Telugu calendar, and reflected the joyful spirit of spring.
Important guests attended the celebration, including Justice Alisetti Laxmi Narayana of the High Court, Deputy Director of Treasuries & Accounts Smt. G. Vasundhara, and Professor T. Gouri Shankar, a former registrar of the university.
The program began with the launch of Ramayana Taravali, a poetic audio-visual presentation by Dr. Acharya Phanindra, a retired scientist and President of Navya Sahiti Samiti. The work consists of 27 poems, each representing a star, and was written in a special poetic style called Utsaha metre. The poems were enhanced with original music and AI-generated visuals. Justice Laxmi Narayana officially unveiled the project, which was shown on a large LED screen.
Justice Laxmi Narayana praised the unique combination of poetry and science in the presentation. He admired the creativity and effort required to create 27 poems based on the Ramayana and highlighted the talent behind the work.
The music and visuals were created by Music Director Sunny Vasu, singer P.T. Gayatri, and AI visual artist Rohit Govardhanam. All three were honoured for their contributions. The organisers thanked the special guests for their support and encouragement.
After the presentation, the audience enjoyed a dance performance called Vasanthika by Kalaratna Madhavi Mala and her team. The performance began with traditional items like Pushpanjali and Ganapati Stuthi and continued with classical compositions by Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Ottukkadu Venkata Subbaiyya, and Annamacharya. Madhavi Mala’s choreography beautifully portrayed stories of spring and Lord Krishna. Dancers Dhatri Pagadala, Mekhala B.S., and Yasaswini added charm with their graceful movements.
The evening ended with a Kavi Sammelanam, a poetry session where Telugu poets shared their original verses to welcome the New Year. This part of the program is a yearly tradition for Navya Sahiti Samiti. Participating poets included Dr. M. Dattatreya Sarma, Sri N. Venkateswara Raju, Sri K.L. Kameswara Rao, Smt. M. Lakshmi Manasa, Smt. Valluri Sreemani, Sri S. Venkata Narayana, Sri P. Venkata Satya Murty, Dr. Ch. Sita Lakshmi, Dr. V. Kusuma Kumari, and Sri Shambhuni Kumar.
As the poets read their verses, the hall was filled with festive cheer and a love for literature. In a touching moment, Smt. G. Vasundhara and singer P.T. Gayatri joined the poets on stage. Dr. Acharya Phanindra led the session, supported by Prof. T. Gouri Shankar and Smt. Vasundhara. Each poet was honoured for their participation.
Vasantotsavam 2025 turned out to be an evening full of music, poetry, and dance—welcoming the New Year with creativity, devotion, and a strong sense of community.
