The Sanathana Dharma Charitable Trust (SDCT) will hold a curtain-raiser event on Saturday ahead of the centenary celebrations of Satguru Sri Sivananda Murty (1928-2028) and the launch of the proposed Sivananda Cultural Centre in the city.The trust, registered at Bheemunipatnam in February 2000 with the blessings of the seer, will host a classical narrative performance, Sri Mahalakshmi Vaibhavam, by Vinay L. Varanasi, a Bengaluru-based storyteller and architect, and his team, at the VMRDA Children’s Arena in Siripuram, from 6 p.m.Mr. Varanasi is known for presenting narratives drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas, and has performed at cultural institutions across India and abroad. He will be accompanied by vocalists Archana and Samanvi, veena artiste Rakshita Ramesh, and mridangam player Adamya Ramanand.Chaganti Koteswara Rao, Adviser to the State government on Students’ Ethics and Values, will be the chief guest. Viswapathi, a spiritual author and guide, and Ganta Srinivasa Rao, MLA, Bheemunipatnam, will be the guests of honour. Former IAS officer L.V. Subrahmanyam, Managing Trustee of SDCT, will preside.The programme begins with the release of a brochure on the proposed Sivananda Cultural Centre between 6 p.m. and 6.45 p.m., followed by the classical narrative session until 8.45 p.m.Entry is free and open to all music lovers, according to G. Prabhakar, coordinator of the trust. Published - August 06, 2026 08:22 pm IST