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Lakshmamma Music Story: A living reposition to songs related to folk tradition, 60-year-old, Lakshmamma hails from Godavarikhani Power House Colony in Peddapalli district of Telangana, which is ever alive amidst all the hustle and bustle. Lakshmamma is nothing but a dedicated homemaker; she is an ardent singer and a writer of songs alike. Throughout her life, sure proves that there is no end to music and tradition, while she carries on with those evergreen songs passed on from one generation to another.
It was music that she had always inclined towards, ever since her childhood. Folk songs, devotional hymns, and traditional lullabies filled all the moments of her life in the village where she spent her childhood. They formed part of the growing-up years because songs were invariably sung by her mother and grandmother. “Music was in every nook and corner of our lives,” she says with a nostalgic smile. “It was in our festivals, in our daily chores, and even in our prayers.”
This supreme love for music lay embedded in Lakshmamma. With years as they passed by life was hard and with a job at hand and a family to raise, she would never let go of those songs that were very dear to her heart. Now in her retired life, she finds solace and joy in revisiting those melodies. Her home is often filled with the sound of her singing as she goes about her daily tasks. Moreover, singing also provides an avenue to keep busy and indirectly connected with their roots for most people.
Behind each of the songs is a story; most of them will connect to memories. A few of them remind her of her childhood and the festivals that she had. A few lullabies that she sang to her children. In this manner, she can resurrect her memories through the songs and; at the same time maintain a heritage heard of no more in this contemporary world.
In addition to singing, Lakshmamma has taken up writing her songs lately. It is something she developed in later years, inspired by an urge to let go of the myriad accumulated thoughts and feelings. Her songs dwell on the simplicity of village life, the beauty of nature, and the deep spirituality that has always formed a part of her being.
More importantly, her soulful songs touch on the very essence of experiences lived through and wisdom gathered over the years. In other words, they are about changes in seasons, cycles of life, love, and faith that outlast all human changes. Songs by Lakshmamma are outlets in many ways that expose traditional spiritual lifestyles in the face of a more technological and modern world growing by the day.
That inner call toward saving traditional music was not hideous to the community around Lakshmamma. When she is singing, slowly people from the neighborhood come in and surround her. She is more or less a local muse. The songs do not only entertain but connect. In this world where many old and good practices are forgotten, she stands as the torchbearer of culture.
While she sang and continues to do so, Lakshmamma pens for herself a heritage—surely one that is bound to outlast her. Her songs are a reflection of her own life story and a treasure trove of cultural history. Sometimes, she likes to see it in some small way as though the songs that she sang as a child—indeed, the culture they virtually carry—will not be lost to time.
Lakshmamma’s story is that of the importance of tradition and what, if anything, any one person can do toward its perpetuation. She had a lively, wise voice through which sang the time-tested tunes of her ever-modern yet ancient culture. Through her singing, she would keep the flame of her community alive by igniting in the people around her the magic of both music and tradition.
