The Vice-Chancellor of Mangalore University P.L. Dharma on Tuesday, July 9, said that Yakshagana is no longer an art form of only Karnataka but is recognised all over the world.
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Speaking on the occasion of presenting Yakshamangala Award and Yakshamangala Kriti Award for 2022-23 instituted by P. Dayananda Pai and P. Satish Pai Yakshagana Adhyayana Kendra of the university at Mangalagangotri, Mr. Dharma said that young artists of the new generation carrying forward the traditional art form by maintaining its ethos is a positive development in the sphere of Yakshagana.
Senior artist Kolyur Ramachandra Rao said that engineers and other science students too emerging as Yakshagana performers is helping Yakshagana to spread its wings all over.
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Former Vice-Chancellor of Karnataka Folklore University K. Chinnappa Gowda said that the university should promote Yakshagana through its cultural policy.
The Registrar (administration) of the university K. Raju Mogaveera said that Yakshagana is contributing to the growth of Kannada language.
The Yakshamangala Award was presented to artists Sridhara Hande and M.K. Ramesh Acharya. The award carried ₹25,000 in cash, a citation, and a memento. Talamaddale artist Radhakrishna Kalchar was presented with Yakshamangala Book Award for his book titled ‘Peetika Prakarana’. The award was for a purse of ₹10,000, a citation and a memento.
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Mr. Hande is a convener of Saligrama Makkala Mela. An artiste of Badagu Thittu school of Yakshagana, Mr. Hande, who was also a teacher, bagged the best teacher national award in 1991. He is probably the pioneer in forming a performing troupe of children in Yakshagana theatre. The troupe had performed in the U.S., London, Manchester, and Bahrain apart from many places in India. His Saligrama Makkala Mela presented over 2,000 shows in the last 43 years. Mr. Hande is also a ‘gamaki’, Yakshagana ‘bhagavatha’, a poet, and a director.
Mr. Acharya is a ‘stree veshadhari’ (one who performs the roles of women). He is well-versed in both Badagu Thittu and Tenku Thittu schools of Yakshagana. He is also a Yakshagana teacher and Talamaddale ‘arthadhari’. Mr. Acharya had performed in Mandarthi, Dharmasthala, Surathkal, Saligrama, Soukuru, Perdoor, and Mangaladevi Yakshagana melas. The roles of women such as Chandramathi, Droupadi, Rukmini, Shantale and Seetha, Menaka and Sairandri performed by him had won accolades from fans.
A committee which comprised Padekal Vishnu Bhat, a scholar, Murali Kadekar, Secretary, Udupi Yakshagana Kalaranga and Dhananjya Kumble, Director of the Kendra and Mr. Gowda selected the two and the book for the awards.
About 60 students of the Yakshamangala team presented a Yakshagana ballet ‘Sri Rama Darshana’ on the occasion. Later, students performed Yakshagana Sudarshana Vijaya.