The people of Gudivada are proud to be here

 - 48 years later the songs sung by the immortal Ghantasala are still alive

 - Good luck getting to know him

 - The people of Gudivada are proud to be here

 - 'Samakya' pensions for poor artists are commendable

 - Adapa Babji, former Vice Chairman of Ghantasala Vardhanthi Sabha

 Gudivada, Feb 11 (prajaamaravati): The songs sung by immortal singer Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao are still alive after 48 years, said Adapa Babji, former vice chairman of the Gudivada municipality.  Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao's 48th death anniversary celebrations were held on Saturday at Raja Bapayya Chowk Center, Gudivada town, Krishna district under the auspices of Gudivada Town Kalakarula Samakya.  On this occasion, former Municipal Vice Chairman Adapa Babji laid flowers and paid rich tributes to the statues of Ghantasala and Padma Shri SP Balasubramaniam.  In the ensuing meeting, Adapa Babji said that the people of Gudivada are proud to be residents of the  area.  He said he has suffered a lot since childhood.  Despite being born into a poor family, he practiced hard and persevered and rose to the highest level in the music world.  The Ghantasala sang over 30,000 songs, each song being melodious.  He says the songs sung by the bells will stay alive as long as the earth.  He said that he sang songs in movies like Patalbhairavi, Malleeshwari, Devadasu, Mayabazar and Sri Venkateswara Mahathyam.  He said that it is not possible for anyone to sing the Bhagavad Gita as wonderfully as a Ghantasala.  He recalled that the Bhagavad Gita was very popular in the country and abroad.  He said that he was lucky to get to know such an outstanding person.  Apart from setting up a Ghantasala statue at the Raja Bapayya Chowk Center in the heart of Gudivada town, the artists also appreciated the setting up of a statue of Padma Shri SP Bala Subramaniam in the same area.  The Gudivada area is said to be the birthplace of artists.  Many artists from here are lauded for earning world-class fame.  He said artists are currently employed or in trouble. He said it was commendable that the Kalakarula Samakya was working hard to help poor artists in these conditions.  He said it was a great thing to be able to give pensions to poor artists every month at the rate of Rs.1,000.  He said he wholeheartedly appreciates the distribution of pensions over his hands to the first eight poor artists.  Donors are urged to come forward to support the artists.  Adapa Babji suggested that in the future, more artists should be given pensions and programs should be undertaken to support them financially.  Retired Principal of Diet College MVG Anjaneyu said the Ghantasala was immortal.  He praised the people for chanting Nava Rasa as well as Bhakti Rasa.  It is a reminder of those who have risen to the highest peaks of the Ghantasala in the world of music.  Leading artiste Bhagavatula Kodandapani said that Ghantasala has sung over 30,000 songs and rocked the music lovers.  He appealed to the Central Government to give Bharat Ratna to the Ghantasala and honor them.  Vaishya celebrity Boggarapu Tirupathaya says that he is a pioneer in the world of music and will live on in the hearts of the people as long as the Telugu language exists.  Later, poor artists Jakkula Krishnakumari, Chittajallu Arundhati, Kalva Aruna, Natta Kamala Kumari, Bhashyam Sitakumari, Anumakonda Sai Kumari, Dasari Mumtaz Begum and Sheikh Zarina were given Adapa Babji pensions of Rs.1,000.  Many artists sang Ghantasala songs.  The event was attended by the Honorary President of the Kalakarula Samakta B Rama Mohan Reddy, President Vinnakota Satyanarayana (Bujji), Vice Presidents Loya Radhakrishna, L Prakash, TS Babu, BV Satyam, D Varalakshmi, Medipalli Narasimha Rao, Sanaga Pati Narasimha Rao, Pata Shyam, Bhagavatula Uma Maheshwari and others.