People told to encourage drama artistes

Sangareddy (Medak): Everyone in the society should encourage and help the drama artists, said District Collector A Dinakar Babu here on Tuesday while inaugurating the Telugu Drama Celebrations organized in connection with the 165th birthday celebrations of noted social reformer Kandukuri Veeresalingam ast the collectorate. The collector said that it was really laudable to celebrate the Telugu Drama at a time people were forgetting the art of drama that too on the birthday of towering personality like Veeresalingam. Recalling the services of Veeresalingam, the collector said that the noted social reformer did more service to the literature than to drama. "Veeresalingam had encouraged education for women, remarriages for widows and fought against superstitions in the society," he said. Additional joint collector BNVVNV Murthy said that Veeresalingam propagated against child marriages, and encouraged widow marriages. He appealed to the artists to bring change in the society with their acting prowess. He said that the government would sure encourage the artists. District Youth Welfare officer Anjaneya Sarma said that Medak district was famous for artists. Several art forms like drama and folk songs have taken a back seat, he lamented. District Collector A Dinakar Babu, additional joint collector BNVVNV Murthy, District revenue officer I Prakash Kumar, District public relations officer D Nagarjun, district youth welfare officer Anjaneya Sarma felicitated ten artists � Kamuni Mallikarjun, Rukmabhatla Narasimha Swamy, Aana Rama Rao, P Chiranjivi, Pillitla Venkataiah, P Sumanjali, Paryapalli Yadagiri, Dr T Mallesam, M Narsimhulu and Kommula Sekhkar Goud. Earlier, the artists presented various art forms.