Ghantasala- The true king of melody

His melodies sing unheard of rhapsodies into our hearts. The riveted soul is divested of its untold agony, aridness and acridity and astral realms fall into the reach by his songs.

Ghantasala, the name goddess Saraswati herself had taken upon, has been enriching the world of music for decades.

It is 42 years since the maestro had rested in the eternal abode, but his voice is still heard in every household.

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Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, the pride of Telugus, strode the cine world of music till his death, and continues to rule the hearts of music lovers

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‘The majestic voice’ that VAK Ranga Rao reverentially calls was at perfect ease with all genres, be it film music, classical music, padyam, sloka. Soka, bhayanaka, karuna, roudra, sringara, hasya or whatever the rasa or the mood, he was at home.

He was the first ever playback singer to bring in subtle variations in voice to give the feel that the actors themselves were singing.

He was the voice whom legends like Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and Relangi preferred. Ghantasala was the pinnacle the film music had seen.

He was born in Chautipalli, a small village near Gudivada in Krishna district in 1922. His parents were Suryanarayana and Rathamma.

Born as the third among six children, Ghantasala was very early in age picked by his father for a special treatment- to accompany him to any activity in the service of God. Ghantasala, the lad, danced while his father sang to the accompaniment of the mridanga.

Great men aspire to bounce as much high as they are pushed down by odds. Ghantasala worked in tandem with difficulties before he reached enviable heights.

He lost his father very early, when he was only 11 years old. He reached Vizianagaram with the money he earned by selling his gold ring.

When he reached the Maharajah’s Music College where the goddess of learning is believed to dance in glee with chiming anklets, the college was closed for summer vacation.

However, the then principal, Dwaram Venkata Swami Naidu, was kind enough to allow Ghantasala to stay in the college itself along with some other similar students.

Ghantasala was again on the road when he was charged with theft by the students and driven out of the college.

But he was undeterred and stirred by the only fire, the only goal- to reach Vizianagaram to realise his father’s dream.

Luckily his guru Patrayani Sita Rama Sastry had shifted to Vizianagaram only then and assured him shelter at his place.

The struggle was not over yet. The soul’s wish was filled, but that of the belly not. He then roamed around the streets carrying a cloth bag across the shoulder hailing Maata Annapoorneswari.

He was for some time, one of those students who were fed by ‘varala paddhati’.

Later, in the third year of his music course he was given the facility of Simhachala Devastana Choultry meals where poor students from all the corners of the country had been fed.

He slept in the three temples or moodu kovellu as they are called occasionally.

Ghantasala was in for yet another shock when the gramophone company of India (HMV) failed him in the audition test saying that his voice did not suit the mike.

His first gramophone records were released at the instigation of friend and actor Peketi Sivaram. A renowned lyricist, Samudrala Raghavacharyulu, brought Ghantasala to the tinsel town in 1944.

Before Ghantasala sang his first film song in ‘Swargaseema’, he sang chorus and acted in ‘Seetharama Jananam'.

Ghantasala joined the big league with legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao after the success of the film ‘Balaraju’.

He was the unique outpouring of talent among the rarest of the rare for the reason that his voice could forge a fine sensitivity and refinement of taste among people.

His devotional songs especially on Lord Venkateswara take the listeners into the realms of omniscience. It requires the sense of at least a half-poet for the outpouring of a singer to be soulful.

Ghantasala, a master poet, was able to transfer the emotion to the listener. Songs like “Bahudoorapu batasari” that he wrote, though occasionally, demonstrate him to be one with a deep feeling.

His “Pushpavilapam” and “Kunti vilapam” have not only become popular, but also immortalised the poet Jandhyala Papayya Sastri popularly known as Karunasri.

The picturesqueness of the lyric was offered high pedestal while setting the tunes. His recital of Bhagawad Gita surpasses the similar effort of Lata Mangeshkar.

Even the great Hindi film singer Mohammed Rafi, on hearing the song from ‘Kuladaivam’, “Payaninche O Chiluka”, admitted that he could not match him in the Hindi replica “Chal ud ja re pancchi” .

“Sivasankari sivanandalahari”, “Rasikaraja taguvaramukada” could not win appreciation when they were reproduced in Tamil.

He is an example for those whose eyes are set in the stars, and yet are able to hold their feet to the ground. He was a humanist to the core.

As a 20-years-old, he spent 6 months in Alipur jail enamored by the feverish uprise of Indian Independence movement wherein he came into contact with national heroes like Acharya NGRanga, Erneni Subrahmanyam, Sardar Gowthu Lachanna, Pottisriramulu etc.

Ghantasala grew very much anxious at Pottisriramulu’s deteriorating health condition whom he visited regularly when Sri Ramulu went fasting for 56 days for a separate state for Telugus.

He was in the forefront to raise funds for the activities with a public cause like helping the destitute, the cyclone victims etc.

Even when a full payment of his remuneration was not made, he did not raise hue and cry, and never lost his repose even when the films he produced were duds at the box-office and his properties were sold away.

Though he was capable of matching the tonal vivacity of the likes of Relangi, he was content to give voice only to the heroes.

He had set music for about 100 films of which almost all were musical hits. ‘Mayabazar’, ‘Lava Kusa’, ‘Bandipotu’, ‘Gundamma Kadha’, are only a few to mention.

He sang about 13,000 songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu, and Hindi. His chuckle in songs like “Ettago vunnnadi volammi” (Dasarabullodu), “Eepagalu reyiga (Sirisampadalu), his bursting into layers of cough in songs like “Jagamemaya” (Devadas), “Evarikosam”(Premanagar), long live in minds of all music lovers.

Ghantasala’s song continues to retain value like the sugarcane which tastes sweeter as it is chewed.

He remains the most followed and debated alongside Mohammed Rafi on internet and the most celebrated singer of yore.

A moment with a Ghantasala’s song is a celebration of life itself. Ghantasala, hence, is the true king of melody.

By: Dr B Venu gopala rao
(Writer is an Assistant professor of English, Maharajah’s college,Vizianagaram)