Bhuvana Vijayam play during Ugadi Vedukalu

TAGO Telugu Association of Greater Orlando celebrated Ugadi Sambaralu at the Hindu Society of Central Florida auditorium with great fanfare under the leadership of Sri Ramesh Ila, the President of TAGO Executive Committee. Rick Singh, the Property Appraiser for Orange County made an appearance as a special guest. The audience filled the spacious hall to the brim and waited patiently for the main event of the day- “BhuvanaVijayam” the most popular drama for Telugu cognoscenti.

First, a brief introduction about the famous king and his Ashtadiggajalu familiarized the audience with the play and the history around it.

The play started with a song heralding the event and the setting. Kibhasree and Sai Prabhakar in their mellifluous voices held the attention of the entire audience including the boisterous, hyperactive children.

The curtain rose displaying the Court of Rayalu in all its splendor and with the Ashtadiggajamulu seated and waiting for the King to make his grand appearance.

The Rayalu led by his able minister Appaji entered the court, and the play started in right earnest. The backdrop and the set arranged meticulously showed the Royal’s court in all its grandeur. The poets dressed in costumes of that period looked realistic and transported the audience to a different era when Telugu flourished.

After that, the drama took a different turn with several anachronisms. The poetry and the humor et all had a modern tinge with English words sprinkled liberally and the script set in the context of Orlando 2017.

Poets of a different age like Molla, Utukuri Lakshmkantamma of the twentieth century showed up to display their poetic talent. An English poet PB Shelly arrived and declared in his inimitable lyrical style Telugu, and the Sovereign are the best of all languages and sovereigns. Rayalu displaying his linguistic talents praised the poet in chaste English with an impeccable accent and surprised his court.

Tenali Ramakrishna, as usual, stole the show and regaled the audience with his poetry and repartee. All the poets displayed their versatile talents with élan.

The play held the audience spellbound for 30 minutes and kept them away from the food stall immediately behind them wafting an inviting aroma.

The audience gave a standing ovation and clapped for long much to the delight of the actors. The play is bound to be the talk of the town for the next one year.

The play merits a special mention for the following:

1.The script is entirely different from the original and written by a local writer, KalyanTatavarthiand placed in the current scenario.

2. The actors also designed and arranged the costumes themselves.
3. Four out of the ten players are retired people with zeal and commitment no less than the youngsters. Dr. Murthy Bondada, 80, was indeed splendid.

KBSri as he is popularly known and Madhu Cherukuri who directed the play merit a special mention for their dedication, untiring efforts and technical wizardry to produce a show like no other.

All in all, it was a show that showed Telugu and Telugu culture in all its grandeur in a place far away from Andhra and India.

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