Yakshagana awards given away

Port, Inland Water Transport and Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary has said that Yakshagana artistes find solace in performing on the stage.

Speaking after giving away various awards to Yakshagana artistes in a programme organised by Yakshagana Kalaranga, the minister said that transparency is maintained in choosing the awardees unlike other awards where lobbying is done to get the award.          

Speaking after giving away the Vishweshtheertha Award to Padre Chandu Memorial Yakshagana and Dance Training Centre, the Pejawar mutt seer Sri Vishweshatheertha Swamiji said that Yakshagana is one art, which uses pure Kannada language.

Kannada and Culture Department Commissioner K R Ramakrishna said there is no dearth of funds in the department. The problem lies in proper utilisation of funds, he added.

The awardees include Bolar Subbhayya Shetty (Dr A B Shetty award), Kopadamakki Erappa Jatti Bhagavatha, Bhatkal (Nittur Sunder Shetty-Mahesh D Shetty), Suresh Ganiga Padukone (Prof. B V Acharya award), Kumble Sridhar Rao (B Jagjeevandas Shetty award), Vishweshwara Somayaji, Jansale (Bhagavatha Naranappa Uppuru award), Hemmadi Ramachandran (Dashavathari Marvi Ramakrishna Hebbar-Bhagavatha Vadiraj Hebbar award),  M K Acharya (Kota Vaikunta award),  Belthuru Ramesh Naik (Shiryara Manju Naik award),  Goodana Gopalkrishna Bhat (Kadiyali Subraya Upadhyaya award),  Udyavara Jaya Kumar (K Vishwajna Shetty award),  Birthi Balakrishna Ganiga (Irodi Rama Ganiga award), Karki Krishna Hasyagara (Padaru Narasimha Shastri award) and M T S Kulal (Prabhavathi V Shenoy and U Vishwanath Shenoy award).