ASIFABAD, Oct 27 : The mortal remains of Padma Shri awardee and prominent Gussadi dance maestro Kanaka Raju were consigned to flames here on Saturday.
The funeral was held with state honors at his native place Marlavai village in Jainoor mandal.
Kanaka Raju passed away due to illness at his native place Marlavai on Friday.
He was 83 and he is survived by his wife, eight daughters and four sons.
He performed the Gussadi dance for more than four decades and imparted training to thousands of dancers.
For his contribution to Gussadi, a traditional dance form, he was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2021.
Kanaka Raju, who belongs to the Raj Gond community, had ventured into Gussadi dance when he was barely eight years of age.
MLAs Vedma Bojju and Kova Lakshmi, Collector Venkatesh Dothre and SP DV Srinivas Rao paid homage to Raju by placing a wreath.
A large number of tribals attended and offered homage to the Gussadi dance master.
In a message, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed condolences on the passing away of Prominent Gussadi dancer Kanaka Raju, who presented the dying tribal art dance before the country.
The CM conveyed deep sympathies to the bereaved family members
Kanaka Raju has been recognised as an exceptional artist for introducing Gussadi to the world and preserving the art and cultural tradition of Telangana , the CM added.
(UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
