Lata Mangeshkar at tirumala

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar participated in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’ Nada Neerajanam programme in front of the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala on Saturday.

The Governors of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Mr E.S.L. Nara-simhan and Mr Rameswar Thakur, and the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, were the prominent guests at the ceremony to unveiled the audio CD of Annamayya Swarnalatharchanam, to which Lata Mangeshkar has rendered her voice.The audio CD contains seven Sanskrit hymns penned by the 16th century saint poet, Sriman Tallapaka Annamacharya.

Addressing a gathering of devotees, the TTD and government officials in Hindi, Lata Mangeshkar said: “It has been my dream to sing the sankeertanas of Annamayya.

Though the present CD contains the Sanskrit lyrics, I hope Telugu people would understand the nectar of the sankeertanas. I have put in the best of my efforts into this album. The music holds great power to usher in peace. A day will come when I shall sing the sankeertanas of Annamayya here at Tirumala.”

While two of the hymns sung by her were being played, Lata Mangeshkar chanted “Govinda, Govi-nda” even as the artistes of TTD’s Dasa Sahitya Project danced to the track.

Mr Rosaiah, meanwhile, said Lata Mangeshkar holds a venerable place in the history of the country. “She is a born musician. We may not understand the language of the songs she has sung, but we all will be spellbound by the magic of her voice.”

He said that the TTD would strive hard to bring into focus the remaining thousands of sankeertanas of Annamayya.