Rallapalli Ananta Krishna Sharma

Sangita Kalanidhi Rallapalli Anantha Krishna Sharma (Telugu: రాళ్ళపల్లి అనంతకృష్ణశర్మ) (23 January 1893 - 11 March 1979) was a noted composer of Carnatic music , vocalist and  writer.

Life

Born on 23 January 1893 at Rallapalli village in Kambadur mandal of Anantapur district, Ananta Krishna Sharma was educated in Sanskrit, Telugu and Music by his parents, Karnamadakala Krishnamacharyulu and Alamelu Mangamma.

After moving to Mysore, he sought instruction from the chief pontiff of the famous Parakala Mutt. Sharma studied Sanskrit and Prakrit languages at the Chamaraja Pathasala; and music with Chikka Rama Rao, Bidaram Krishnappa and Karigiri Rao. Later, in 1911, he married Rukminamma.
Sharma was appointed a Telugu Pundit (a scholar) by Sir Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy, Principal of the Maharaja College of Mysore in 1912 and worked until 1949. After which he joined the Sri Venkateshwara Oriental Research Centre, Tirupathi. The then executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Chelikani Anna Rao entrusted Sharma with elucidating the compositions of the great songwriter-singer-saint Tallapaka Annamacharya. These compositions (or kritis) were stored for centuries in the Tirumala temple Bhandagaram (storehouse) on copper plates. Sharma received the project after the death of  his predecessor, Veturi Prabhakara Sastry . He singularly worked on tuning the songs and helped publish seventh and eighth volumes of Annamacharya’s compositions. Sharma went on to edit nearly 300 compositions and brought out five more volumes of compositions between 1951 and 1956. He also wrote the notation for 108 compositions and 87 of them were published in the Andhra Patrika.

Sharma died on 11 March 1979 in Bangalore and was survived by three daughters and two sons. On 23 August 2008, his life-size bronze statue was installed in Tirupathi.

Major works

• Anantha Bharathi (collection of Sanskrit works)
• Meerabai (1913) (Telugu Khanda Kavya)
• Taradevi (1911) (Telugu Khanda Kavya)
• Vemana Natakopanyasamulu (1928–29)
• Shalivahana Gathasaptashathi Saramu (1932) (translation work from the Prakrit into Telugu)
• Saraswatalokamu (1954)
• Chayapa Senaniya, Nrita Ratnavali (1969) (Translation into Telugu)
• Arya (1970) (Translation of Sanskrit work of Sundara Pandya into Telugu)

Compositions and Audio: 

The official site of Sri Rallapalli Anantakrishna Sharma