Every year, the celestial wedding of Lord Rama at Bhadrachalam is a highly anticipated event for devotees in the Telugu states. Before television became popular, people would gather around their radios to listen to commentators describe the intricate details of the wedding ceremony. These commentators were often well-versed in traditional rituals and would bring the spectacle to life through their vivid narration.
Since 1965, many great personalities such as Jammalamadaka Madava Rama Sharma, Malladi Chandrasekhara Shastry, and Usha Sri have held the microphone and fascinated Telugu people with their magical voice and spontaneity while narrating the sequence of the celestial wedding. STG Sreemannarayanacharyulu, also known as the Sanskrit Master in the temple town of Bhadrachalam, will be giving running commentary this year as well.
BSS Sharma, popularly known as Ramayanam Sharma, acted as the commentator/presenter in 2001 and 2015 and stated that the trend was set by Jammalamadaka Madhava Rama Sharma and has been zealously followed ever since. The Kothagduem FM station has been broadcasting the event since its launch in 1989, and prior to that, AIR Vijayawada Station produced the program.
This year, AIR senior announcer Madipalli Dhakinamurthy and STG Srimannrayana Charyulu will also participate in the commentary program for the celestial wedding. The program will take place between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. STG Sreemannarayanacharyulu takes care to make the commentary understandable for common people while ensuring the richness of the vivid narration. His rendition of poetry depicting the scenes allures listeners very much. It is a blessed opportunity given by AIR for taking the golden moments of Lord Rama to the people across the two Telugu States.
