Renowned Thenkuthittu Yakshagana Bhagavatha Padyana Ganapathi Bhat passed away due to a cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning. He was 66.
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Hailing from a family of Yakshagana artistes, his father Tirumaleshwar Bhat was a maddale player while his grandfather Puttu Narayana was also a famous bhagavatha. He learned ‘bhagavathike’ from late Mambady Narayana Bhagavatha at an early age and entered the Yakshagana world at the age of 15.
A leading bhagavatha of Tenkuthittu style of Yakshagana, he had served Yakshagana melas like Chowdeshwari, Kundavu, Surathkal, Mangaladevi, Edneer, Hosanagara and Hanumagiri for nearly five decades.
He had a hold over Tulu and Kannada languages and also composed new Yakshagana songs.
Padyana Ganapathi Bhat gave his voice to over 1,500 Yakshagana related CDs. He performed in foreign countries and other major cities in India.
He is a recipient of Dakshina Kannada Rajyotsava award, Malpe Shankaranarayana Samaga Prashasthi among others. He won the title of ‘Yaksharathna’.
Udupi Yakshagana Kalaranga President Gangadhar Rao and Secretary Murali Kadekar have condoled the death.
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