Kesiraju Srinivas (born 14 October 1966), popularly known as Ghazal Srinivas, is a
Ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
singer, actor, activist, and
frame drum
A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments, and perhaps the first drum to be invented. It has a single drumhead that is usually made of rawhide, but man-made mat ...
player from
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
, India. He holds the
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for most languages sung. He did a pioneering work in Telugu Ghazals. He also sings Ghazals in Hindi and Urdu languages.
He gave performances in many countries across the world. As part of his peace mission he traveled to war-hit countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, etc. to spread the non-violence movement preached by Mahatma Gandhi. In 2005, he started Ghazal Charitable Trust to promote Ghazals and world peace.
Srinivas, a native of
Palakol in
West Godavari District, was born in
Tekkali
Tekkali is a census town in Srikakulam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Tekkali mandal and Tekkali revenue division and is located at a distance of 51 KM from the district headquarters. The p ...
,
Srikakulam district
Srikakulam district is one of the twenty-six districts of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam. It is one of the si ...
,
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. He worked as a
librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhimavaram and Sainik School,
Korukonda, for a decade. He started singing Telugu
ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
s in 1986.
He uses a
frame drum
A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments, and perhaps the first drum to be invented. It has a single drumhead that is usually made of rawhide, but man-made mat ...
as his only accompaniment.
Life
Srinivas was born in
Tekkali
Tekkali is a census town in Srikakulam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Tekkali mandal and Tekkali revenue division and is located at a distance of 51 KM from the district headquarters. The p ...
,
Srikakulam district
Srikakulam district is one of the twenty-six districts of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam. It is one of the si ...
of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. His grandfather Kesiraju Venkata Narasimham Pantulu was a freedom fighter. His father Narasimharao got settled in
Palakollu
Palakollu is a city and the administrative headquarters of Palakollu Mandal in Narasapuram revenue division in West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Palakollu is situated in Coastal Andhra region of the state. It occup ...
as part of his job. His mother Rathnavali is a housewife.
He got attracted towards music right from his childhood. He used to sing film songs on various stages. Despite his interest in music, his parents initially were not very keen on pursuing a career in Music. In 1980, he received an award in Light music from the prestigious ''Tyagaraja Gana Sabha''. After this incident, his parents realized his talent in music and sent him to Pandit Hare Ram to learn
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
. He did BA in political science from Andhra University. He also completed
Bachelor of Library Science
The bachelor of library science (or “bachelor of library and information science”) is a degree sometimes awarded to students majoring in library science. It is commonly abbreviated as “B.L.S.”, “B.Lib.”, or “B.L.I.S.”, often with ...
from
University of Madras
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...
in 1989.
Before turning into a full time Ghazal singer, he worked as a librarian in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhimavaram,
Korukonda Sainik school.
He is married to Surekha. The couple has a daughter named Samskruti.
Career
He mostly used to sing film songs from his childhood. In 1986, he happened to listen Ghazals written and composed by
C. Narayana Reddy
Cingireddi Narayana Reddy (29 July 1931 – 12 June 2017), popularly known as CiNaRe, was an Indian Telugu-language poet and writer. Reddy had produced over eighty literary works including poems, prose-plays, lyrical plays, translations, a ...
. Then he decided to make his unique style by experimenting with Ghazals. Narayana Reddy also encouraged him by penning lyrics suited for his singing. He also taught him tricks of the trade while singing Ghazals.
He has a unique style of singing Ghazals as he uses only one instrument ''kanjeera'' (tambourine) as his accompaniment.
He sings the ghazals written by noted Telugu poet
C. Narayana Reddy
Cingireddi Narayana Reddy (29 July 1931 – 12 June 2017), popularly known as CiNaRe, was an Indian Telugu-language poet and writer. Reddy had produced over eighty literary works including poems, prose-plays, lyrical plays, translations, a ...
, and himself along with others.
He gave his first Ghazal performance in 1986. 1993 Rotary club sponsored his trip to USA to sing Ghazals to spread the national pride of India. After returning from that 60-day trip, he wanted to revolutionize the art of Ghazal singing, and started spending more time on it.
He used his art to bring peace and harmony in the society. To spread the message of peace taught by Mahatma Gandhi, he visited war hit countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, South Africa, and the middle east.
In 2005, he took part in 1538 km peace march from Delhi to Multan along with
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealis ...
winner
Sandeep Pandey
Sandeep Pandey (born 22 July 1965) is an Indian social activist and the present General Secretary of the Socialist Party (India). He co-founded Asha for Education with Dr. Deepak Gupta (presently Professor at IIT Kanpur) and V.J.P Srivastava ...
and more than 40 distinguished people from different fields. He composed an album ''Shanti Yatra'' (peace march) to promote healthy relationship between India and Pakistan. This album was released by
Abdul Kalam
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...
in New Delhi, who was the president of India at that time. They distributed the music CDs to Pakistan citizens during their visit. In 2006, he participated in world peace conclave held in Lahore to oppose the development of atomic weapons. He observed two-day fast to support this cause.
In 2016, he played a vital role in the restoration of
Pinakini satygraha Ashramam at Pallepadu of Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh which was founded in 1921 by Mahatma Gandhi.
He was felicitated with Peace Award for his Album Salam-Bogo by Afghan Olympic Association. He performed in the places like prisons in Warangal, Vizag, Vijayawada.
In 2017 he sang the songs in Hebrew, English and Hindi languages in Israel Parliament.
He also promotes talent in the youth to express poetical skills through Ghazals.
He raised funds for the new
Ram Mandir
Ram Mandir is a Hindu temple that is being built in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, according to the ''Ramayana'' the birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hinduism. The temple construction is being supervised ...
being built in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh by performing Ghazal concerts across various places.
His Ghazal Charitable Trust along with North America Telugu Society (NATS) unveiled the statue of noted musician
M. Balamuralikrishna
Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna (6 July 1930 – 22 November 2016) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist, musician, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer, and character actor. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in ...
in his native village
Sankaraguptam
Sankaraguptam is a village in Malikipuram Mandal of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the delta region of Godavari known as Konaseema. Coconut, rice, and casuarina are the major crops grown. This is ...
in March 2020.
As part of
Azadi Ka Amrita Mahotsav he has composed a song on the Telugu freedom fighter
Alluri Sitarama Raju when the prime minister Narendra Modi visited
Bheemavaram
Bheemavaram is a village in Khammam district of the Indian state of Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest stat ...
in Andhra Pradesh in July 2022.
Films
Srinivas has been part of a few films. He entered into the Telugu films as a lead actor in the film ''Vichitram'' directed by
Jandhyala
Jandhyala Subrahmanya Sastry (14 January 1951 – 19 June 2001), known mononymously by his surname Jandhyala, was an Indian film director, screenwriter, playwright, and actor known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He is popula ...
. This was the last film directed by Jandhyala.
He also played a guest role in 2005 Telugu thriller,
A Film by Aravind
''A Film by Aravind'' is 2005 Indian Telugu language mystery thriller film produced by Maroju Sridhar Rao, Sridhar Cinema and directed by Sekhar Suri. The story is that a director and an actor who fall in love with a mysterious woman. It was fol ...
. In 2015, he acted in a film ''Anushtanam'' which is based on a story written by
Gudipati Venkatachalam
Gudipati Venkatachalam (1894–1979), popularly known as Chalam, was an Indian Telugu-language writer and philosopher. He was considered to be one of the most influential personalities in modern Telugu literature.
Most of Chalam's work was rega ...
in the 1950s.
Filmography
Awards
He received an honorary doctorate from Cosmopolitan University, Missouri, USA in the field of performing arts in 2005.
He also received D.Lit (Doctor of letters) from
Acharya Nagarjuna University in 2008.
Government of Andhra Pradesh conferred him with ''Kalaratna'' award in 2011. This award is presented every year to the people who have contributed greatly towards the field of arts and culture.
NATS (North America Telugu Society) conferred him with the title ''Gaana Kalaa Vachaspati'' in 2012.
He received Lata Mangeshkar Memorial award on the occasion of her birthday celebrations in Pune on 18 September 2022. He performed some Hindi and Urdu Ghazals in her memory. He is also awarded INR 21,000.
World Records
He entered into the
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for the first time in 2008 when he sang 100 songs in 100 languages. In 2009, he again set a new world record by singing 125 songs in 125 languages. He set the third world record by performing maximum number of concerts (55) in 24 hours in 2010.
Positions held
He served as an honorary adviser for rural development from 2005 to 2008 when Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy was the chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh.
After
Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated, ''Andhra Saraswata Parishath'', a cultural organization which is dedicated to promote Telugu literature was renamed to ''Telangana Saraswata Parishath''. A new organization is formed with the previous name with Ghazal Srinivas as its chairman in 2017. He organized international Telugu celebrations from 6th to 8th in January 2022.
He was the brand ambassador for Save Temples Mission organized by savetemples.org and Global Hindu Heritage foundation.
As part of the Save Temples mission, he raised awareness of protecting old temples by conducting concerts and bringing the plight of some old temples to government's notice.
Sexual misconduct allegations
A woman complained that Srinivas was harassed for months. The police registered the case on Tuesday, 2 January 2018 after validating the evidence furnished by the victim, who lodged a two-page complaint with the Punjagutta police on 29 December 2017. Police said Srinivas had forced the woman to do body massage including private parts. "Under the veil he is living in, under the 'save the temples' disguise he's wearing like a thick blanket, neither my friends nor my mother will believe that he's such a sex pervert," said the woman.
Srinivas was taken into custody on charges of sexually harassing a woman, working as jockey for a web radio 'Alayavani' of 'Save Temples' organization. The police presented Ghazal Srinivas in court and he was remanded to judicial custody for 10 days. The singer was shifted to Chanchalguda Central Jail.
SaveTemples Organization suspended Dr. Ghazal Srinivas as Brand Ambassador where these allegations were reported.
References
External links
*
Hat-trick by Ghazal Srinivas, publisher ''The Hindu'' 3 November 2010
The Hindu, 5 August 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Srinivas, Ghazal
Indian male ghazal singers
People from Srikakulam district
1966 births
Living people
Indian librarians
Singers from Andhra Pradesh
People from Palakollu