A high-powered jury of India's leading classical artists gathered here on Tuesday to whittle down a stack of applications and audition tapes, deciding which troupes will grace the stage for Nadaneerajanam, the nightly offering of dance and music performed before Lord Venkateswara. The closed-door session unfolded at the headquarters of Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC), the devotional broadcaster operated by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which runs the hill shrine considered among the wealthiest and most visited Hindu temples in the world.
Presiding over the proceedings was B. Sridhar Varma, who took the helm of SVBC only weeks ago. Varma, whose family has been linked to service at the Tirumala shrine for four generations, arrived at the post following an appointment cleared by the TTD board and formalized in a ceremony at the channel's office. Since SVBC's founding in 2008, the channel has served as the temple's principal instrument for broadcasting rituals, discourses, and cultural programming to devotees far beyond Andhra Pradesh's borders.
Vetting Talent Frame by Frame:
Rather than rely on paperwork alone, the jurors (a roster that included Padma Shri honorees Kanyakumari Avasarla and Ananda Shankar Jayant, alongside veteran names in Kuchipudi, Veena, Hindustani vocals, and Kathak) pored over submitted performance videos, scrutinizing technique, stage presence, and fit for a sacred setting before signing off on the lineup for October and November. Talk then turned to logistics: housing and amenities for visiting performers, and coordination among the departments tasked with keeping the ritual running smoothly. Before adjourning, Varma draped shawls over each panelist, a customary gesture of thanks for lending their expertise to the temple's cultural calendar.
List of the Panellists:
Joining Varma on the panel were violinist Padma Shri Kanyakumari Avasarla of Chennai, Bharatanatyam exponent Padma Shri Ananda Shankar Jayant of Hyderabad, Kuchipudi artist Vedantam Radheshyam, Veena player Mudigondan S.N. Ramesh of Chennai, Hindustani classical vocalist Pt. Kaivalya Kumar Gurav of Dharwad, and Kathak performer Nandkishore Kapote of Pune. Rounding out the jury were the Principal of SV Music College and the SVBC Convener.
